Comprehensive Introduction to Tea Studies(including Chinese-English Tea Terminology)
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Jun 26, 2011, 6:29:48 AM6/26/11
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第十三屆國際無我茶會 , 暨 國際茶文化節 , 論文集
Proceedings of the 13th International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony and Tea
Culture Festival
Pub.: 天仁茶藝文化基金會 Ten Ren Tea Arts and Culture Foundation
Date: 2011.05
ISBN: 978-986-84204-2-7
Comprehensive Introduction to Tea Studies(including Chinese-English
Tea Terminology)
綜合研論茶學(中英文茶之術語)
By: Steven R. Jones 作者: 瓊斯‧史迪芬
http://teaarts.blogspot.com/2011/06/comprehensive-introduction-to-tea.html
Comprehensive Introduction to Tea Studies
(including Chinese-English Tea Terminology)
綜合研論茶學(中英文茶之術語)
_______________________________
By: Steven R. Jones作者: 瓊斯‧史迪芬
_______________________________
Chinese Translation: Chang, Li-Hsiang 中文翻譯: 張麗香
Feb. 17, 2011
摘要Abstract:
時代在前進, 新舊永遠在堆移之中, 本文深討綜合研論茶學(中英文茶之術語) 每一時代都有其新的面貌, 在這篇文章中茶學專業英文以最基本的課程來
描述, 此外使用圖片、列表、圖表和數位方式而成為一種具有時代性的一大特色, 正如所有科目總有許多側面和因素,意謂我們應從多方面來學習英文語言,
呈現新的時代精神, 都具有非常重要的意義。茶之所以多元化而其中是因最佳播種生長的環境、研究等等, 才能蘊育出繁盛的茶業文化。
Keywords： Tea Studies Education茶教育；Tea English Translation茶英譯；Tea
Culture茶文化；
Introduction
In this essay we will give a description of the basic curriculum for
“Specialized English for Tea Studies”. As with all subjects there are
always many sides and factors, we will come from a native English
speaker aspect. Many of the ideas discussed can be used directly by
native English speakers and also as a learning of tea from an English
learning experience for foreign speakers. We will see how each part
of tea studies builds on the terminology of the previous sections.
Also the use of pictures, lists, charts, and figures should help give
a graphical representation of concepts covered. While this paper does
not address in detail agriculture, we should remember that the tea
leaf begins life as a seed or cutting and there are many craftsmen
that tend to and harvest the tea; and without them we would never have
the chance to experience such excellent teas.
Below is the content list of this paper as well as the basic
curriculum organization of the “Specialized English for Tea” course
taught at the “Tenfu Tea College天福茶學院” and the “Lu-Yu Tea Culture
Institute陸羽茶藝中心”. But in this paper we only briefly introduce the
topics and also have connected the topics to integrate more of the
various fields of Tea Studies than just the Department of Tea Culture.
茶學綜論的內容
第一 茶葉生產加工Tea Production and Processing Technology
第二 泡茶原理、品茶、茶食品加工 Brewing Principles, Tea Tasting and Tea Foods
Processing Technology
第三 茶陶瓷藝術設計 Tea Ceramic Arts and Design
第四 茶文化 Tea Cultures
第五 茶化學、茶與健康 Tea Chemistry, Tea and Health
第六 茶會、茶之市場行銷、茶之旅遊管理Tea Functions, Tea Marketing Management, and Tea
Tourism Management
第七 辭彙表Lexicon Index
第一
茶葉生產加工
Tea Production and Processing Technology
( 茶樹裁培、采青、初制、茶葉精製、加工、包裝、茶之分類與識別 )
Now let’s first look at the beginning of the tea leaf journey after
the important growing process and from the point of harvesting is
where we will start. In this first section on specialized English for
tea studies, we will use some terms from botany and the field of black
tea and to some extent green tea. Comparing all the teas, black tea
has the most English information including terminology. We start with
learning about tea fundamentals from a scientific aspect, with topics
of growing, harvesting, making, and classifying teas.
Fig1
Tea Types Defined by the Degree of Fermentation and Post Fermentation
including the determining primary processes
non fermentation: harvesting- fixation -rolling-shaping- drying
partial fermentation: harvesting -withering (indoors and outdoors)-
fermentation- fixing - rolling- drying-(optional roasting)
full fermentation: harvesting- withering -rolling (twisting, orthodox,
or CTC)- fermentation- drying
post fermentation:
piling: harvesting- sun fixation - sun drying - rolling - piling-
shaping (compress or loose) - sun drying - (usually aging)
non piling: harvesting - fixation - rolling - shaping (compress or
loose) - sun drying - (usually aging)
In the above table (see Fig1) we have listed the types of fermentation
and the major processes involved to make various teas. The non-
fermented teas consist of green tea and yellow tea. The partial
fermentation is white teas and oolong teas or celadon tea. Full
fermentation is how black tea is made. The post-fermentation can be
the simple process of aging or the process of piling which is
microbial fermentation this is how dark Puer tea and dark tea are
made. This classifying and listing by sequence shows the terms for
processing of tea. Below we have expanded the processes. For the
process of “harvesting” we use the raw tea product identified as
“fresh leaves”.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Taking the terms from tea processing and using the classification by
color and creating a flow chart (see Fig2); we can see clearly in
Chinese and English the major steps involved. The classification of
tea using the color system is not perfect, for example yellow tea is
not really yellow or oolong tea is not really celadon in color. Yet
the logical pattern is that tea turns relatively from green to black
(actually dark brown) depending on the degree of fermentation. In
making the flow chart, attention is taken to the alignment grouping of
processes to make the chart with fewer lines as opposed to more
lines. For example all teas go through the drying step last, so
therefore we have only one drying box on the right side of the flow
chart. Side-by-side translation of terms makes it easy for learning
and easy to see errors in the sequences, a chart also is good for a
reference in group discussions. In Fig2 only the primary steps are
listed, there is no mention of the secondary processing such as the
roasting, scenting or aging process, these processes can be added to
the teas after the initial drying process. The primary processes
determine what kind of tea is the final end product (i.e. a finished
green tea that is additionally roasted will not change to a black or
an oolong)
第二
泡茶原理、品茶、茶食品加工
Brewing Principles, Tea Tasting and Tea Foods Processing Technology
Tea brewing is an art, and involves understanding the different
varieties of tea, characteristics, and the parameters for making a
good cup of tea. We also need to understand the different ways to
enjoy the liquid tea through the methods of steeping, whisking, and
boiling; also some knowledge of the material properties of the brewing
vessel, like understanding its heat conductivity. We will look at tea
steeping, traditionally and commonly known as tea brewing. Also
brewing takes trial and error, which means lots of practice.
What does brewing mean?
If we translated this directly from Chinese by word-for-word it would
be “soak”, but in the English language and tea culture we already
have a word which is “brew” even though the tea leaf is usually soaked
and not cooked, yet we all understand this as the way of making tea
called “tea brewing”.
Gongfu or Kungfu?
The difference of “gong工” and “kung功”, sometimes in Chinese writings
they will use these words interchangeably, but we try to distinguish
in English the difference of the two terms to avoid confusion between
the Kungfu 功夫 (use this one when referring to martial arts武術), and
Gongfu 工夫 (use this one for tea terminology茶之術語). In tea studies with
the term kungfu we are referring to the martial arts and with gongfu
we are talking about its aspect to tea. An example is “Gongfu Tea
Ceremony 工夫茶”, which is a style of tea brewing like the Wuyi Tea
Ceremony or Wuyi tea brewing method, with a teapot, small porcelain
cups, and usually with an oolong tea. Remember that there also is a
tea named gongfu, as in Gongfu Black Tea which is a type of black
tea. While Gongfu Tea Ceremony originated using oolong tea, any tea
can be used with the goal of make an excellent cup of tea from the
first to the last brew. Below is an example that can be used in the
classroom for tea appreciation.
An example of attending a Gongfu Tea Ceremony
– Gongfu Tea 工夫茶, skillfully making tea, to bring out the best of the
tea's character and essence. To elegantly brew the best we can, with
the goal of simplicity.
During the Gongfu Tea tasting workshop:
Everyone will be given a cup, please use the same cup during the
tasting.
Caution Hot!, take care when handling and drinking the hot tea.
Avoid drinking on an empty stomach, eating some snacks help digest the
tea.
Tea masters will brew teas and tea participants will evaluate teas by
tea tasting and appreciation.
Tea Drinking Appreciation, from the tea liquid: color, aroma, flavor,
and mouthfeel. Try to describe the characteristics of the teas, using
comparison and contrast. Remember enjoy the tea and savor the tea
slowly.
Participants can alternate being brewers, while everyone tastes teas
made by others and gives and receives feedback through discussion,
notes should also be taken for future reference. This is a great
hands-on practice and tasting experience. In this following section
of tea brewing we need terms for the brewing steps, movements, and the
different types of brewing methods.
Lu-Yu Small Pot Tea Laws:(24 Rules)
陸羽小壺茶法24則
1. prepare tea ware備具 15. prepare cups備杯
2.
from still to ready position
從靜態到動態 16. divide tea分茶
3. prepare water備水 17. serve tea by cups端杯奉茶
4. warm pot溫壺 18. second infusion沖第二道茶
5. prepare tea備茶 19a. serve tea by pitcher持盅奉茶(additional rounds can
be made by steps 18 and19a )
6. recognize tea識茶 19b.
supply snacks or water (not necessary)
茶食供應或品泉
7. appreciate tea賞茶 20a. take out brewed leaves去渣
8. warm pitcher溫盅 20b. appreciate leaves (not necessary) 賞葉底
9. put in tea置茶 21. rinse pot涮壺
10. smell fragrance聞香 22. return to seat歸位
11. first infusion沖第一道茶 23. rinse pitcher清盅
12. timing計時 24. collect cups收杯
13. warm cups燙杯 -- conclude結束
14. <> pour tea倒茶
<>Fig3
When making and serving tea, preparation is essential and should be
done fluidly and not rushed. In the above steps (see Fig3), the tea
making process is mapped out, one should realize that the above is not
just limited to a teapot, but also a cover bowl or whisking spout bowl
can be used. We have divided the procedure down to twenty-four main
steps. This chart can be given to students for reference of the basic
tea brewing sequence. Also additional rounds or brews can be made
from step18 and step19a. Man does not live on tea alone, let’s look
at tea foods.
