Tea [Archive] - Kung Fu Magazine Forums

GeneChing

12-01-2008, 11:23 AM

I'm moving this to the TCM forum. I have my reasons why.

Kung Fu tea ceremony promotes tranquility, harmony (http://www.mlive.com/food/index.ssf/2008/11/kung_fu_tea_ceremony_promotes.html)
by Jaye Beeler | Grand Rapids Press Food Editor
Wednesday November 26, 2008, 8:16 PM

Press Photo/Emily ZoladzCurtis Smith, Grand Valley State University professor of Chinese language and literature, demonstrates a traditional southern Chinese tea ceremony recently.

Curtis Smith, associate professor of Chinese language and literature at Grand Valley State University, cradles the unglazed clay teapot from the Yixing village in Jiangsu province near Shanghai -- a recent purchase from Taipai, Taiwan, this summer.

Smith neatly arranges the 8-ounce tea pot and another tea pot pitcher on a bamboo tea tray with three itty-bitty tea cups. He readies a kettle with nearly boiling water and sets up his tea paraphernalia -- a set of beautiful bamboo tea spoons, a tea scoop, long-handled tweezers, a tea strainer and a tea poke to clear leaves from the spout. He keeps a cloth nearby for spills.

"This is called Kung Fu tea. Kung Fu actually doesn't mean martial arts. It means 'hard work,' so Kung Fu tea is a more labor-intensive way to make tea," says Smith, who holds a doctorate from National Taiwan Normal University.
FOR EXAMPLE

Three kinds of Chinese tea are available at Asian markets and Chinatowns.

• Unfermented or green tea: Has green spiky leaves like an evergreen. When brewed, looks greenish in the cup. Has a purer, delicate aroma and is refreshingly stimulating.

• Fully fermented or black tea: Full-bodied, rich, reddish brew with warm, pungent qualities.

• Semi-fermented or wulong (oolong) tea: Has long, curly leaves rolled into tiny balls; varies in its green hues. When brewed, it unfolds to reveal two leaves and one shoot (bud). Its fragrance and flavor changes throughout the steeping process. Perfectly complements rich, flavorful food.

A Kung Fu ceremony promotes harmonious tea-making and tea-drinking.

"A Chinese tea ceremony is all about the experience of drinking good tea, so the flavor and the enjoyment of the tea is very important," Smith says.

Appreciate the aroma

Smith fills the clay teapot one-quarter full of wulong (oolong) tea, encouraging guests to smell the tea.

"The first step is to rinse the tea leaves, which also warms the pot and removes a good portion of the caffeine," Smith says.

Ten seconds later, Smith pours the tea over the clay tea pot pitcher and tea cups. With bamboo tweezers, he picks up the tea cups and pours those out over both tea pots.

Again Smith fills the tea pot with nearly boiling water until it overflows, letting it steep for one minute. He pours the wulong tea from the Ali Mountain in southern Taiwan into the tea pot pitcher, then into each guest's sniffer nestled into a tea cup.

"I'll show you how to drink it," he instructs. "Pick up the sniffer with your index finger and thumb on the upper rim, supporting the bottom with your ring finger. That way, you don't burn yourself. Dump the tea into the drinking cup and then smell the empty sniffer. As you smell it, the aroma will change as the cup cools. It will go from being a floral fragrance to spicy. As the fresh air clears the nose, the fragrance will go into a sweet fruity flavor."

When drinking the tea, it is customary to slurp it to draw in air, then move it around in your mouth.

"A high-quality wulong tea, particularly high-altitude variety, is good for up to 12 steeps, but the second brewing is the most delicious tea -- because it's smoother and more refined and fragrant."

While studying in Taipai for a time in 1985, Smith discovered the spiritual, stimulating qualities of Chinese tea, not the stale black tea variety he grew up on.

"I first tried green tea, and it was like nothing I had ever had before," Smith says. "I was hooked. I came to realize Chinese teas are like wines, with distinctive nuances."

Like a Bordeaux produced in France is quite different from varieties grown in California or New Zealand, Chinese teas offer various characteristics determined by the growing region, hand-harvesting and fermenting/roasting process.

