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Thx gals. On that note, we have just put in a new tab for questions and answers so in case you puzzle over anything about the product or tea in general, you can post it there for any clarification if needed.
Although the tradition has somewhat been distorted in mainland China, it is still pretty as it was in the rest of the Far East that Buddhist monks don’t drink alcohol and have to live a life of hard work. Some believe that tea was popularized by monks because they needed it to stay awake and calm especially during long hours of meditation and chanting. And monks had an important social role in most parts of history so their influence in various levels of the society is understandable.
Small tea farms are still maintained in some monastery although they are not producing as much as they used to be for real consumption for the occupants. Not many centuries ago, people came just for the special tea each establishment had to offer.Green tea was the de facto tea category in those days, and the gentlemanly taste profile of most traditional green tea reflects the ideal of simplicity of Buddhism. It is believed that Oolong tea was used as an alternative especially when serving big crowds during which the steeping time and particularly serving temperature is hardly controllable. Oolong is a lot more forgiving than green tea particularly when preparing and stocking a huge volume. Black tea took its place after it was invented because of relatively much lower labour cost and can be served up even when it has turned quite cold. It is still given away to passerbys in some temples and monasteries in southern China. In Japan, they use bancha in such situation.Thx guys. Trying our best here. We don’t have a programmer in-house and it is really demanding to get things interacting right. It is preliminarily operational and some long time fans has shown great support. We still have a teaware section to put in and i hope it will eventually be a tea connoisseurs’ paradise.
On line shop is really new to me so please let me know if you have any comments.@ Amuk, it is unsettling, however, that the abuse of the farmers’ trust on the authority or bigger corporations is prevalent in China. The use of excessive and inappropriate chemicals is more an intent by regional authorities who need figures to prove their achievement for climbing their career ladders. Although this is affecting mostly major food produces for domestic consumption, but the practice is becoming a culture. The law and its enforcement have to be independent of political agendas or personal influence in order for this cancerous culture to subside. Or the health of the population will be sacrificed. It is has become an imminent issue.
The word “he” in Cha-he is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese term for the tool. It reads “hé”, and not “hee” (as in the pronoun with the same spelling). You are right, it is basically a tealeaves holder. Used more in presentation or examination context rather than normal daily tea making. There’s a lot of background story, but not significant for the modern tea drinker.
You can use anything to serve the purpose in its place. If scent is your examination priority, use a small tall cup as an alternative.MEversbergII: That’s a funny way of putting it.
As for my brand, I have almost long given up retail until the idea of an internet shop persuaded me. The shop is still being tested right now, and there are bits and pieces that perhaps a user wouldn’t notice, but it is operable:I try not to mix my editorial role with my trade role, that’s why you don’t see the name in the Tea Guardian site. Not just yet.Tamesbm,
The thickness distribution, material, shape, and size, of the tea cup influence greatly the taste of the prepared tea infusion. I think you have made a discovery before you made your posting here a few days ago. If you actually compare it, the difference the cup can make is (much) greater than the counterpart (the glass) can do to wine.Porcelain and ceramic are the best materials we have experienced so far, but it all depends of how well they are made for tea drinking.Let me respond with a broad wash to the picture as far as China is concern. Here I have first hand experience. I have heard stories from various other tea production countries. Their problems may be different.Although there is an NGO in China helping smaller farmers to get international organic certification, it is more like a government agency than a real NGO. In China, traditional folks do not like to muddle with the government; and for good reasons. The reasons just got stronger and more in the China today. As a result this entity seems to be serving more larger corporations who have more other relationship with the government.
It seems to me that these people are promoting more the Chinese alternatives of organic certs and more production set up that are larger in scale get the Chinese certs than international certs.As far as I can witness, Chinese certs mean little.There are medium size corporations helping their suppliers who are smaller farms to get international certs, but these are rare. I know of only one in terms of tea. They care more about marketing the cert that they pay for than the quality of tea.Having said that, however, most larger tea farms that are not certified organic, and that I have visited are pretty okay in terms of going by government pesticide regulations. It is the pesticide companies that are the real problem. They use ingredients that do not match the label. Some tell trusting farmers lies.Smaller farmers are quite diversified in organic practices, even within the same region. Those who have a long tradition in tea production and especially in higher quality tea usually go by traditional practices of organic farming (they had no such special term as organic). One key lies in planting the trees more apart and various vegetations around them. Less plucking and controlled use of fertilizers (even organic ones) are key to maintaining tree health. These are not possible even in corporate control organic farms because of the need for return.Those who have joined the tea trade recently only for the opportunity are generally not as disciplined. They can be farms of various sizes.Marketing of organic tea to most farmers is more a wholesalers’ or retailers’ problem than the farmers’. For those who produce lower quality tea, the extra margin for the cert goes only to the traders. For those who produce higher end tea, the cert is not a decisive factor of their sales. There is no relationship between tea quality and organic certification.The consumers are obsessed with this “organic” label because some people have successfully promoted it. For real connoisseurs, it is a superficial marketing means, used mostly for teas that are otherwise much, much lower in value.