Fig4
Teas, Seasons, Food Flavors, Colors
Tea Type season flavors color
green tea spring sweet green
black tea summer fruity red
roasted oolong tea autumn nutty gold
dark tea or Puer tea winter rich black
(Note: the above (see Fig4) is a possibility arrangement not a
required set of rules)
Another field in Tea Studies is Tea Foods Production and Processing,
tea foods either gourmet or simple snacks are an important part of Tea
Arts. Tea foods can complement the tea as well as the tea can
complement the foods. In the chart above (see Fig4) we have made a
comparison of tea, flavors, seasons, and colors. There are more
varieties of foods than there are teas; and the skills of
manufacturing high quality tasting foods are no easy task. But
matching foods and teas is the important factor as well as adding
complementary tastes that will create a tasty product. Many food
items are seasonal and are not made year around, hygiene, proper
packaging and freshness are required. As the major part of the
curriculum is foods production and together with tea studies core
classes make for a complete program for the various needs of high
quality tea foods. By understanding the different characteristics of
tea, the tea ingredients can be studied and selected to complement the
particular tea food being created.
Some examples of tea snacks are: Almond Green Tea Snacks, Green Tea
Almond Flavored Mini Crispies, Green Tea Cookies/Shortbread, Green Tea
Flavored Caramel Milk Candy, Green Tea Flavored Mini Pie, Jinxuan
Dried Preserved Tomatoes, Tea Flavored Dried Preserved Dates,
Pineapple Cakes, Moon Cakes, as well as others. Example Product
names, are“綠茶金桔 Preserved Kumquats with Green Tea” and “綠茶蕃茄Preserved
Tomatoes with Green Tea”, and having a well translated“營養標示 Nutrition
Labeling”, excellent quality tea foods are made with only real tea.
第三
茶陶瓷藝術設計 Tea Ceramic Arts and Design
( 茶具名稱與功能 )
Here we need to look toward the field of pottery or ceramic arts.
Pottery is the art of the ceramist, and pottery is the tools of the
tea master. Clays are the building blocks of pottery, and we need an
understanding of ceramic and material property fundamentals, as well
as the production of these materials. Most of the tea produced comes
from a handful of countries, but tea ware comes from all over the
world and we need to take this into account when deciding how to
translating. Also tea ware is usually made of ceramic material, but
we also have other materials including metals, and woods. We create
this part of the tea studies lexicon from a ceramic artist and
craftsman view, using their terminology. This is an important area to
expand tea terminology because this can open needed communication
between the brewers and the makers of tea ware. The main goal of the
ceramic artist is to improve tea ware and create tea ware that is
functional and convenient for the tea brewer.
The Raw Materials of Ceramics
Clays are derived for rock and sediments of different densities and
are sometimes aged, for example “kaolinite高嶺石,化學成分：Al2Si2O5(OH)4” is a
clay with the components of aluminum oxide and silicon oxide. Famous
from “Jingdezhen 景德鎮”, kaolinite is also known as china clay, white
clay, or kaolin. However there are other clay materials such as,
“Yixing宜興” has sandy clays which are somewhat more coarse than the
clays of Taiwan’s “Yingge鶯歌”, the latter which are finer and more
malleable and suitable for hand throwing.
The Manufacturing Processes (basic process):
Mixing the clays
The raw materials are sometimes attained as dry powders and mixed then
water is added, some clays are also aged, proper percentage of water
is important for the shaping process, slurry of course has more water
than clays that are for hand shaping.
Slip casting
Slip casting slurry mixtures are added to two-piece plaster molds
which absorb moisture and are allowed to dry to shape. After opening
the plaster mold the piece is cleaned of rough edges or any seams left
from the mold.
De-airing and kneading
The plug mill is used to chop clay and de-airs the clay lumps that can
be then hand shape.
Shaping and forming
This depends on the type of clay and the consistency. For liquid
mixtures slip molds are used. There are machine methods for example
jiggering, some hand methods are pinch, thrown, and paddle methods are
used to shape the clay body. After the shaping then the clay is
allowed to dry to a whitehard body.
Drying
Dried undecorated greenware or whitehard clay pieces are still
slightly wet and can be glazed or painted and then can be fired.
Sometimes heated dryers are used to remove moisture during the drying
process.
Glazing and decorative painting
After the pieces have been dried, they are ready for glazing. The
pieces may be entirely covered in one color of glaze by being run
under a flow of glaze that completely coats each piece, or the pieces
may be sprayed or dipped in glaze. Hand painted pieces may be more
decoratively glaze painted; some pieces have decorative decal applied
by hand. The final color is determined by high temperatures and
various metallic oxides like: iron, nickel, vanadium, and for
specific colors antimony for yellows, copper for blues, reds, and
greens, chrome for greens, and cobalt for blacks.
Firing
After pieces are decorated and dried they are ready for firing. Some
pieces are fired more than once, and this allows different layers to
be applied and at different temperatures required. After pieces have
been fired they change chemical composition and fuse and become stable
and long lasting, and at this stage are considered pottery and
ceramics. The raw materials become stoneware, earthenware, and
porcelain works of art. In the next section we will look at some
ceramics that pertain to tea pottery arts.
The Ceramic Artist and the Tea Master
It could be said, the more the tea brewing master knows about the
creation and the material science of ceramics, and the more the
ceramic artist knows about the use of the tea ware and brewing, the
better the design and production of tea ware will evolve. With the
names of tea ware we first look if there is an English name used or
something similar, also we could use a Romanized name, (i.e. the
Romanized Chinese term gaiwan for cover bowl). While not complete
below is a list of some tea ware used today.
Fig5
Tea Ware 茶具 tea spoon 茶匙
brewing vessel 沖泡盅 serving tray奉茶盤
tea bowl 茶碗 teacup 茶杯
teapot 茶壺 cup saucer杯托
cover bowl 蓋碗 tea ware 茶器
tea pad 壺墊 thermos 熱水瓶
tea pitcher茶盅 tea jar 茶甕 (tea urn)
lid saucer蓋置 tea cart 茶車
towel tray茶巾盤 water heater煮水器
tea towel 茶巾 water kettle 水壺
tea holder茶荷 tea basin 水盂
tea brush 茶拂 tea caddy (canister) 茶罐
timer 計時器 tea boat 茶船
In the above table (see Fig5) we have some simple yet essential tea
equipment necessary for making tea. This group of words also acts as
an inventory check list for the tools of the tea master. Some of the
terms are derived from British tea culture due to England’s long love
of tea and beautiful china (porcelain).
第四
茶文化Tea Cultures
( 中國茶史、世界茶文化、茶詩、音樂 )
Tea and People
In this part, we cover tea's effect on people, or should we say
people’s imprint on tea? To explore the world of tea and people, we
take what we have learned from sections on tea processing, tea
brewing, tea ware, and using this knowledge and applying it for
furthering the explanation of the history and culture of tea and its
influence on man. With English translations of Chinese historical
records we must check phonics for that era including modern pinyin;
spelling rules have changed and sometimes words were misspelled by not
understanding the spelling rules of the time. Hence, here we
sometimes have to translate backwards, from the foreign language back
to Chinese. This can be difficult with old documents and deciphering
what they were trying to say, for example, some names of Chinese teas
have changed including the Chinese and English names.
While there has been much secrecy about producing tea product, the
enjoyment of drinking tea has been more open and very social.
Throughout time China has always been in the fore front creating a
better bowl or cup of tea and sharing these aesthetically beautiful
and efficient methods with the world. Below are three ways that tea
is made throughout the world today.
Brewing tea through history
The three major methods for drinking tea and the popular time period:
Boiling tea 煮茶 (Tang Dynasty唐代)
Whisking tea 點茶 (Song Dynasty宋代) (still popular in Japan)
Steeping tea 泡茶 (Ming Dynasty明代)
Translating cultural tea terminology
When dealing with countries that also use Chinese characters we should
use the phonics of the country of origin, for example translating the
Japanese tea masters or Japanese tea terms we should use Japanese
based phonics (i.e. Sen no Rikyu千利休). If we compare the different
countries that we have included in our tea culture section in respect
to translating, Korea is possibly the most difficult, due to the fact
that there is not as much material in English or Chinese to research
or compare with. With British tea culture obviously we translate from
English to Chinese but if found, we also clarify any gross
misrepresentations. As for any poetry, this is definitely the most
difficult to translate, keeping the meaning and trying to make it
sound smooth is difficult. With translational priorities we strive to
keep the meaning first as much as possible, yet leave some room for
setting the intended tone, as well as keeping in the logical pattern
of our tea studies lexicon.
The translation of classical books are important and translating the
particular tea ware is vital to understanding and tracing the history
of tea culture, as an example we have a book dated six hundred years
ago and we have translated just the topics, which can be used by
historians to document and libraries to categorize the information.
Here below is “Tea Manual, 1440”, just one of the many classical
writings on tea, we have recorded and translated just the chapter
topics which also include tea ware and it can be referenced to other
writings like the tea ware of Lu Yu’s “Tea Classic”.
“Tea Manual, 1440” Zhu Quan (Ming. 1378-1448 A.D.)
《茶譜》朱權 (明. 1378~1448)
Content below also includes ten tea wares:
Preface序
1.Selecting Tea品茶
2.Storing Tea收茶
3.Whisking Tea點茶
4.Scenting Tea Method熏香茶法
Ten Tea Wares茶器具:
5.Tea Brazier茶爐、6.Tea Stove茶灶、 7.Tea Mill茶磨、8.Crushing Roller茶碾、9.Tea
Sieve茶羅、10.Tea Stand茶架、 11.Tea Spoon茶匙、12.Tea Whisk茶筅、13.Teacup茶甌、
14.Tea Pitcher茶瓶
15.Heating Water Method煎湯法
16.Selecting Water品水
Since there have been several books with the same name of “Tea Manual茶
譜” we have used the convention of adding the date to the name for
clarity. The tea book title of Tea Manual written by Zhu Quan in the
year 1440 A.D. we call “Tea Manual 1440”. The “Tea Manual 1440”
includes a preface and sixteen chapters while they are ordered
differently we can be grouped them by four common topics.
Tea tasting: selecting tea, selecting water, boiling water, and
whisking tea.
飲茶方法：品茶、品水、煎湯、點茶。
Tea processing: storing and scenting tea.
制茶方法：收茶、熏香茶法。
Tea ware: tea brazier, tea stove tea mill, crushing roller, tea sieve,
tea stand, tea spoon, tea whisk, teacup, and tea pitcher.
茶器具：茶爐、茶灶、茶磨、茶碾、茶羅、茶架、茶匙、茶筅、茶甌、茶瓶。
Note on translation: Here “tea spoon茶匙” is not the same as a
“teaspoon” of British tea culture.
In the above example notice the citation consists of the book name,
author, and date, this simple yet vital information is important to
the library archivist as well as the tea historians. We also have
listed the topics of the book as well as the tea ware topics with
English and Chinese for quick reference of terms. Again like our
previous sections, we want to make it usable to not only to tea
studies but other disciplines, for example not all historians are tea
masters and not all tea masters are historians, therefore we must pay
attention to detail in the translation of the book name, author, and
topics by keeping consistent with our tea studies terminology.