First-hand experience

This summer, Smith, who led 18 GVSU students on a study abroad program to National Taiwan Normal University, introduced his group to Chinese tea.

"I had one student who wanted to have nothing to do with tea. Until our second day, when I took them to a tea house, and, from that moment on, he was crazy about tea," Smith says.

"Good tea is hand-harvested. ... Pick wulong tea when it has two leaves and a shoot (bud), and that has to be done in the morning, then it's put into the sun to let the moisture evaporate."

From there, the tea leaves are fermented before they are processed and rolled.

"China is divided into two major areas -- North and South, and (they) have different cultures, languages, diets and personalities," Smith says. "This tea ceremony is southern style. In the North, where it is colder and more nomadic cultures live, they tend not to sit around all this time, spending so much time drinking tea like this. So they prepare tea by putting tea leaves directly into a big glass and pouring water over them."

"Drinking Kung Fu tea is a leisure activity called 'old folks tea' because the whole process takes time."

SimonM

12-01-2008, 02:52 PM

Curse you Gene!!!

Now I want a nice cuppa! And my tea is all at home... and I'm at the office! With terrible, terrible red-rose tea bags!!!!! {cry}

:(

Dale Dugas

12-02-2008, 10:28 AM

I have teapots at work, at school, as well as home.

I have turned many onto the wonders of tea.

Im a big fan of greener oolongs.

My fav is called Se Chung which is a green oolong from Southern China.

Im drinking some as I write this.

GeneChing

12-02-2008, 11:08 AM

SimonM, you have no one to blame for that Red Rose but yourself. I always have a stash of tea at the office. I don't have the fat yixing set up - in fact, Gigi and I have discussed getting one here at the office for honored guests, but we've never got around to it. I just do it traditional Beijing-suntea-inna-mason-jar style, although I use a nicer cup. In fact, I just got gifted a new cup a few weeks ago. What's more, we often get gifted good tea from our *good* friends (good guanxi). I hoping someone drops by soon for the holidays and kicks down some tea because I at the bottom of my pi lo chun container (which is just as well because this is a crappy one that I bought in desparation).

BTW, If you're into tea and you're ever in S.F. *this is the place*
Red Blossom Tea Company (http://redblossomtea.com/index.php).
In the heart of Chinatown.
They rock on ever level when it comes to tea. Intelligent, friendly, helpful, beautiful tea sellers and an amazing collection of fine fresh stuff where you can just lift lids and sniff aromas for hours. Tell them Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine sent ya. Maybe they'll buy an ad (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/about/advertise.php). Or maybe just give me a discount. Or cut me in to whatever they have stashed *behind* the counter.
;)

SimonM

12-02-2008, 01:52 PM

I've got a good tea shop in London, ON. Good selection and they have my personal fave (Tieguanyin).

Haven't found a source for Alishan in Canada yet - that remains the only non-alcoholic beverage that I have caught a notable buzz off of.

Doc Stier

12-08-2008, 09:35 AM

Here are a few valuable articles on Chinese methods of preparing tea infusions. Enjoy!

http://www.jcm.co.uk/catalogue.php?catID=271&opener=0-197-271&fe=352bf0c2dadd4f87831776bed3b662aa

http://www.jcm.co.uk/catalogue.php?catID=459&opener=0-197-271-459

http://www.jcm.co.uk/catalogue.php?catID=460&opener=0-197-271-460

http://www.jcm.co.uk/catalogue.php?catID=461&opener=0-197-271-461

http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/teaprepchinb.html

http://www.jadedragon.com/archives/tea/kungfutea.html

Doc

Wild Monk

01-13-2009, 12:15 PM

Hello All,

I am tired of just drinking green tea, I love the stuff but please tell me which tea do you recommend. If it is green tea , Which kind do you drink. I am looking for something benefecial but tasteful.

I would greatly appreciate your input........... Thank You

Reverend Tap

01-13-2009, 12:55 PM

sanjuro_ronin

01-13-2009, 01:23 PM

Jasmine green is nice, pomergrante green is good too.
Some "herbal" teas can make you feel real good.
:D

David Jamieson

01-13-2009, 01:28 PM

Hot to warm. But not the tepid kind. yuck!

