"Uncle Liu, your tea ceremony level has really been upgraded to a new level!"

Wu Tianyuan looked at Liu Huasheng's technique without a trace of fireworks, and couldn't help but sigh: "Whether it is the temperature of the water or the method of making tea, it is just right, and there is a special charm in the flowing water, which is really impressive!" ”

"The biggest difference between Chinese tea and Japanese tea is mainly the difference in the method of finishing in tea making. "After Liu Huasheng came out of retreat, his temperament was more tranquil and serene, and he had a sense www.biquge.info of Zen in every move, and said with a smile: "Finishing is one of the preliminary tea-making processes for making green tea, yellow tea, black tea, green tea and some black tea, and it is also a very critical process to help green tea present high-quality shape and quality. ”

"It includes stir-frying, steaming, soaking, and radiation. However, in Chinese green tea, the method of killing green tea is mostly fried green, that is, in the process of making tea leaves, the tea leaves wither in the pot with a slight fire, on the one hand, artificial kneading to make the tea water evaporate quickly, so as to block the fermentation process, and at the same time, the essence of tea juice in the tea is completely retained. Of course, there is also skill required in the process of frying greens. The tea brewed in this way tastes fresh and fragrant, has less bitterness, and the tea leaves are intact. ”

"And Japanese-style sencha, the method used is steaming, and of course it is our hard-working and brave working people in China who invented this tea-making method. This kind of tea making process of killing green tea through steam is earlier than fried green, steamed green retains more chlorophyll, protein and aroma and other substances in the tea in the process of making, and the color of dry tea will be darker, so the color of the brewed tea will be greener, the taste will be bitter, but the taste is very fragrant. The tea leaves are cut off during the making process of sencha, and the shape will not be as complete as that of Chinese green tea, and a strainer is required when brewing sencha. ”

"A lot of people don't get used to drinking Japanese matcha at first, and matcha was also introduced to Japan from China, with a history dating back to the Sui Dynasty. The raw material of matcha is green tea, which is steamed green tea with a natural stone mill into a micro-powder. That's why it's a powder. ”

"The taste of matcha is bitter at first, but the aftertaste is slightly sweet with a hint of fragrance. Many people describe it as having a seaweed-like smell. ”

As he spoke, Liu Huasheng demonstrated the various techniques and steps of the matcha tea ceremony, introducing, "Matcha powder can be drunk directly with water or used to make dim sum, but the traditional drinking method originated from Chinese tea fighting, and this method was later transmitted to Japan and developed into the Japanese tea ceremony. The first step is to warm the bowl, and the tea bowl and tea cup should be scalded with boiling water first. ”

"Then it's a balm, put a small spoonful of matcha in a bowl, about 2 grams, add a small amount of water first, and mix the matcha into a paste."

Then order tea, add more water after touching it evenly, and use the tea cup to stir against the bottom of the bowl according to the trajectory of "W", so as to mix in a large amount of air and stir until the surface forms a thick foam. ”

"These steps seem simple, but it is not easy to really do, especially for mixing ointments and ordering tea, real tea ceremony masters have their own secret recipes, many secrets that are not passed on, and have been studying how to improve the aroma and taste of tea."

"The best matcha is selected from Uji Town, Japan, and the raw materials are of high quality, and the taste of matcha will be richer, with a delicate powder and excellent taste. Gyokuro is the highest grade of Japanese tea, and it is possible to find not one out of a hundred tea trees to produce Gyokuro. ”

"Twenty days before budding, tea farmers put up straw to carefully protect the tips of the tea trees and block the sunlight so that the tea trees can grow soft new shoots. The young buds are picked, killed with high-temperature steam, and then cooled rapidly, and then kneaded into slender tea leaves. The astringency of Gyokuro is less, but sweet and soft, the tea soup is clear, and it has a fairy spirit that does not eat the fireworks of the world. ”

"The water temperature should be low when gyokuro is brewed, and some people will even lower the water temperature to about 40 degrees Celsius, which will cause the taste of the tea to become astringent if the water temperature is too high. The color of Gyokuro green tea is very emerald green, and you can see the changing color of the tea when brewed in a clear glass teapot. ”

Wu Tianyuan interjected: "This is the same as our Biluochun, the fresher the better." ”

"Yes, the most popular way of tea ceremony nowadays is called brown rice tea, where brown rice is stir-fried in a pot until fragrant enough and mixed into bancha or sencha. The brewed tea soup is fragrant and fragrant, and one tea and one rice complement each other, which is also interesting. ”

"In terms of taste, it has the aroma of fried rice, which masks the bitterness and astringency of some tea leaves, and you can taste the taste of popcorn when you drink it. It is easy to accept and easy to make at home, so it is a popular tea in Japan and throughout Asia. ”

Wu Tianyuan pursed his lips and said, "Isn't this the tea eating that was popular in the Tang Dynasty?" In the past, tea was used as food, and it was not until the Song Dynasty that it became a separate drink and became independent. ”

"The Japanese are very strict, and this is evident in the tea ceremony. Tea tasting is very particular about the place, and it is generally carried out in the tea room. When receiving guests, after the guests are seated, the tea master who presides over the ceremony will light a charcoal fire, boil water, brew tea or matcha according to the prescribed actions, and then offer it to the guests in turn. ”

"Guests must respectfully accept the tea with both hands according to the regulations, thank you first, and then turn the tea bowl three times, light taste, slow drink, and return. Ordering, boiling, brewing, and offering tea are the main parts of the tea ceremony ritual and require specialized skills and training. After drinking tea, according to the habit, the guests should appreciate and praise all kinds of tea sets. Finally, the guests bowed down to the host and said goodbye, and the host warmly sent him off. ”

"People of real Japanese status have to attend a tea ceremony every week, and the effect is the same as that of a Western dance party, which is a place for high-end people to communicate."

Liu Huasheng pointed to the empty tea room and said: "Japanese tea pays attention to the four characters of "harmony, respect, purity, and silence", when entering the tea room to taste a bowl of tea, whether it is the guest or the host, "please first", "please use slowly" and all kinds of words, all represent the meaning of "harmony" contained in the tea ceremony. ”

"Respect is the respect for the elders, and it also represents the respect for friends and peers. Respecting harmony has been the essence of the tea ceremony from then on. ”

Many people believe that the highest tea ceremony must use ancient utensils, focusing on which master of that era did it, and whether it was used by that famous person of that era, always putting antiquity before everything. In fact, this is a wrong idea, in fact, the most important thing should be cleanliness, and in the 100 poems of Rikyu, it is also sung that "water and soup can wash tea towels and tea whisks, and Bing Ladle can wash the heart".

"Silence from clarity to tranquility" is like the feeling of deep precipitation in the heart of a quiet space that is not disturbed by the outside world. Silence is the highest concept of beauty in the tea ceremony, and while seeking "quietness", you can observe your own contented heart and let your heart precipitate in deep thought, which is the thought born in Zen and the best answer to life. (To be continued.) )