Tea and Music
Music and tea have been long companions and here we take music to be
part of tea, and for the musician to learn about tea and to experience
music with tea. A very ancient and one of the first instruments to be
used with tea is the “guqin” sometimes referred to in Chinese as just
the last part of the word “qin”, yet in English the full term guqin is
preferred to avoid confusion. Below is a brief description to this
musical instrument by comparing it to a western musical instrument and
using music terms when appropriate.
Ancient guqins 古琴of just “silk and wood弦與木”
While the guqin is unique, the Western zither is similar to the guqin,
the guqin has also been called a “lute”; but we will preserve its name
as “guqin” this is a direct pinyin spelling of “ 古琴 ”. The structure
of the guqin is simple and complex being made of Chinese parasol wood
and strings of twisted silk. The upper board is round and made of a
parasol wood “firmiana simplex梧桐” and symbolizes the heavens, the
bottom board is flat and made of a wood called “catalpa ovata梓木” and
symbolizes earth. The guqin originally had five strings, representing
the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The thirteen
“studs (徽hui)”on the surface represent the 13 months of the lunar year
including the leap month. The entire length of the qin in Chinese
measurements is approximately “3 chi, 6 cun 5 fen 三尺六寸五分“;
representing the 365 days of the year. It is in the class of zithers
with no bridges and has seven silk strings with thirteen “studs徽”
usually made of mother of pearl. An antique guqin's age can be
determined by the snake-like crack pattern called “crack patterns斷紋”.
It can be seen how our lexicon has went on one of many tangents to
reach subjects touched by tea in some sort.
Very specific terms and the specialized tea lexicon.
Here we use the term “very specific” instead of rare, uncommon, or
obsolete, because what might seem uncommon, to some perhaps is not
uncommon at all. Here we will reveal terms that are not known by many
people and rarely written or spoken of therefore these terms are often
difficult to find, yet these terms do exist and have a purpose. In
multi-language and cross-cultural subject studies we have many orphan
terms that are not well established, referenced, or defined. The
larger our tea lexicon becomes the wider the spectrum of topics that
we integrate, and the more we can relate in terms of tea studies. For
example the very specific word “literati文人”, is not a common English
word, yet the term “scholar” is, the definition of the two are similar
but not the same, in the example below literati is the preferred or
more correct term, but we also include scholar or maybe we could say
Chinese classical scholar, this could give the reader a transitional
reference point.
First let’s explain the following phrase in this style of translation
to be clear on what Chinese term is used, we have included the
Romanized Chinese:
“Four Arts 四藝 of the Literati文人” are qin琴, qi棋, shu書, and hua畫, in
general mean, Musical Instruments, Chess, Calligraphy, and
Painting". And with Chinese classical scholars of the time meant,
Guqin, Chess which is actually the game of “Go or Weichi圍棋”,
Calligraphy, and Water Color Painting.
Now with reference to the term literati we can know explore the topic,
as it pertains to tea see below:
Literati (Scholar) and Tea文人與茶:
To the tea master tea is more than a drink; it is a way to express
art. Below we have a tea arts theme called “Scholar Tea”. This
theme also explains some historic facts of the relationship of tea and
the literati as well as their connection to tea ware. (Presentation by
Steven R. Jones and Tea Master Chang Li-Hsiang ( 張麗香), along with
other cultural events at Confucius Institute at San Diego State
University圣地亚哥州立大学孔子学院, California in 2009.)
Below we have a Tea Site Theme that encompasses our term literati:
Literati Tea文人茶(or Scholar Tea)
When tea savoring swept though China, it became a wonderful substitute
for wine. Tea has been a drink that awakens the body first, then the
mind, and ultimately the human spirit. Savoring a bowl or cup of tea
in solitude or among colleague has often spawned inspiration. Simple
tea drinking is perhaps how these classic literati or scholars got
their ideas. It is well known the “Four Arts四藝 of the Literati”. The
scholars, scholarly civil servants, or literati of Imperial China,
where all schooled in Confucianism known as the School of Literati.
In early China the term refers to the class of people that went
through traditional Chinese education. There were sets of Chinese
civil service examinations, including Chinese literature and
philosophy. Passing the exam was a requirement for many government
positions. These individuals were the mandarins, and referred to those
who held government positions. Classical Chinese tea, calligraphy,
poetry, painting, qin, and “go or weichi圍棋”, were practiced and
perfected by this social class. The Ancient Chinese Literati took
pride in their writing instruments and their surroundings. Most of the
literati came from the higher class of society, and were also known as
collectors of art in the form of stone, wood, lacquer, ivory, horn,
metal, jade figurines, as well as their writings that were put on
scrolls and displayed as art. These items were set around their place
of work like desks, rooms, walls and shelves; and these items were
focus points and appreciated over cups of tea, with the scholar’s mind
always at work “thinking”. Also the act of brewing tea, admiring the
beauty and craftsmanship of the brewing vessels that allow it to
infuse into a magnificent liquid and pour in a perfect arc, and
filling the air with wonderful scents and flavors, and in all this
inspired the literati. Their love for tea ware and their choice of
style also influenced the potters of the time. Many scholars had a
connection and passion for nature, so they would have a retreat in the
mountains. Here an apprentice would make tea and the literati would
savor tea and let the mind wonder and drift through the lore of
life.
Now let’s move to another place and time, to the north of Asia, here
they also were influenced by China and China’s tea. Now let us go to
this different region using different cultural items; but still
enjoying tea.
What is a “samovar茶炊”?
A samovar is used to heat water and has a teapot on top for steeping
concentrated tea that hot water will be added to the cups before
serving. Before we leave the section of tea culture, look at the
picture above (see Fig6), we can observe just one of the many cultures
affected by tea, in this old oil painting we can see two people
probably talking and enjoying Russian black tea with a samovar as the
centerpiece. Even though this scene is set several hundred years ago,
and we might not be familiar with the samovar, we can see that tea is
the major part of socializing life in this picture. The samovar of
the Russian household is always on and ready to serve family members
and guests alike. In translating the term samovar, we do not have
this exact object in the English language, the closest thing we have
is an urn which still is not universally thought of as a vessel used
with tea, as in “tea urn”. Yet the true Russian word “samovar”, easy
to pronounce and spell in English, works perfectly into our tea
vocabulary. The samovar is also called a “Russian urn”. Tea is still
the popular drink for Russians, with porcelain teacups or small
glasses with metal holders. The Russian term samovar means “to boil
itself”, it is made of metal, and with older samovars they had a
separated chamber in the center for hot coals to heat the water, now
they are electric. Placed on top of the samovar is a teapot with loose
tea leaf and is very concentrated, the pot is made of metal or
porcelain. When serving tea, the concentrated tea from the teapot is
added to a teacup, and then located near the bottom of the samovar,
hot water is added to the teacup from the spigot. This type of
brewing is what we in tea studies call the concentrated tea method.
第五
茶化學、茶與健康
Tea Chemistry, Tea and Health
A chemist knows chemistry and a teaist knows tea, but who knows tea
chemistry?
From the first section we began with tea terminology from a science
aspect before moving to the arts and culture, and we now come back to
science again to explore the science of tea and health aspects. Tea
chemistry from a translation and explanation standpoint is universal
and fairly simple due to the fact that chemistry in general has a
large specific universal lexicon and is used throughout the world. A
simple example is there are many words for water depending on the
language; but the chemical formula “H2O” is the same in all languages
and is understood by the global chemist. Many fields of tea do not
require the use or understanding of much tea chemistry, yet this does
not mean we should neglect it. Obviously chemists understand
chemistry, but that does not mean they all know what areas of
chemistry is important for tea terminology. Therefore we in the tea
field also need to study some chemistry. Here we borrow or use much of
the specialized chemistry terminology, and incorporate it in the tea
terminology lexicon. From the science of chemistry and our knowledge
of tea we can build a scientific tea lexicon part. This is important,
because we study tea and understand what is needed from chemistry
terminology, such as the chemical process of enzymatic oxidation, as
well as the Maillard reaction or browning process. Understanding
chemicals and the color of tea. With the basic understanding of tea
chemistry and then researching health studies, we can come to some
conclusions of human health issues. Most of the tea studies workforce
is not scientists or doctors, yet we can study from dependable
sources, and with doctors and scientists within the whole tea science
community can perform or help in some way with research and education.
Many of the students that continue education in tea studies can have a
crucial role of sharing credible information on health issues with
proper references. For example, one should not drink strong tea in the
evening due to the fact that the tea caffeine can interfere with
regular sleep, or caffeine can give relief to tension headaches.
Teaching people about the benefits of tea, and how tea can be a
nutritional and healthy beverage, as opposed to alcohol or sweeten
sodas.
Another task is we need to take the tea science and health information
and convey it in common terms for the average individual tea drinker
and to include beginners, in a way that everyone can understand. Using
complicated tea terminology for the promotion of Tea Arts would be
unproductive. An important factor to remember is that as experts in
our field we should not mislead people that do depend on us for tea
knowledge; also we should check information and expose any myths of
tea health science. Below are just a few example terms explained that
were stated in the first section of tea processing, as of today these
three terms are still often not understood or mislabeled.
The following is explained as they pertain to tea.
Fermentation發酵: actually “enzymatic oxidation酶氧化”, noticeable change
in chemical composition and leaf becomes darker, moisture and heat aid
in this process. This is the process that changes raw green tea to
oolong tea, white tea, or black tea, depending upon the degree of
oxidation. Oxidation氧化 (enzymatic) is a natural chemical change in
the tea leaf that begins after harvesting and accelerates if leaf
cells are broken and exposed to oxygen.
Fixation殺青: to rapidly stop the oxidation process through water loss
in the raw tea leaf caused by heat. After the fixation process the raw
tea leaf is considered dead and does not metabolize and is relatively
chemically stable.
Microbial fermentation微生物發酵: this take place during the piling
process, this is initiated after fixation and before the rolling,
shaping, and drying. The tea leaf becomes very dark and has a rich
character, and can be aged. This is not the fermentation or oxidation
step of non-dark Puer and non-dark teas.