Lucas

01-13-2009, 01:46 PM

i like black tea

SimonM

01-13-2009, 02:12 PM

Tie Guan Yin

or

Alishan Oolong

TenTigers

01-13-2009, 02:38 PM

tiet guan yum and bo lay cha are my faves. Bo Lay has the added benefit of reducing cholesterol, and aids in digestion.

GeneChing

01-13-2009, 04:08 PM

If you're just talking types like green, oolong or whatever, that's not like talking varietals.

Right now, I'm drinking some tieguanyin that was kindly gifted by one of our contributors. I'm not sure about the actual pedigree of it since he didn't give me all the facts. It's quite good tho and I'm not a big tieguanyin person.

At home, I'm drinking some lu jian pi lo chun which is really fine. I confess, I liked the name lu jian (green sword - after the shape of the leaves). I've also got some organic snow peony white (http://redblossomtea.com/details.php?sec=white&item=4) at home.

richard sloan

01-13-2009, 07:33 PM

I'm a big green tea fan...I have to say, my all-time favorite is genmaicha (Japanese green tea with toasted rice and barley), which is especially good after a rough workout. Jasmine green is also very nice, and available practically everywhere. I'm also becoming quite fond of golden monkey (an oolong, I believe) since my brother sent me some looseleaf. Two others I'm just starting to get into are puerh (double-oxidized black tea...rather tanniny, but a very good complex flavor and supposed to be quite good for you) and matcha (Japanese powdered green tea, the same stuff used as the flavoring agent in good green tea ice cream).

Of course, I do not do as the heathens do and adulterate my tea with milk or sugar. ;)

we make gen mai cha and it usually gets some looks as the graphic bears a swastika.

I like it a lot, on occasion I'll use an organic honey from Jamaica as a sweetener.

check out these sick cups:

http://www.korean-arts.com/tea_ware/teacup_sets_strainers/teacups_with_strainers.htm

I got a couple sets, each for a different tea.

Ronin22

01-14-2009, 09:01 AM

I'm a big green tea fan...I have to say, my all-time favorite is genmaicha (Japanese green tea with toasted rice and barley), which is especially good after a rough workout. Jasmine green is also very nice, and available practically everywhere. I'm also becoming quite fond of golden monkey (an oolong, I believe) since my brother sent me some looseleaf. Two others I'm just starting to get into are puerh (double-oxidized black tea...rather tanniny, but a very good complex flavor and supposed to be quite good for you) and matcha (Japanese powdered green tea, the same stuff used as the flavoring agent in good green tea ice cream).

Of course, I do not do as the heathens do and adulterate my tea with milk or sugar. ;)

I'll second Matcha. I use to do Bai Hao Yinzhen (silver needle) and Bai Mu Dan but my schdule was getting tight and the prep time for the tea took too long so I switched to Matcha which takes not even half the time plus you get the added benefit of ingesting the whole leaf and not just the water it's steeped in. When I do have time I hit up the cheaper Gong Mei....

In my opinion Ippodo and Hibiki-ahn have the best Matcha

I also take my tea naked sorta speak. I read from Dr Weil that if you add milk or surgar it counteracts the benefits you get from Matcha/ Green/ White tea, something about chemical reactions or something like that.

PlumDragon

01-14-2009, 09:18 AM

I know very little of varietals and all that, but I *love* trying new types of teas, especially in the winter, and my wife just bought me a new traditional cast-iron set that Ive been using unrelentlessly the last couple weeks.

I keep on hand a bag of loose-leaf Lu Cha Green Tea, a bag of loose leaf Pu Erh, and a bag of Wu Long Cha Oolong tea. I also occasionally enjoy grabbing a few grams of good Bo He (Field Mint) and making some tea with that. Its come quite handy during periods when my wife feels sick and feverish--releases the heat almost instantly...

Of course, I do not do as the heathens do and adulterate my tea with milk or sugar. ;)A friend and student purchased a bag of Green Tea Chai for me while he was in hawaii. While I enjoy the spiciness of Chai, I find it is much more balanced with the addition of milk...

I agree sugar is no good, but I do enjoy some good wildflower honey in certain teas.

