Tea Ceremony

Chanoyu (Japan)
Centuries ago, Buddhist priests developed a ceremony based on their belief that tea was spiritually linked to the peaceful ideals promoted by Buddhism. With passing generations, the Japanese tea ceremony, known as Chanoyu or "hot water for tea," became a more elaborate tribute to tea and established itself as an important component of Japanese culture. But unlike many other forms of serving tea that focus mostly on the drink itself, this ritual is really about the ceremony - everything that leads up to the brewed tea. The objective is to purify the senses and cultivate harmony and unity between the surroundings, the people, the utensils, the tea, and anything else involved in the ceremony. Like many of the ancient Japanese arts, it is viewed as a potential means of enlightenment; in other words, it is a central part of Chado, or "the Way of Tea." It originated in China, where its practice eventually died out; but combined with elements of Zen, it remains a fascinating part of Japanese culture.

There are many different versions of the Japanese tea ceremony, varying according to one's teacher and his or her training. The features common to most versions are the following:

A) The ceremony always involves a host and several guests. It can be held in a screened-off alcove of a main room, but those who can afford it build a teahouse and garden.
B) A full ceremony is usually preceded by a traditional Japanese meal, but the ritual is often performed without such a prelude. It takes place in a small room (about 9' x 9') lined with several tatami mats.
C) The guests wait in a special waiting room until summoned by the host. They walk through the garden to the teahouse which traditionally is elevated and has a three-foot-tall door so that guests must crawl to enter the building. As guests enter they wash their mouths and hands, remove their shoes and bow down beneath a low door - a sign of humility and equality.
D) Upon entering, they should admire the arrangement of the room - the dowsers, the art, the utensils - and observe the host (or tea master), who will light a charcoal fire and begin handling the utensils with carefully choreographed grace and tranquillity.
E) The host brings in the tea utensils and begins preparing the tea. The host fills a kettle with water and boils it over the fire. Then, one by one, the host scoops some powdered green tea (Matcha) into ceramic tea bowls and whisks it with the boiled water. The tea becomes thick and frothy, and the host passes the bowels around for each guest to sip from. Small sweetmeats (usually made of bean curd) are often passed around while compliments are exchanged. Then the host smothers the fire and a second bowl of thinner green tea is usually made. Indicating the conclusion of the ceremony.

The tea ceremony can last as long as four hours. The use of whisked powdered tea indicates the antiquity of the ritual. This method of preparing tea dates from the time of China's Sung dynasty, which lasted from the 900 AD to 1200 AD. Some commentators complain that the contemporary emphasis is often on ritual rather than on aesthetic or spiritual experience. Others find the ceremony tedious beyond description and the tea ghastly and barely drinkable. At least one author also claims that most current students of the tea ceremony are more interested in matrimony than enlightenment but impressions differ. Other participants assert that if one approaches the ceremony in the right frame of mind, it can be a very impressive and even an enlightening experience.

Gongfu (China)
The Japanese tea ceremony is a metaphysical/religious ritual centered around tea. There is nothing quite comparable in modern China (though, as noted above, the Japanese ceremony originated in ancient China).

The Chinese do, however, have a special method for brewing tea, which can produce remarkable results. It is called the Gongfu method. Gongfu means "skill and care" or "to do things well." It is the root of the term often used for Chinese black teas, "Congou."

The Gongfu method is typically used for oolong and green teas. The best results are with oolong. The typical method uses a very small teapot, preferably a Yixing-style teapot, small thimble-sized cups, bamboo tweezers, a bamboo scoop, and a tray with drains. Everything in Gongfu service is small and delicate, revealing the elegance of the tea it promotes. If you do not have a Gongfu tea set, you can approximate the method with an ordinary teapot, though the result may not be quite as good.

Genuine Yixing teapots are made of sandy clay found near the town of Yixing in Jiangsu province. Most of the teapots sold in the West with the label "Yixing" are not actually made from Yixing clay; still, they seem to serve their purpose well enough. Yixing-style teapots are made in a wide range of shapes, and are not glazed. The porous interior of an unglazed pot is seasoned by repeated infusions of tea leaves, and does not need to be cleaned.

You first want to pour hot water from your pitcher over the cups and teapot. Then fill the pot about two-thirds full of leaves and rinse or awaken them with boiled water. Immediately pour out the water and take in the aroma of the leaves. Refill the pot with water and replace the lid. Pour more boiling water over the top of the pot and allow the tea to steep for less than a minute. (One source says, "four to five slow breaths.") This infusion has the strongest aroma. Some methods use two sets of cups: the tea is poured into the first cup and then poured from that cup into the second cup. One then smells the aroma left behind in the first cup, and drinks from the second cup. Make sure each cup contains in equally strong infusion by filling the cups halfway first, then finishing them off the opposite direction (usually left to right, then right to left).