The chemistry of Tea
Now we will look at the chemical profile that determines the distinct
tea character. The chemical composition of fresh tea leaves and
processed green tea are very similar. Green tea contains the organic
compound polyphenols, commonly known as catechins, which mostly
include flavanols, but also contain flavandiols, flavonoids, and
phenolic acids. The main process responsible for the chemical
changes of tea is oxidation; oxidation is the process of polyphenol
oxidase-dependent oxidative polymerization. Due to tea processing
the chemical composition of black tea and fresh tea leaves are much
different. Black tea contains bisflavanols, theaflavins,
thearubigins, and other oligomers. The theaflavin is significant to
the character of black tea. Theaflavins, which give the characteristic
color and taste to black tea. Thearubigens, which are even more
extensively oxidized and polymerized, have a wide range of molecular
weights, and are less well characterized. Oolong tea, a partially
oxidized tea, contains monomeric catechins, theaflavins, and
thearubigins. Some characteristic components, such as epigallocatechin
esters, theasinensins, dimeric catechins, and dimeric
proanthocyanidins, are also found in oolong teas. With respect to
dark tea and dark Puer tea, piling is the major process creating large
chemical composition changes in the tea leaf. Changes in color,
scent, and flavor all can be distinguished and identified. The
microbe varieties, piling method, time period, weather, and type of
fresh tea leaf all determine the character of the final product.
Common tea compounds affecting scent, flavor and color, as well as
health benefits.
C Catechin
EGC Epigallocatechin
EGCG Epigallocatechingallate
GC Gallocatechin
ECG Epicatechin gallate
EC Epicatechin
TFs Theaflavins
TRs Thearubigins
TBs Theabrownins
AA Antioxidant Activity
VFC Volatile fragrant compounds
Chlorophyll C32H30N4Mg
PP Polyphenols
PPO Polyphenol Oxidase
POD Peroxidase
Microbial fermentation, the piling process of Puer tea, what is that?
All Puer teas are made from large leaf Yunnan variety. Also to be
called a Puer tea, it must first go through a series of determined
steps which we have discussed in the processing section. Here let’s
take a brief look at the piling process, elements, and microbes that
determine the special character of dark Puer tea. By 1973 the Kunming
Tea Factory had created the piling process of dark Puer tea. For the
chemistry of piling to take place the tea leaves need water and with
heat will give the suitable hot and humid condition, and the recently
sun fixed leaves are piled, covered, left alone, and periodically
turned and water is added when necessary, in order to catalyze the
oxidation of non-enzymatic polyphenol compounds. This pile
fermentation is done in the presence and action of certain microbes
under controlled conditions. The key effect is to reduce the tea’s
natural bitter characteristic and produce a full smooth flavor and
texture. The piling process is due to certain colonies of microbes
and it takes thirty to forty days for the desired chemical
transformation changes. There are many parameters and requires
extensive knowledge, skill, experience, and hygiene to be done safely
and properly, piling involves some decomposition but it is
controlled. Remember many types of microbes are a healthy part of our
lives, examples, yogurt, wines, and cheese all have microbe growth,
some can be seen like the tiny microbes grouped largely together can
be seen in blue cheese. While the science of tea piling is still
being researched and discovered below are some of the microbes
involved in the piling process.
黑麯黴Aspergillus niger
青黴屬Penicllium
根黴司Rhizopus
灰綠麯黴Aspergillus gloucus
酵母屬Saccharomyces
土生麯黴Aspergillus terreus
白麯黴Aspergillus candidus
細菌類Bacterium
Another common question is, “Which has more caffeine tea or coffee?”,
while we must address the concentration of caffeine, this question
also involves the effect differences of the two different sources of
caffeine.
In the figure (see Fig7) we can see that while both tea and coffee
have caffeine, with coffee the caffeine is stronger acting and with
tea it is longer acting, there seems to be some relationship between
the tea polyphenols and tea caffeine. Another point to be made is
that the level of caffeine is not so much determined by the type of
tea or the process of the tea, but more by the type of fresh tea leaf
initially used to produce the tea. The younger buds and tips have
more caffeine and the older the leaf the less the caffeine content.
第六
茶會、茶之市場行銷、茶之旅遊管理
Tea Functions, Tea Marketing Management, and Tea Tourism Management
In our last section we will begin with tea functions and overview some
of the applications of tea, tea functions are activities that may have
tea as the theme or the tea function might be a part of a larger
function. In the figure below (see Fig8), it has all the details of
who, where, and when, and enough information to explain what will
happen. Actually this is a Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony Public Announcement,
but the basic format could be used for any number of tea function
situations. When creating announcements we should also include
additional information such as alternative plans (i.e. in case of rain
or bad weather conditions), also additional contacts. In our example
we only have one email and one telephone number, which is not enough;
this was an indoor class event so no need for alternative bad weather
plans and location.
This is clear and explicit, which is important because we want people
to know about the event, also it should be translated in the languages
of the participants, this type of document is called public
announcement.
Producing good tea is important but marketing good tea is just as
important. Besides the obvious of wanting to make a product
desirable, marketing can be a way of informing and educating consumers
about what kinds of teas are available and explaining the tea’s
character as well as simple brewing techniques. The below example
(see Fig9) is for the Tea Description labels on tea packages to inform
and help consumers to make choices.
In the above figure (see Fig9) is the front and back label of a tea
box, on the backside is the tea name and also the tea variety,
examples of other varieties would be yellow, green, black, scented,
spiced, dark, Puer, and such. Another very important piece of
information is the tea character which is where the tea taster and
also local culture are used for marketing the tea and giving the
prospective consumer an idea of what the tea is like. Culture is
interesting, for example some tea companies have described dark Puer
as having a chocolaty taste this has been used to market American
consumers, while this description is not universal and this might not
be used in the Chinese market place. This goes to prove that
descriptions are relative to the culture and times of the people and
not absolutes.
And now for our last section but just as important, tea is global and
we need to be tea-travel savvy and aware of where teas are produced
and what interests can bring people to the tea towns. Therefore the
travelers will not only learn and see many teas, but will see local
culture; we can make tea tourism educational while being fun. To
provide information and access for people to explore new and exciting
places with new and exciting teas that they have never experienced
before. While Taiwan has vast tea production in many locations
throughout the country; being in the tea tourism industry we need to
be educated on the world-wide tea industry demographics as well.
Being at least bilingual is a prerequisite for being in tourism, when
giving tours we need a very extensive tea vocabulary that not only we
understand but can also explain these terms in simple language when
interacting with tour group members.
Tea and tourism, is a global field, by incorporating tea travel to top
visiting spots and seeing tea plantations, tea factories, famous
tearooms, and tea museums.
As shown above (see Fig10) the world is full of tea producing areas,
all with the possibilities of exciting tea tour itineraries.
第七辭彙表Lexicon Index
This is the last part and this is the first part we review when
updating the Tea Studies program. The index has two purposes, one is
to index the text and the other is a working lexicon and as part of a
spreadsheet that can be integrated to other word lists. Also when
adding terms we can revert to the index to see what type of
organization we want. Because the working model is a spreadsheet it
is easy to convert to page order, alphabetical term order, or any
other parameter cell order.
Below is just an example
中英文茶學辭彙表
Chinese-English Tea Studies Lexicon Index
中文術語 英文術語 Page No.
茶樹 tea plant (tea tree)
茶園 tea plantation (tea estate)
喬木型 tree type
灌木型 bush type
… … …
… … …
Acknowledgments:
It is a wonderful experience teaching at the Tenfu Tea College and Lu-
Yu Tea Culture Institute. I am always being stimulated and astounded
by the young hard working minds of the students. This is the first
year of Tenfu Tea College graduates that will go out in the world and
help to enlighten others to the world of tea. I will forever feel a
love for the tea college, and every day I see the student body, I know
from the ancient tea classic by Lu Yu over 1300 years ago, that tea is
old, but the students remind me it is stronger than it has ever been.
I am also grateful to my wife “Chang, Li-Hsiang 張麗香” for her ever
present help in every one of my classes. From translating my lectures
to teaching the students; without her, our class would be far less
than complete. Also much of my knowledge of tea we owe to the tea
farmers and workers, without their skill and hard work there would be
no tea at all.
--- the end ---
關於我自己Profile
瓊斯‧史迪芬 Steven R. Jones
網址Blog: http://teaarts.blogspot.com/ E-mail: ice...@gmail.com
現任Presently
◎福建漳州天福茶學院茶文化系專任教師、講師 Full Lecturer, Department of Tea Culture, Tenfu
Tea College, Fujian
◎台北陸羽茶藝中心講師 Lecturer, Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute, Taipei
◎天仁茶藝文化基金會 翻譯人 Writer and translator, Ten Ren Tea Arts and Culture
Foundation
◎福建漳州天福茶博物院 翻譯人 Writer and translator, Tenfu Tea Museum, Zhangzhou,
Fujian
著有, 出版著作 Published Works
◎《茶文化系專業英語》 ( 天福茶學院，2008 ，控制號：zyk0014462) “Specialized English for
Tea”, (2008), Tenfu Tea College, Ctrl No: zyk0014462
◎《中英文"茶學術語"》 ( 天福茶學院, 2009 ) “Chinese-English Tea Studies
Terminology”, (2009), Tenfu Tea College
◎《中英文茶學術語》 ( 陸羽茶藝股份有限公司, 2010 ) “Chinese-English Tea Studies
Terminology”, (2010), Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute, Co., Ltd.