Reverend Tap

01-14-2009, 09:49 AM

If you're just talking types like green, oolong or whatever, that's not like talking varietals.

Right now, I'm drinking some tieguanyin that was kindly gifted by one of our contributors. I'm not sure about the actual pedigree of it since he didn't give me all the facts. It's quite good tho and I'm not a big tieguanyin person.

At home, I'm drinking some lu jian pi lo chun which is really fine. I confess, I liked the name lu jian (green sword - after the shape of the leaves). I've also got some organic snow peony white at home.

Hey, give us a break, huh? A lot of places in this country you'll still be lucky to find some random brand of generic green tea in with the Lipton and herbals.

Of course, I'd be happy to get to know specific varietals if you'll send me some examples... ;)

Reverend Tap

01-14-2009, 09:51 AM

A friend and student purchased a bag of Green Tea Chai for me while he was in hawaii. While I enjoy the spiciness of Chai, I find it is much more balanced with the addition of milk...

I agree sugar is no good, but I do enjoy some good wildflower honey in certain teas.

Oops, I stand corrected. Yeah, chai does need milk. That's the only one it goes in, though, and actually some house-recipe chais I've had do very well even without it.

SimonM

01-14-2009, 12:34 PM

I actuall have managed to learn a bit about varietals. It comes from my time in China, where people DO take that stuff seriously. :D

I also know a bit about varietals of coffee. I am more of a coffee conniseur than a tea conniseur.

To date my favorite coffee is Celebes Kalossi.

GeneChing

01-14-2009, 01:13 PM

A break? Hell no. This is a martial arts forum. Next thing you know, you'll be wanting a water break (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52933). :p

Just kidding, Reverend Tap. It looks like the conversation has bumped up a notch since my last post and I'm glad to see that. I *know* there are plenty of hardcore tea connoisseurs out there. And ultimately, that's what I hope this forum is about - expanding your education. If you want to start getting into tea, there a plenty of resources on the web. I posted a fine one on this thread above. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showpost.php?p=898759&postcount=11)

On to matcha, I've got some pure matcha and some matcha/green tea blend. It's ok and gives me a decent caffeine bump, but that's not what I drink tea for necessarily. I still prefer the delicacy of fine fresh greens. Green is the closest you get to the live plant and there's a certain purity about that which I enjoy personally. A lot of people seem to start with the tieguanyin, which is much more robust in flavor and aroma. I still prefer the subtlety of a good green.

I forgot to mention that I also have some organic dragon pearl jasmine from Red Blossom (http://redblossomtea.com/details.php?sec=jasmine&item=102) on my desk here too. It's delightful.

SimonM

01-14-2009, 01:26 PM

An ex-girlfriend in China gave me a gift of a large tin of Longjing while I was in my first year in China. I honestly didn't like it much at all. I prefer a tea that is a bit more robust than that.

Also Longjing gave me a bit of an acid stomach.

Doc Stier

01-14-2009, 03:44 PM

Tea Classification:

There are hundreds of tea varieties in China. The long history of the product and the diversity of the climatic and geographical characteristics of the Chinese territory have helped to create such a wide selection of teas that it would take a lifetime to get to know them all.

There is no universal standard for classifying all teas. In the West, where the number of tea varieties is significantly smaller, the method normally used to assess the quality of tea leaves is based on their degree of oxidation. According to the level of oxidation, teas are classified as black tea, semi-fermented wulong tea or green tea, which has not been oxidized.

Because of the wide range of tea processing methods in use in China, a more detailed classification system has been developed. There teas are generally divided into six main categories, although tea merchants can have varying opinions on the subject. The most commonly used classification system is based on the color of the tea at the end of the preparation process:

Green tea (lücha)
White tea (baicha)
Yellow tea (huangcha)
Black tea (heicha), name varies in the West
Blue-green tea (qingcha), Oolong in the West
Red tea (hongcha), black tea in the West

In addition to classifying teas according to their color, tea merchants have also established another system for making some sense of the thousands of tea blends. The system involves assigning twelve different grades to teas based on such factors as the place of origin, vintage and whether the tea is comprised of only the buds of the tea plant, the buds and the outermost small leaves, or the buds and the two outermost leaves.