The second infusion lasts slightly longer than the first. It has a weaker aroma but more flavor. Subsequent infusions take progressively longer; you may want to add a slow breath to each infusion. Some teas can take four to five infusions, or more. Since this method requires a large amount of tea and several small cups (typically four), it is best done for a group of oolong lovers. It can be a very convivial occasion. Enjoy the delicate essence of the tea.

Gaiwan (China & Taiwan)
In China, one of the most common ways to make tea has been a covered ceramic cup called the gaiwan. This simple apparatus consists of a handless ceramic or porcelain cup with a lid. It is generally used for oolong and green teas, and while it is often casually used by Chinese and Taiwanese populations on a daily basis, the gaiwan brewing style's also viewed as somewhat of an art form.

Place tea leaves directly into the cup, and pour hot water over them. Cover the cup, and after the leaves have infused, use the lid to hold them at bay while the tea is consumed. When you have finished, keep your tea leaves moist, so that you can brew multiple infusions. Just add hot water to the leaves throughout the day, or even combine fresh leaves with the existing tea for a stronger blend. For a green tea, pour 185 degree Fahrenheit water around the leaves rather than directly on them. Steep the tea to the desired strength, leaving the lid off of the cup. Then, with cup and saucer held together, drink the infusion, again, using the lid to restrain the leaves. For oolong tea, pour water just short of a boil (195 - 205 degree Fahrenheit) over the leaves and drain it immediately by using the lid as a strainer. Take a moment to enjoy the wonderful aroma of the tea. Then replenish the water, steep the leaves and drink the infusion.

Panyaro (Korean)
Panyaro is a Korean tradition of tea preparation. It bears many similarities to the Chinese Gongfu method, differing primarily in a higher level of formality and a few additional implements (notably a lipped cup used to cool the water before it is poured over the leaves). The teapot and cups are slightly larger than the small Chinese implements.

Samovar (Russian)
In Russia, tea is as ubiquitous as vodka. Russians drink it throughout the day, and nearly everyone owns a samovar. While this decorative urn is actually a Chinese invention, it has become identified with Russian tea drinking. The samovar was traditionally a large metal container, made of bronze or copper, with a metal pipe running vertically through its center. To prepare tea, one filled the container with water, then put charcoal in the pipe and lighted it. When the fire is hot, one would place a teapot on top of the pipe and brew a strong concentrate of tea. Many people think samovar is used to brew tea, but it is actually only used to boil water.

Water is boiled in the samovar and poured from the urns spigot into a teapot filled with tea (usually black, like a Lapsang Souchong). The tea is brewed strong and poured halfway into cups. In order to balance the strength of the tea, boiling water is added to the cup from the samovar. Then, as is customary in Russian tea, something is added to sweeten the drink, whether as simple as a lemon slice or sugar cube or as fanciful as a spoonful of jam. Sometimes people even hold the jam or a sugar cube in their mouths as they drink the tea. Whatever the method, tea time to Russians is no time for timidity.

British Afternoon Tea
Tea time has been an important feature of British life for hundreds of years. "Taking tea" is a permanent part of the British lexicon, and even if you've never actually experienced it, the phrase surely conjures up mental images of porcelain china and cucumber sandwiches.

Traditionally, the upper classes serve a "low" or "afternoon" tea around 4:00 PM, at which one might find crustless sandwiches, biscuits, and cake. The tradition stems from the early nineteenth century, when a typical day's dining for English aristocracy consisted of two meals per day - a late breakfast and a late dinner. Unfortunately one aristocrat, Anna, Duchess of Bedford, had a heartier appetite than such a diet allowed, and she would often become weak and hungry by afternoon. To hold her over, she began inviting friends over for afternoon tea and snacks, and before long, the idea became an accepted British norm. Today the ritual has remained true to its original intent.

Middle and lower classes have a "high" tea later in the day, at 5:00 or 6:00. It is a more substantial meal - essentially, it's dinner - which includes bread, meats, scones, and cake. Apparently, many Americans have the impression that "high tea" is the meal served by high-class people. Actually, the names derive from the height of the tables on which the meals are served. Low tea is served on tables, which in the United States would be called "coffee tables." High tea is served on the dinner table.

Black tea is the drink of choice, and traditionally, the loose leaves are placed directly in a pot of boiled water. The tea steeps continuously, and after all the cups are filled, more water is added to the pot. An alternative is to use a tea ball or a pot with an infuser so you can remove the tea at the proper time.

This is merely a sampling of the many rituals practiced around the world for brewing tea. Each of these techniques, however, reminds us that tea is much more worldly than people sometimes think. They reside around the globe and reinvent themselves in a multitude of ways, and without these ceremonies, we might not think of tea as more than something to keep us warm or quench our thirst. The idea is to combine the practicalities of the drinks with the beauty of our inventive serving methods. In doing so, you not only pay tribute to this age-old beverage, but you enlighten and hopefully enliven the people who consume it.