茶學經歷Tea Education and Experience
◎中華國際無我茶會推廣協會 秘書處Secretariat, International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony
Association
◎天仁茶藝文化基金會和韻茶會 會長Leader, Herin Tea Troupe, Ten Ren Arts and Culture
Foundation
◎國際無我茶會 編譯組Translation Team, International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony
Association
◎國際無我茶會第5屈茶道老師Tea Master Instructor, 5th Class, Intl Wu-Wo Tea
Ceremony Association
◎陸羽茶藝中心 第34屈 泡茶師Tea Master, 34th Class, Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute
◎無我茶會第10屈指 導老師Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony Association, 10th Class, Tea Lore
Instructor
◎慈濟靜思茶道Jing Si Cha Dao, Tea Ceremony Studies Certification at Tzu Chi
University Continuing Education Center
◎士林社區大學茶道藝術社團Tea Arts Society, Taipei Shihlin Community College
◎台北市政府社會局老人自費安養中心 茶藝社助教Asst. Instructor, Tea Arts, Ankang Senior
Citizens Home, Taipei
◎陸羽茶藝中心茶藝月刊 英文翻譯Translator, Writer, "Tea Culture Monthly" of the Lu-
Yu Tea Culture Institute0
◎台北市茶商業同業公會- 大稻埕找茶趣活動推動小組Education & Heritage Tea Promotion Team,
Taipei Tea Merchants Association
***
第十三屆國際無我茶會 , 暨 國際茶文化節 , 論文集
Proceedings of the 13th International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony and Tea
Culture Festival
Pub.: 天仁茶藝文化基金會 Ten Ren Tea Arts and Culture Foundation
Date: 2011.05
ISBN: 978-986-84204-2-7
Comprehensive Introduction to Tea Studies(including Chinese-English
Tea Terminology)
綜合研論茶學(中英文茶之術語)
By: Steven R. Jones 作者: 瓊斯‧史迪芬
http://teaarts.blogspot.com/2011/06/comprehensive-introduction-to-tea.html
Proceedings of the 13th International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony and Tea
Culture Festival
Pub.: 天仁茶藝文化基金會 Ten Ren Tea Arts and Culture Foundation
Date: 2011.05
ISBN: 978-986-84204-2-7
Comprehensive Introduction to Tea Studies(including Chinese-English
Tea Terminology)
綜合研論茶學(中英文茶之術語)
By: Steven R. Jones 作者: 瓊斯‧史迪芬
http://teaarts.blogspot.com/2011/06/comprehensive-introduction-to-tea.html
Comprehensive Introduction to Tea Studies
(including Chinese-English Tea Terminology)
綜合研論茶學(中英文茶之術語)
_______________________________
By: Steven R. Jones作者: 瓊斯‧史迪芬
_______________________________
Chinese Translation: Chang, Li-Hsiang 中文翻譯: 張麗香
Feb. 17, 2011
摘要Abstract:
時代在前進, 新舊永遠在堆移之中, 本文深討綜合研論茶學(中英文茶之術語) 每一時代都有其新的面貌, 在這篇文章中茶學專業英文以最基本的課程來
描述, 此外使用圖片、列表、圖表和數位方式而成為一種具有時代性的一大特色, 正如所有科目總有許多側面和因素,意謂我們應從多方面來學習英文語言,
呈現新的時代精神, 都具有非常重要的意義。茶之所以多元化而其中是因最佳播種生長的環境、研究等等, 才能蘊育出繁盛的茶業文化。
Keywords： Tea Studies Education茶教育；Tea English Translation茶英譯；Tea
Culture茶文化；
Introduction
In this essay we will give a description of the basic curriculum for
“Specialized English for Tea Studies”. As with all subjects there are
always many sides and factors, we will come from a native English
speaker aspect. Many of the ideas discussed can be used directly by
native English speakers and also as a learning of tea from an English
learning experience for foreign speakers. We will see how each part
of tea studies builds on the terminology of the previous sections.
Also the use of pictures, lists, charts, and figures should help give
a graphical representation of concepts covered. While this paper does
not address in detail agriculture, we should remember that the tea
leaf begins life as a seed or cutting and there are many craftsmen
that tend to and harvest the tea; and without them we would never have
the chance to experience such excellent teas.
Below is the content list of this paper as well as the basic
curriculum organization of the “Specialized English for Tea” course
taught at the “Tenfu Tea College天福茶學院” and the “Lu-Yu Tea Culture
Institute陸羽茶藝中心”. But in this paper we only briefly introduce the
topics and also have connected the topics to integrate more of the
various fields of Tea Studies than just the Department of Tea Culture.
茶學綜論的內容
第一 茶葉生產加工Tea Production and Processing Technology
第二 泡茶原理、品茶、茶食品加工 Brewing Principles, Tea Tasting and Tea Foods
Processing Technology
第三 茶陶瓷藝術設計 Tea Ceramic Arts and Design
第四 茶文化 Tea Cultures
第五 茶化學、茶與健康 Tea Chemistry, Tea and Health
第六 茶會、茶之市場行銷、茶之旅遊管理Tea Functions, Tea Marketing Management, and Tea
Tourism Management
第七 辭彙表Lexicon Index
第一
茶葉生產加工
Tea Production and Processing Technology
( 茶樹裁培、采青、初制、茶葉精製、加工、包裝、茶之分類與識別 )
Now let’s first look at the beginning of the tea leaf journey after
the important growing process and from the point of harvesting is
where we will start. In this first section on specialized English for
tea studies, we will use some terms from botany and the field of black
tea and to some extent green tea. Comparing all the teas, black tea
has the most English information including terminology. We start with
learning about tea fundamentals from a scientific aspect, with topics
of growing, harvesting, making, and classifying teas.
Fig1
Tea Types Defined by the Degree of Fermentation and Post Fermentation
including the determining primary processes
non fermentation: harvesting- fixation -rolling-shaping- drying
partial fermentation: harvesting -withering (indoors and outdoors)-
fermentation- fixing - rolling- drying-(optional roasting)
full fermentation: harvesting- withering -rolling (twisting, orthodox,
or CTC)- fermentation- drying
post fermentation:
piling: harvesting- sun fixation - sun drying - rolling - piling-
shaping (compress or loose) - sun drying - (usually aging)
non piling: harvesting - fixation - rolling - shaping (compress or
loose) - sun drying - (usually aging)
In the above table (see Fig1) we have listed the types of fermentation
and the major processes involved to make various teas. The non-
fermented teas consist of green tea and yellow tea. The partial
fermentation is white teas and oolong teas or celadon tea. Full
fermentation is how black tea is made. The post-fermentation can be
the simple process of aging or the process of piling which is
microbial fermentation this is how dark Puer tea and dark tea are
made. This classifying and listing by sequence shows the terms for
processing of tea. Below we have expanded the processes. For the
process of “harvesting” we use the raw tea product identified as
“fresh leaves”.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Taking the terms from tea processing and using the classification by
color and creating a flow chart (see Fig2); we can see clearly in
Chinese and English the major steps involved. The classification of
tea using the color system is not perfect, for example yellow tea is
not really yellow or oolong tea is not really celadon in color. Yet
the logical pattern is that tea turns relatively from green to black
(actually dark brown) depending on the degree of fermentation. In
making the flow chart, attention is taken to the alignment grouping of
processes to make the chart with fewer lines as opposed to more
lines. For example all teas go through the drying step last, so
therefore we have only one drying box on the right side of the flow
chart. Side-by-side translation of terms makes it easy for learning
and easy to see errors in the sequences, a chart also is good for a
reference in group discussions. In Fig2 only the primary steps are
listed, there is no mention of the secondary processing such as the
roasting, scenting or aging process, these processes can be added to
the teas after the initial drying process. The primary processes
determine what kind of tea is the final end product (i.e. a finished
green tea that is additionally roasted will not change to a black or
an oolong)
第二
泡茶原理、品茶、茶食品加工
Brewing Principles, Tea Tasting and Tea Foods Processing Technology
Tea brewing is an art, and involves understanding the different
varieties of tea, characteristics, and the parameters for making a
good cup of tea. We also need to understand the different ways to
enjoy the liquid tea through the methods of steeping, whisking, and
boiling; also some knowledge of the material properties of the brewing
vessel, like understanding its heat conductivity. We will look at tea
steeping, traditionally and commonly known as tea brewing. Also
brewing takes trial and error, which means lots of practice.
What does brewing mean?
If we translated this directly from Chinese by word-for-word it would
be “soak”, but in the English language and tea culture we already
have a word which is “brew” even though the tea leaf is usually soaked
and not cooked, yet we all understand this as the way of making tea
called “tea brewing”.
Gongfu or Kungfu?
The difference of “gong工” and “kung功”, sometimes in Chinese writings
they will use these words interchangeably, but we try to distinguish
in English the difference of the two terms to avoid confusion between
the Kungfu 功夫 (use this one when referring to martial arts武術), and
Gongfu 工夫 (use this one for tea terminology茶之術語). In tea studies with
the term kungfu we are referring to the martial arts and with gongfu
we are talking about its aspect to tea. An example is “Gongfu Tea
Ceremony 工夫茶”, which is a style of tea brewing like the Wuyi Tea
Ceremony or Wuyi tea brewing method, with a teapot, small porcelain
cups, and usually with an oolong tea. Remember that there also is a
tea named gongfu, as in Gongfu Black Tea which is a type of black
tea. While Gongfu Tea Ceremony originated using oolong tea, any tea
can be used with the goal of make an excellent cup of tea from the
first to the last brew. Below is an example that can be used in the
classroom for tea appreciation.
An example of attending a Gongfu Tea Ceremony
– Gongfu Tea 工夫茶, skillfully making tea, to bring out the best of the
tea's character and essence. To elegantly brew the best we can, with
the goal of simplicity.
During the Gongfu Tea tasting workshop:
Everyone will be given a cup, please use the same cup during the
tasting.
Caution Hot!, take care when handling and drinking the hot tea.
Avoid drinking on an empty stomach, eating some snacks help digest the
tea.
Tea masters will brew teas and tea participants will evaluate teas by
tea tasting and appreciation.
Tea Drinking Appreciation, from the tea liquid: color, aroma, flavor,
and mouthfeel. Try to describe the characteristics of the teas, using
comparison and contrast. Remember enjoy the tea and savor the tea
slowly.
Participants can alternate being brewers, while everyone tastes teas
made by others and gives and receives feedback through discussion,
notes should also be taken for future reference. This is a great
hands-on practice and tasting experience. In this following section
of tea brewing we need terms for the brewing steps, movements, and the
different types of brewing methods.
Lu-Yu Small Pot Tea Laws:(24 Rules)
陸羽小壺茶法24則
1. prepare tea ware備具 15. prepare cups備杯
2.
from still to ready position
從靜態到動態 16. divide tea分茶
3. prepare water備水 17. serve tea by cups端杯奉茶
4. warm pot溫壺 18. second infusion沖第二道茶
5. prepare tea備茶 19a. serve tea by pitcher持盅奉茶(additional rounds can
be made by steps 18 and19a )
6. recognize tea識茶 19b.
supply snacks or water (not necessary)
茶食供應或品泉
7. appreciate tea賞茶 20a. take out brewed leaves去渣
8. warm pitcher溫盅 20b. appreciate leaves (not necessary) 賞葉底
9. put in tea置茶 21. rinse pot涮壺
10. smell fragrance聞香 22. return to seat歸位
11. first infusion沖第一道茶 23. rinse pitcher清盅
12. timing計時 24. collect cups收杯
13. warm cups燙杯 -- conclude結束
14. <> pour tea倒茶
<>Fig3
When making and serving tea, preparation is essential and should be
done fluidly and not rushed. In the above steps (see Fig3), the tea
making process is mapped out, one should realize that the above is not
just limited to a teapot, but also a cover bowl or whisking spout bowl
can be used. We have divided the procedure down to twenty-four main
steps. This chart can be given to students for reference of the basic
tea brewing sequence. Also additional rounds or brews can be made
from step18 and step19a. Man does not live on tea alone, let’s look
at tea foods.