Top grade teas are picked and processed by hand. Others are processed industrially in significantly larger quantities and they are often mixed with other varieties to enhance their flavor. The highest quality teas are such a rare luxury that their price per kilogram can reach thousands of euros. For this reason, an etiquette indicating that a tea is "green tea" does not say much about the product. Nor does the name Xihu Longjing guarantee that the product in question is top quality tea. The teas sold in most stores are generally grade four, five or six teas. Of these, grade four tea is of the highest quality. Superior grade one teas are almost impossible to obtain because they are usually reserved for consumption at official government functions.

Green tea

Green tea can be called the father of all teas. When making green tea, the oxidation process is prevented. This is done by either steaming or roasting the leaves. Steaming allows the leaves to retain their green color and fresh scent longer, but the end product is slightly more bitter in taste. Today, roasting is the more popular method and it results in fresh-tasting, slightly sweet tea. Green tea is produced all over China, but the most famous one is Xihu Longjing from Zhejiang province.

White tea

White tea is a newcomer in the world of teas because its production only commenced at the end of the 18th century in Fujian province. The tea is made from the large-leafed and long-tipped dabai and shuixian tea trees. White tea is not rolled or roasted, instead, the tea leaves are allowed to dry and oxidize slightly in the sunlight. Some varieties are also steamed. The most famous white teas include Baibao yinzhen, Baimudan and Shoumei.

Yellow tea

Yellow tea is even more rare than white tea and for a long time, its processing method was kept a secret. Yellow tea is processed by rolling the tea leaves in paper after a light roasting, where they are kept for a few days. During this process, the buds take on a slightly yellowish color and develop a very distinctive scent through a nonenzymatic oxidation process. The most popular variety of yellow tea is Junshan yinzhen from Hunan province.

Blue-green teas

In China, partly oxidized blue-green teas are divided into baozhong, which is enclosed in a paper bag during processing, and the more strongly oxidized wulong, more commonly known as oolong. The production of blue-green teas is concentrated in the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong and in Taiwan. The tea leaves needed to produce blue-green teas need to fairly large in size, so they aren't picked until in May or June. Stopping the oxidation process at just the right time is crucial in influencing the flavor of blue-green teas but many other factors linked with the roasting process can also impact the aroma and the different combinations of all these factors make for a large variety of tea blends. The best known blue-green tea is Tie Guanyin from Anxi.

Black tea

Black tea is not widely known outside of China. Most varieties of black tea are compressed into different shaped cakes and bricks. The tea is mostly produced in the provinces of Yunnan, Hubei, Guangxi, Sichuan and Hunan. The largest family of teas classified as belonging to black teas is pu’er tea, although it also includes several white and green teas as well. Pu’er teas are compressed into cakes, which, unlike other tea varieties, improve with age. Pu’er tea is known for its heath promoting effects. The most widely known black teas are the pu’er teas from Yunnan, as well as Qizibingcha and Tuocha.

Red tea

The fully oxidized tea varieties, known as red teas in China, go more commonly by the name of black tea in the West. In China, black tea has not gained great popularity, which is not to say that Chinese tea producers hadn't applied their centuries old tea making expertise to develop this variety further as well. Chinese red teas generally have a slightly lower caffeine content and a softer aroma than "black" teas in the rest of the world. Red tea production is mainly concentrated in the provinces of Yunnan, Anhui and Fujian. The most famous red tea is Qimen (qihong) from Anhui.

Doc Stier

Doc Stier

01-14-2009, 03:49 PM

There are Four Basic Steps to Selecting Quality Tea.

1. Inspection. Good or fresh tea has a green luster in a tight shape, but poor tea is loose and dull. The leaves should be dry enough to make a rustling noise in the palm.

2. Fragrance. The fragrance of tea should be pure without a charred taste or acid smell. Good tea, especially fresh tea, has a natural aroma like orchid or jasmine while poor tea smells stale.

3. Taste. You can taste the leaves by chewing them carefully. Good tea leaves have a fresh mellowness. You can also infuse some tea to see if the leaves extend smoothly and sink slowly to the bottom. Good tea liquor is emerald green or golden. It has a tint of bitterness with a lasting sweet aftertaste. Stale tea liquor is malodorous and dark brown.