Fig4
Teas, Seasons, Food Flavors, Colors
Tea Type season flavors color
green tea spring sweet green
black tea summer fruity red
roasted oolong tea autumn nutty gold
dark tea or Puer tea winter rich black
(Note: the above (see Fig4) is a possibility arrangement not a
required set of rules)
Another field in Tea Studies is Tea Foods Production and Processing,
tea foods either gourmet or simple snacks are an important part of Tea
Arts. Tea foods can complement the tea as well as the tea can
complement the foods. In the chart above (see Fig4) we have made a
comparison of tea, flavors, seasons, and colors. There are more
varieties of foods than there are teas; and the skills of
manufacturing high quality tasting foods are no easy task. But
matching foods and teas is the important factor as well as adding
complementary tastes that will create a tasty product. Many food
items are seasonal and are not made year around, hygiene, proper
packaging and freshness are required. As the major part of the
curriculum is foods production and together with tea studies core
classes make for a complete program for the various needs of high
quality tea foods. By understanding the different characteristics of
tea, the tea ingredients can be studied and selected to complement the
particular tea food being created.
Some examples of tea snacks are: Almond Green Tea Snacks, Green Tea
Almond Flavored Mini Crispies, Green Tea Cookies/Shortbread, Green Tea
Flavored Caramel Milk Candy, Green Tea Flavored Mini Pie, Jinxuan
Dried Preserved Tomatoes, Tea Flavored Dried Preserved Dates,
Pineapple Cakes, Moon Cakes, as well as others. Example Product
names, are“綠茶金桔 Preserved Kumquats with Green Tea” and “綠茶蕃茄Preserved
Tomatoes with Green Tea”, and having a well translated“營養標示 Nutrition
Labeling”, excellent quality tea foods are made with only real tea.
第三
茶陶瓷藝術設計 Tea Ceramic Arts and Design
( 茶具名稱與功能 )
Here we need to look toward the field of pottery or ceramic arts.
Pottery is the art of the ceramist, and pottery is the tools of the
tea master. Clays are the building blocks of pottery, and we need an
understanding of ceramic and material property fundamentals, as well
as the production of these materials. Most of the tea produced comes
from a handful of countries, but tea ware comes from all over the
world and we need to take this into account when deciding how to
translating. Also tea ware is usually made of ceramic material, but
we also have other materials including metals, and woods. We create
this part of the tea studies lexicon from a ceramic artist and
craftsman view, using their terminology. This is an important area to
expand tea terminology because this can open needed communication
between the brewers and the makers of tea ware. The main goal of the
ceramic artist is to improve tea ware and create tea ware that is
functional and convenient for the tea brewer.
The Raw Materials of Ceramics
Clays are derived for rock and sediments of different densities and
are sometimes aged, for example “kaolinite高嶺石,化學成分：Al2Si2O5(OH)4” is a
clay with the components of aluminum oxide and silicon oxide. Famous
from “Jingdezhen 景德鎮”, kaolinite is also known as china clay, white
clay, or kaolin. However there are other clay materials such as,
“Yixing宜興” has sandy clays which are somewhat more coarse than the
clays of Taiwan’s “Yingge鶯歌”, the latter which are finer and more
malleable and suitable for hand throwing.
The Manufacturing Processes (basic process):
Mixing the clays
The raw materials are sometimes attained as dry powders and mixed then
water is added, some clays are also aged, proper percentage of water
is important for the shaping process, slurry of course has more water
than clays that are for hand shaping.
Slip casting
Slip casting slurry mixtures are added to two-piece plaster molds
which absorb moisture and are allowed to dry to shape. After opening
the plaster mold the piece is cleaned of rough edges or any seams left
from the mold.
De-airing and kneading
The plug mill is used to chop clay and de-airs the clay lumps that can
be then hand shape.
Shaping and forming
This depends on the type of clay and the consistency. For liquid
mixtures slip molds are used. There are machine methods for example
jiggering, some hand methods are pinch, thrown, and paddle methods are
used to shape the clay body. After the shaping then the clay is
allowed to dry to a whitehard body.
Drying
Dried undecorated greenware or whitehard clay pieces are still
slightly wet and can be glazed or painted and then can be fired.
Sometimes heated dryers are used to remove moisture during the drying
process.
Glazing and decorative painting
After the pieces have been dried, they are ready for glazing. The
pieces may be entirely covered in one color of glaze by being run
under a flow of glaze that completely coats each piece, or the pieces
may be sprayed or dipped in glaze. Hand painted pieces may be more
decoratively glaze painted; some pieces have decorative decal applied
by hand. The final color is determined by high temperatures and
various metallic oxides like: iron, nickel, vanadium, and for
specific colors antimony for yellows, copper for blues, reds, and
greens, chrome for greens, and cobalt for blacks.
Firing
After pieces are decorated and dried they are ready for firing. Some
pieces are fired more than once, and this allows different layers to
be applied and at different temperatures required. After pieces have
been fired they change chemical composition and fuse and become stable
and long lasting, and at this stage are considered pottery and
ceramics. The raw materials become stoneware, earthenware, and
porcelain works of art. In the next section we will look at some
ceramics that pertain to tea pottery arts.
The Ceramic Artist and the Tea Master
It could be said, the more the tea brewing master knows about the
creation and the material science of ceramics, and the more the
ceramic artist knows about the use of the tea ware and brewing, the
better the design and production of tea ware will evolve. With the
names of tea ware we first look if there is an English name used or
something similar, also we could use a Romanized name, (i.e. the
Romanized Chinese term gaiwan for cover bowl). While not complete
below is a list of some tea ware used today.
Fig5
Tea Ware 茶具 tea spoon 茶匙
brewing vessel 沖泡盅 serving tray奉茶盤
tea bowl 茶碗 teacup 茶杯
teapot 茶壺 cup saucer杯托
cover bowl 蓋碗 tea ware 茶器
tea pad 壺墊 thermos 熱水瓶
tea pitcher茶盅 tea jar 茶甕 (tea urn)
lid saucer蓋置 tea cart 茶車
towel tray茶巾盤 water heater煮水器
tea towel 茶巾 water kettle 水壺
tea holder茶荷 tea basin 水盂
tea brush 茶拂 tea caddy (canister) 茶罐
timer 計時器 tea boat 茶船
In the above table (see Fig5) we have some simple yet essential tea
equipment necessary for making tea. This group of words also acts as
an inventory check list for the tools of the tea master. Some of the
terms are derived from British tea culture due to England’s long love
of tea and beautiful china (porcelain).
第四
茶文化Tea Cultures
( 中國茶史、世界茶文化、茶詩、音樂 )
Tea and People
In this part, we cover tea's effect on people, or should we say
people’s imprint on tea? To explore the world of tea and people, we
take what we have learned from sections on tea processing, tea
brewing, tea ware, and using this knowledge and applying it for
furthering the explanation of the history and culture of tea and its
influence on man. With English translations of Chinese historical
records we must check phonics for that era including modern pinyin;
spelling rules have changed and sometimes words were misspelled by not
understanding the spelling rules of the time. Hence, here we
sometimes have to translate backwards, from the foreign language back
to Chinese. This can be difficult with old documents and deciphering
what they were trying to say, for example, some names of Chinese teas
have changed including the Chinese and English names.
While there has been much secrecy about producing tea product, the
enjoyment of drinking tea has been more open and very social.
Throughout time China has always been in the fore front creating a
better bowl or cup of tea and sharing these aesthetically beautiful
and efficient methods with the world. Below are three ways that tea
is made throughout the world today.
Brewing tea through history
The three major methods for drinking tea and the popular time period:
Boiling tea 煮茶 (Tang Dynasty唐代)
Whisking tea 點茶 (Song Dynasty宋代) (still popular in Japan)
Steeping tea 泡茶 (Ming Dynasty明代)
Translating cultural tea terminology
When dealing with countries that also use Chinese characters we should
use the phonics of the country of origin, for example translating the
Japanese tea masters or Japanese tea terms we should use Japanese
based phonics (i.e. Sen no Rikyu千利休). If we compare the different
countries that we have included in our tea culture section in respect
to translating, Korea is possibly the most difficult, due to the fact
that there is not as much material in English or Chinese to research
or compare with. With British tea culture obviously we translate from
English to Chinese but if found, we also clarify any gross
misrepresentations. As for any poetry, this is definitely the most
difficult to translate, keeping the meaning and trying to make it
sound smooth is difficult. With translational priorities we strive to
keep the meaning first as much as possible, yet leave some room for
setting the intended tone, as well as keeping in the logical pattern
of our tea studies lexicon.
The translation of classical books are important and translating the
particular tea ware is vital to understanding and tracing the history
of tea culture, as an example we have a book dated six hundred years
ago and we have translated just the topics, which can be used by
historians to document and libraries to categorize the information.
Here below is “Tea Manual, 1440”, just one of the many classical
writings on tea, we have recorded and translated just the chapter
topics which also include tea ware and it can be referenced to other
writings like the tea ware of Lu Yu’s “Tea Classic”.
“Tea Manual, 1440” Zhu Quan (Ming. 1378-1448 A.D.)
《茶譜》朱權 (明. 1378~1448)
Content below also includes ten tea wares:
Preface序
1.Selecting Tea品茶
2.Storing Tea收茶
3.Whisking Tea點茶
4.Scenting Tea Method熏香茶法
Ten Tea Wares茶器具:
5.Tea Brazier茶爐、6.Tea Stove茶灶、 7.Tea Mill茶磨、8.Crushing Roller茶碾、9.Tea
Sieve茶羅、10.Tea Stand茶架、 11.Tea Spoon茶匙、12.Tea Whisk茶筅、13.Teacup茶甌、
14.Tea Pitcher茶瓶
15.Heating Water Method煎湯法
16.Selecting Water品水
Since there have been several books with the same name of “Tea Manual茶
譜” we have used the convention of adding the date to the name for
clarity. The tea book title of Tea Manual written by Zhu Quan in the
year 1440 A.D. we call “Tea Manual 1440”. The “Tea Manual 1440”
includes a preface and sixteen chapters while they are ordered
differently we can be grouped them by four common topics.
Tea tasting: selecting tea, selecting water, boiling water, and
whisking tea.
飲茶方法：品茶、品水、煎湯、點茶。
Tea processing: storing and scenting tea.
制茶方法：收茶、熏香茶法。
Tea ware: tea brazier, tea stove tea mill, crushing roller, tea sieve,
tea stand, tea spoon, tea whisk, teacup, and tea pitcher.
茶器具：茶爐、茶灶、茶磨、茶碾、茶羅、茶架、茶匙、茶筅、茶甌、茶瓶。
Note on translation: Here “tea spoon茶匙” is not the same as a
“teaspoon” of British tea culture.
In the above example notice the citation consists of the book name,
author, and date, this simple yet vital information is important to
the library archivist as well as the tea historians. We also have
listed the topics of the book as well as the tea ware topics with
English and Chinese for quick reference of terms. Again like our
previous sections, we want to make it usable to not only to tea
studies but other disciplines, for example not all historians are tea
masters and not all tea masters are historians, therefore we must pay
attention to detail in the translation of the book name, author, and
topics by keeping consistent with our tea studies terminology.