4. Appearance of Infused Leaves. Look at the infused tea leaves. The infused tea leaves should be even without impurity.

After you purchase good tea, keep it in a dry cool place, avoiding direct sunshine. An airtight container is a good choice. Avoid putting teas of different aromas too close.

Doc Stier

http://www.shenmentao.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=197

Reverend Tap

01-14-2009, 05:26 PM

Lucas

01-15-2009, 10:31 AM

hey i live in portland oregon, im not a smarty tea guy like you guys, but if there is any place local you find on the web, or just know of, that you want some tea from, ill pick it up and ship it to you. im nice like that.

Lucas

01-15-2009, 10:32 AM

but hey, I want to be a smarty tea guy like you all. ill get to my learnin.

where should i start, help a guy out!

GeneChing

01-15-2009, 11:10 AM

Chinese tea cultivation is actually called gong fu cha (gong fu as in kung fu but in pinyin romanization - cha means tea but you probably already figured that out by Doc Stier's post) and I'd just beginning in that myself, truth be told. A lot of Shaolin monks cultivate gong fu cha. They've spoiled me. It's a Buddhist monk thing tho - tea is intimately connected with zen/chan practice.

The best place to start beyond this thread is at your closest Chinatown. There's sure to be a tea vendor there and they will happily educate you.

Lucas

01-15-2009, 11:28 AM

you dont know portland chinatown :(

the city is a ******* here about that. they have pushed most of the drug addicts across over into chinatown. most of the chinese shops have closed down, due to lack of business because people are just not wanting to go there. we have a wonderful classical chinese garden though that i know has a tea shop inside, i suppose that would be a great place for me to start. you see more crack heads wandering the sidwalks than chinese people. it ****es me off. they have what they call the 'pearl district' which slowly but surely encroaches upon chinatown with their rich white people buildings. ya im white, but sometimes white people freaking **** me off.

ok, rant over. ill be looking for a good tea shop :D

Lucas

01-15-2009, 02:48 PM

The Tao of Tea (http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/garden/culture_of_tea)

stop el numero uno located!

Zenshiite

01-20-2009, 08:11 PM

The Tao of Tea (http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/garden/culture_of_tea)

stop el numero uno located!

Yeah, the Chinese Garden's Tao of Tea teahouse is a way better experience than the Tao of Tea teahouse down on Belmont.

I love it there, thinking about having my 10th weddingt anniversary party there. Of course, I need work to pick up so I can save for the next 2 years...

Tao of Tea has some really good teas. Their Jasmine Pearl is one of the most fragrant Jasmine teas I've ever had. Of course, I'm just getting into brewing loose leaf teas... so that's not saying much. They also have a really great black tea from Yunnan called Tippy South Cloud that I really like. Looking forward to getting into Puerh.

As far as bagged teas, one of the best out there is Numi. Honestly, I have yet to have a pre-bagged tea be so good. My wife got this huge gift set from them with tons of samples, including some flowering teas which I'm sure I'm doing something wrong with because they don't seem to turn out quite right, one of which was their new magnolia Puerh... and it is fantastic! If a bagged Puerh is that good, I can't wait to buy the real deal!

David Jamieson

01-20-2009, 08:16 PM

high mountain tea from taiwan.

it's the best.

Lucas

01-20-2009, 08:26 PM

Yeah, the Chinese Garden's Tao of Tea teahouse is a way better experience than the Tao of Tea teahouse down on Belmont.

I love it there, thinking about having my 10th weddingt anniversary party there. Of course, I need work to pick up so I can save for the next 2 years...

Tao of Tea has some really good teas. Their Jasmine Pearl is one of the most fragrant Jasmine teas I've ever had. Of course, I'm just getting into brewing loose leaf teas... so that's not saying much. They also have a really great black tea from Yunnan called Tippy South Cloud that I really like. Looking forward to getting into Puerh.