Tea and Music
Music and tea have been long companions and here we take music to be
part of tea, and for the musician to learn about tea and to experience
music with tea. A very ancient and one of the first instruments to be
used with tea is the “guqin” sometimes referred to in Chinese as just
the last part of the word “qin”, yet in English the full term guqin is
preferred to avoid confusion. Below is a brief description to this
musical instrument by comparing it to a western musical instrument and
using music terms when appropriate.
Ancient guqins 古琴of just “silk and wood弦與木”
While the guqin is unique, the Western zither is similar to the guqin,
the guqin has also been called a “lute”; but we will preserve its name
as “guqin” this is a direct pinyin spelling of “ 古琴 ”. The structure
of the guqin is simple and complex being made of Chinese parasol wood
and strings of twisted silk. The upper board is round and made of a
parasol wood “firmiana simplex梧桐” and symbolizes the heavens, the
bottom board is flat and made of a wood called “catalpa ovata梓木” and
symbolizes earth. The guqin originally had five strings, representing
the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The thirteen
“studs (徽hui)”on the surface represent the 13 months of the lunar year
including the leap month. The entire length of the qin in Chinese
measurements is approximately “3 chi, 6 cun 5 fen 三尺六寸五分“;
representing the 365 days of the year. It is in the class of zithers
with no bridges and has seven silk strings with thirteen “studs徽”
usually made of mother of pearl. An antique guqin's age can be
determined by the snake-like crack pattern called “crack patterns斷紋”.
It can be seen how our lexicon has went on one of many tangents to
reach subjects touched by tea in some sort.
Very specific terms and the specialized tea lexicon.
Here we use the term “very specific” instead of rare, uncommon, or
obsolete, because what might seem uncommon, to some perhaps is not
uncommon at all. Here we will reveal terms that are not known by many
people and rarely written or spoken of therefore these terms are often
difficult to find, yet these terms do exist and have a purpose. In
multi-language and cross-cultural subject studies we have many orphan
terms that are not well established, referenced, or defined. The
larger our tea lexicon becomes the wider the spectrum of topics that
we integrate, and the more we can relate in terms of tea studies. For
example the very specific word “literati文人”, is not a common English
word, yet the term “scholar” is, the definition of the two are similar
but not the same, in the example below literati is the preferred or
more correct term, but we also include scholar or maybe we could say
Chinese classical scholar, this could give the reader a transitional
reference point.
First let’s explain the following phrase in this style of translation
to be clear on what Chinese term is used, we have included the
Romanized Chinese:
“Four Arts 四藝 of the Literati文人” are qin琴, qi棋, shu書, and hua畫, in
general mean, Musical Instruments, Chess, Calligraphy, and
Painting". And with Chinese classical scholars of the time meant,
Guqin, Chess which is actually the game of “Go or Weichi圍棋”,
Calligraphy, and Water Color Painting.
Now with reference to the term literati we can know explore the topic,
as it pertains to tea see below:
Literati (Scholar) and Tea文人與茶:
To the tea master tea is more than a drink; it is a way to express
art. Below we have a tea arts theme called “Scholar Tea”. This
theme also explains some historic facts of the relationship of tea and
the literati as well as their connection to tea ware. (Presentation by
Steven R. Jones and Tea Master Chang Li-Hsiang ( 張麗香), along with
other cultural events at Confucius Institute at San Diego State
University圣地亚哥州立大学孔子学院, California in 2009.)
Below we have a Tea Site Theme that encompasses our term literati:
Literati Tea文人茶(or Scholar Tea)
When tea savoring swept though China, it became a wonderful substitute
for wine. Tea has been a drink that awakens the body first, then the
mind, and ultimately the human spirit. Savoring a bowl or cup of tea
in solitude or among colleague has often spawned inspiration. Simple
tea drinking is perhaps how these classic literati or scholars got
their ideas. It is well known the “Four Arts四藝 of the Literati”. The
scholars, scholarly civil servants, or literati of Imperial China,
where all schooled in Confucianism known as the School of Literati.
In early China the term refers to the class of people that went
through traditional Chinese education. There were sets of Chinese
civil service examinations, including Chinese literature and
philosophy. Passing the exam was a requirement for many government
positions. These individuals were the mandarins, and referred to those
who held government positions. Classical Chinese tea, calligraphy,
poetry, painting, qin, and “go or weichi圍棋”, were practiced and
perfected by this social class. The Ancient Chinese Literati took
pride in their writing instruments and their surroundings. Most of the
literati came from the higher class of society, and were also known as
collectors of art in the form of stone, wood, lacquer, ivory, horn,
metal, jade figurines, as well as their writings that were put on
scrolls and displayed as art. These items were set around their place
of work like desks, rooms, walls and shelves; and these items were
focus points and appreciated over cups of tea, with the scholar’s mind
always at work “thinking”. Also the act of brewing tea, admiring the
beauty and craftsmanship of the brewing vessels that allow it to
infuse into a magnificent liquid and pour in a perfect arc, and
filling the air with wonderful scents and flavors, and in all this
inspired the literati. Their love for tea ware and their choice of
style also influenced the potters of the time. Many scholars had a
connection and passion for nature, so they would have a retreat in the
mountains. Here an apprentice would make tea and the literati would
savor tea and let the mind wonder and drift through the lore of
life.
Now let’s move to another place and time, to the north of Asia, here
they also were influenced by China and China’s tea. Now let us go to
this different region using different cultural items; but still
enjoying tea.
What is a “samovar茶炊”?
A samovar is used to heat water and has a teapot on top for steeping
concentrated tea that hot water will be added to the cups before
serving. Before we leave the section of tea culture, look at the
picture above (see Fig6), we can observe just one of the many cultures
affected by tea, in this old oil painting we can see two people
probably talking and enjoying Russian black tea with a samovar as the
centerpiece. Even though this scene is set several hundred years ago,
and we might not be familiar with the samovar, we can see that tea is
the major part of socializing life in this picture. The samovar of
the Russian household is always on and ready to serve family members
and guests alike. In translating the term samovar, we do not have
this exact object in the English language, the closest thing we have
is an urn which still is not universally thought of as a vessel used
with tea, as in “tea urn”. Yet the true Russian word “samovar”, easy
to pronounce and spell in English, works perfectly into our tea
vocabulary. The samovar is also called a “Russian urn”. Tea is still
the popular drink for Russians, with porcelain teacups or small
glasses with metal holders. The Russian term samovar means “to boil
itself”, it is made of metal, and with older samovars they had a
separated chamber in the center for hot coals to heat the water, now
they are electric. Placed on top of the samovar is a teapot with loose
tea leaf and is very concentrated, the pot is made of metal or
porcelain. When serving tea, the concentrated tea from the teapot is
added to a teacup, and then located near the bottom of the samovar,
hot water is added to the teacup from the spigot. This type of
brewing is what we in tea studies call the concentrated tea method.
第五
茶化學、茶與健康
Tea Chemistry, Tea and Health
A chemist knows chemistry and a teaist knows tea, but who knows tea
chemistry?
From the first section we began with tea terminology from a science
aspect before moving to the arts and culture, and we now come back to
science again to explore the science of tea and health aspects. Tea
chemistry from a translation and explanation standpoint is universal
and fairly simple due to the fact that chemistry in general has a
large specific universal lexicon and is used throughout the world. A
simple example is there are many words for water depending on the
language; but the chemical formula “H2O” is the same in all languages
and is understood by the global chemist. Many fields of tea do not
require the use or understanding of much tea chemistry, yet this does
not mean we should neglect it. Obviously chemists understand
chemistry, but that does not mean they all know what areas of
chemistry is important for tea terminology. Therefore we in the tea
field also need to study some chemistry. Here we borrow or use much of
the specialized chemistry terminology, and incorporate it in the tea
terminology lexicon. From the science of chemistry and our knowledge
of tea we can build a scientific tea lexicon part. This is important,
because we study tea and understand what is needed from chemistry
terminology, such as the chemical process of enzymatic oxidation, as
well as the Maillard reaction or browning process. Understanding
chemicals and the color of tea. With the basic understanding of tea
chemistry and then researching health studies, we can come to some
conclusions of human health issues. Most of the tea studies workforce
is not scientists or doctors, yet we can study from dependable
sources, and with doctors and scientists within the whole tea science
community can perform or help in some way with research and education.
Many of the students that continue education in tea studies can have a
crucial role of sharing credible information on health issues with
proper references. For example, one should not drink strong tea in the
evening due to the fact that the tea caffeine can interfere with
regular sleep, or caffeine can give relief to tension headaches.
Teaching people about the benefits of tea, and how tea can be a
nutritional and healthy beverage, as opposed to alcohol or sweeten
sodas.
Another task is we need to take the tea science and health information
and convey it in common terms for the average individual tea drinker
and to include beginners, in a way that everyone can understand. Using
complicated tea terminology for the promotion of Tea Arts would be
unproductive. An important factor to remember is that as experts in
our field we should not mislead people that do depend on us for tea
knowledge; also we should check information and expose any myths of
tea health science. Below are just a few example terms explained that
were stated in the first section of tea processing, as of today these
three terms are still often not understood or mislabeled.
The following is explained as they pertain to tea.
Fermentation發酵: actually “enzymatic oxidation酶氧化”, noticeable change
in chemical composition and leaf becomes darker, moisture and heat aid
in this process. This is the process that changes raw green tea to
oolong tea, white tea, or black tea, depending upon the degree of
oxidation. Oxidation氧化 (enzymatic) is a natural chemical change in
the tea leaf that begins after harvesting and accelerates if leaf
cells are broken and exposed to oxygen.
Fixation殺青: to rapidly stop the oxidation process through water loss
in the raw tea leaf caused by heat. After the fixation process the raw
tea leaf is considered dead and does not metabolize and is relatively
chemically stable.
Microbial fermentation微生物發酵: this take place during the piling
process, this is initiated after fixation and before the rolling,
shaping, and drying. The tea leaf becomes very dark and has a rich
character, and can be aged. This is not the fermentation or oxidation
step of non-dark Puer and non-dark teas.
The chemistry of Tea
Now we will look at the chemical profile that determines the distinct
tea character. The chemical composition of fresh tea leaves and
processed green tea are very similar. Green tea contains the organic
compound polyphenols, commonly known as catechins, which mostly
include flavanols, but also contain flavandiols, flavonoids, and
phenolic acids. The main process responsible for the chemical
changes of tea is oxidation; oxidation is the process of polyphenol
oxidase-dependent oxidative polymerization. Due to tea processing
the chemical composition of black tea and fresh tea leaves are much
different. Black tea contains bisflavanols, theaflavins,
thearubigins, and other oligomers. The theaflavin is significant to
the character of black tea. Theaflavins, which give the characteristic
color and taste to black tea. Thearubigens, which are even more
extensively oxidized and polymerized, have a wide range of molecular
weights, and are less well characterized. Oolong tea, a partially
oxidized tea, contains monomeric catechins, theaflavins, and
thearubigins. Some characteristic components, such as epigallocatechin
esters, theasinensins, dimeric catechins, and dimeric
proanthocyanidins, are also found in oolong teas. With respect to
dark tea and dark Puer tea, piling is the major process creating large
chemical composition changes in the tea leaf. Changes in color,
scent, and flavor all can be distinguished and identified. The
microbe varieties, piling method, time period, weather, and type of
fresh tea leaf all determine the character of the final product.
Common tea compounds affecting scent, flavor and color, as well as
health benefits.
C Catechin
EGC Epigallocatechin
EGCG Epigallocatechingallate
GC Gallocatechin
ECG Epicatechin gallate
EC Epicatechin
TFs Theaflavins
TRs Thearubigins
TBs Theabrownins
AA Antioxidant Activity
VFC Volatile fragrant compounds
Chlorophyll C32H30N4Mg
PP Polyphenols
PPO Polyphenol Oxidase
POD Peroxidase
Microbial fermentation, the piling process of Puer tea, what is that?
All Puer teas are made from large leaf Yunnan variety. Also to be
called a Puer tea, it must first go through a series of determined
steps which we have discussed in the processing section. Here let’s
take a brief look at the piling process, elements, and microbes that
determine the special character of dark Puer tea. By 1973 the Kunming
Tea Factory had created the piling process of dark Puer tea. For the
chemistry of piling to take place the tea leaves need water and with
heat will give the suitable hot and humid condition, and the recently
sun fixed leaves are piled, covered, left alone, and periodically
turned and water is added when necessary, in order to catalyze the
oxidation of non-enzymatic polyphenol compounds. This pile
fermentation is done in the presence and action of certain microbes
under controlled conditions. The key effect is to reduce the tea’s
natural bitter characteristic and produce a full smooth flavor and
texture. The piling process is due to certain colonies of microbes
and it takes thirty to forty days for the desired chemical
transformation changes. There are many parameters and requires
extensive knowledge, skill, experience, and hygiene to be done safely
and properly, piling involves some decomposition but it is
controlled. Remember many types of microbes are a healthy part of our
lives, examples, yogurt, wines, and cheese all have microbe growth,
some can be seen like the tiny microbes grouped largely together can
be seen in blue cheese. While the science of tea piling is still
being researched and discovered below are some of the microbes
involved in the piling process.
黑麯黴Aspergillus niger
青黴屬Penicllium
根黴司Rhizopus
灰綠麯黴Aspergillus gloucus
酵母屬Saccharomyces
土生麯黴Aspergillus terreus
白麯黴Aspergillus candidus
細菌類Bacterium
Another common question is, “Which has more caffeine tea or coffee?”,
while we must address the concentration of caffeine, this question
also involves the effect differences of the two different sources of
caffeine.
In the figure (see Fig7) we can see that while both tea and coffee
have caffeine, with coffee the caffeine is stronger acting and with
tea it is longer acting, there seems to be some relationship between
the tea polyphenols and tea caffeine. Another point to be made is
that the level of caffeine is not so much determined by the type of
tea or the process of the tea, but more by the type of fresh tea leaf
initially used to produce the tea. The younger buds and tips have
more caffeine and the older the leaf the less the caffeine content.
第六
茶會、茶之市場行銷、茶之旅遊管理
Tea Functions, Tea Marketing Management, and Tea Tourism Management
In our last section we will begin with tea functions and overview some
of the applications of tea, tea functions are activities that may have
tea as the theme or the tea function might be a part of a larger
function. In the figure below (see Fig8), it has all the details of
who, where, and when, and enough information to explain what will
happen. Actually this is a Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony Public Announcement,
but the basic format could be used for any number of tea function
situations. When creating announcements we should also include
additional information such as alternative plans (i.e. in case of rain
or bad weather conditions), also additional contacts. In our example
we only have one email and one telephone number, which is not enough;
this was an indoor class event so no need for alternative bad weather
plans and location.
This is clear and explicit, which is important because we want people
to know about the event, also it should be translated in the languages
of the participants, this type of document is called public
announcement.
Producing good tea is important but marketing good tea is just as
important. Besides the obvious of wanting to make a product
desirable, marketing can be a way of informing and educating consumers
about what kinds of teas are available and explaining the tea’s
character as well as simple brewing techniques. The below example
(see Fig9) is for the Tea Description labels on tea packages to inform
and help consumers to make choices.
In the above figure (see Fig9) is the front and back label of a tea
box, on the backside is the tea name and also the tea variety,
examples of other varieties would be yellow, green, black, scented,
spiced, dark, Puer, and such. Another very important piece of
information is the tea character which is where the tea taster and
also local culture are used for marketing the tea and giving the
prospective consumer an idea of what the tea is like. Culture is
interesting, for example some tea companies have described dark Puer
as having a chocolaty taste this has been used to market American
consumers, while this description is not universal and this might not
be used in the Chinese market place. This goes to prove that
descriptions are relative to the culture and times of the people and
not absolutes.
And now for our last section but just as important, tea is global and
we need to be tea-travel savvy and aware of where teas are produced
and what interests can bring people to the tea towns. Therefore the
travelers will not only learn and see many teas, but will see local
culture; we can make tea tourism educational while being fun. To
provide information and access for people to explore new and exciting
places with new and exciting teas that they have never experienced
before. While Taiwan has vast tea production in many locations
throughout the country; being in the tea tourism industry we need to
be educated on the world-wide tea industry demographics as well.
Being at least bilingual is a prerequisite for being in tourism, when
giving tours we need a very extensive tea vocabulary that not only we
understand but can also explain these terms in simple language when
interacting with tour group members.
Tea and tourism, is a global field, by incorporating tea travel to top
visiting spots and seeing tea plantations, tea factories, famous
tearooms, and tea museums.
As shown above (see Fig10) the world is full of tea producing areas,
all with the possibilities of exciting tea tour itineraries.
第七辭彙表Lexicon Index
This is the last part and this is the first part we review when
updating the Tea Studies program. The index has two purposes, one is
to index the text and the other is a working lexicon and as part of a
spreadsheet that can be integrated to other word lists. Also when
adding terms we can revert to the index to see what type of
organization we want. Because the working model is a spreadsheet it
is easy to convert to page order, alphabetical term order, or any
other parameter cell order.
Below is just an example
中英文茶學辭彙表
Chinese-English Tea Studies Lexicon Index
中文術語 英文術語 Page No.
茶樹 tea plant (tea tree)
茶園 tea plantation (tea estate)
喬木型 tree type
灌木型 bush type
… … …
… … …
Acknowledgments:
It is a wonderful experience teaching at the Tenfu Tea College and Lu-
Yu Tea Culture Institute. I am always being stimulated and astounded
by the young hard working minds of the students. This is the first
year of Tenfu Tea College graduates that will go out in the world and
help to enlighten others to the world of tea. I will forever feel a
love for the tea college, and every day I see the student body, I know
from the ancient tea classic by Lu Yu over 1300 years ago, that tea is
old, but the students remind me it is stronger than it has ever been.
I am also grateful to my wife “Chang, Li-Hsiang 張麗香” for her ever
present help in every one of my classes. From translating my lectures
to teaching the students; without her, our class would be far less
than complete. Also much of my knowledge of tea we owe to the tea
farmers and workers, without their skill and hard work there would be
no tea at all.
--- the end ---
關於我自己Profile
瓊斯‧史迪芬 Steven R. Jones
網址Blog: http://teaarts.blogspot.com/ E-mail: ice...@gmail.com
現任Presently
◎福建漳州天福茶學院茶文化系專任教師、講師 Full Lecturer, Department of Tea Culture, Tenfu
Tea College, Fujian
◎台北陸羽茶藝中心講師 Lecturer, Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute, Taipei
◎天仁茶藝文化基金會 翻譯人 Writer and translator, Ten Ren Tea Arts and Culture
Foundation
◎福建漳州天福茶博物院 翻譯人 Writer and translator, Tenfu Tea Museum, Zhangzhou,
Fujian
著有, 出版著作 Published Works
◎《茶文化系專業英語》 ( 天福茶學院，2008 ，控制號：zyk0014462) “Specialized English for
Tea”, (2008), Tenfu Tea College, Ctrl No: zyk0014462
◎《中英文"茶學術語"》 ( 天福茶學院, 2009 ) “Chinese-English Tea Studies
Terminology”, (2009), Tenfu Tea College
◎《中英文茶學術語》 ( 陸羽茶藝股份有限公司, 2010 ) “Chinese-English Tea Studies
Terminology”, (2010), Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute, Co., Ltd.
茶學經歷Tea Education and Experience
◎中華國際無我茶會推廣協會 秘書處Secretariat, International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony
Association
◎天仁茶藝文化基金會和韻茶會 會長Leader, Herin Tea Troupe, Ten Ren Arts and Culture
Foundation
◎國際無我茶會 編譯組Translation Team, International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony
Association
◎國際無我茶會第5屈茶道老師Tea Master Instructor, 5th Class, Intl Wu-Wo Tea
Ceremony Association
◎陸羽茶藝中心 第34屈 泡茶師Tea Master, 34th Class, Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute
◎無我茶會第10屈指 導老師Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony Association, 10th Class, Tea Lore
Instructor
◎慈濟靜思茶道Jing Si Cha Dao, Tea Ceremony Studies Certification at Tzu Chi
University Continuing Education Center
◎士林社區大學茶道藝術社團Tea Arts Society, Taipei Shihlin Community College
◎台北市政府社會局老人自費安養中心 茶藝社助教Asst. Instructor, Tea Arts, Ankang Senior
Citizens Home, Taipei
◎陸羽茶藝中心茶藝月刊 英文翻譯Translator, Writer, "Tea Culture Monthly" of the Lu-
Yu Tea Culture Institute0
◎台北市茶商業同業公會- 大稻埕找茶趣活動推動小組Education & Heritage Tea Promotion Team,
Taipei Tea Merchants Association
***
第十三屆國際無我茶會 , 暨 國際茶文化節 , 論文集
Proceedings of the 13th International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony and Tea
Culture Festival
Pub.: 天仁茶藝文化基金會 Ten Ren Tea Arts and Culture Foundation
Date: 2011.05
ISBN: 978-986-84204-2-7
Comprehensive Introduction to Tea Studies(including Chinese-English
Tea Terminology)
綜合研論茶學(中英文茶之術語)
By: Steven R. Jones 作者: 瓊斯‧史迪芬
http://teaarts.blogspot.com/2011/06/comprehensive-introduction-to-tea.html
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