As far as bagged teas, one of the best out there is Numi. Honestly, I have yet to have a pre-bagged tea be so good. My wife got this huge gift set from them with tons of samples, including some flowering teas which I'm sure I'm doing something wrong with because they don't seem to turn out quite right, one of which was their new magnolia Puerh... and it is fantastic! If a bagged Puerh is that good, I can't wait to buy the real deal!

sweet deal, thanks for the post. I was a bit under the weather this last weekend (lucky me it was beautiful outside too :( ) so I never made it down. I should be able to make it in this coming weekend, hopefully they dont sell all the good stuff for new year before i get there.:D

richard sloan

01-21-2009, 12:14 AM

...They've spoiled me. It's a Buddhist monk thing tho - tea is intimately connected with zen/chan practice.

hence the Damo myth.

David Jamieson

01-21-2009, 01:23 PM

without tea and regular exercise, extended periods of seated meditation can be difficult.

Many just fall asleep.

hence the cane across the back!

awaken! lol

SimonM

01-23-2009, 12:37 PM

It's not Tea exactly but I tried Yerba Mate for the first time a few days ago and that stuff is awesome.

Zenshiite

01-23-2009, 01:17 PM

sweet deal, thanks for the post. I was a bit under the weather this last weekend (lucky me it was beautiful outside too :( ) so I never made it down. I should be able to make it in this coming weekend, hopefully they dont sell all the good stuff for new year before i get there.:D

Yeah, also... FYI. The Chinese Garden costs bout 10 bucks to get into. If you're smart you might check out your local public library and see if you can get your hands on a "cultural pass" that will get you another adult and a child into the garden for free.

You'll be spending at least 5 bucks on tea at the teahouse if you're alone(that's multiple steapings of course).

Lucas

01-23-2009, 01:53 PM

Reverend Tap

01-23-2009, 04:14 PM

It's not Tea exactly but I tried Yerba Mate for the first time a few days ago and that stuff is awesome.

It really is.

Did you get to have it in the traditional mate gourd? I haven't tried it that way yet, but have been told it improves the flavor over drinking it from a mug or paper cup.

Zenshiite

01-24-2009, 02:20 PM

hey thanks for the idea about the pass, i may look into that.

the first and last time i was at the gardens was for the jake shimabukuro show, (the greatest ukulele player in the world btw! ) which was last summer. totally awesome, i highly suggest going to see him next time hes there, if you havnt already. i was lucky to go with a friend who has family who are friends with jake, so it was an interesting experience.

his bruce lee song rocks.

i wish it were warm so when i go i could go barefoot to walk on the turned river stones for the acupressure massage.

the tea house was so packed when he wasnt playing so i didnt try to brave the crowed to check it out.

I plan on going for the New Year's festivities. There are a couple free nights.

NW Internal Arts is going to be doing Tai Chi sword and fan demos on a couple days.

Really I just want to sip tea, but I can't really bring a 2 year old along for that. Need to get grandma to watch him...

SimonM

01-26-2009, 01:45 PM

It really is.

Did you get to have it in the traditional mate gourd? I haven't tried it that way yet, but have been told it improves the flavor over drinking it from a mug or paper cup.

Actually I used a french press. :p

It kept the leaves from getting in my mouth, which is the whole point.

The other tea drink I tried recently was Matcha. This is a Japanese green tea that is reduced to a powder and dissolved in hot water.

It has 10 times more anti-oxidants than conventional tea. It also has so much caffeine that people are advised not to drink more than 2 cups in a day. I had a noticeable buzz off of one cup.

Considering that I throw back extra large coffees from Tim Hortons and feel just slightly more alert that's impressive.

Speaking of New Years festivities my wife and I had our spring festival party. It went excellently.

Vajramusti

02-19-2009, 10:23 PM

In addittion to Chinese and Japnese teas- I love real pure green teas-there is a rich variety of Indian teas. The best when well prepared can be very good- I don"t mean the tea shop or roadside teas.

There are Assamese teas, South Indian teas, Sri Lankan teas and of course darjeeling teas.
The Drajeeling teas are usually packed and shipped from Kolkata. There are many varieties of Darjeeling teas...Golden Orange Pekoe packed by Brooke Bond is available in many Indian stores in the US.
Top quality Golden Orange Pekoe from Darjeeling is fairly light-golden orange in color when properly prepared- does not need the doctoring of masala teas with cardamom. cloves etc.

As an aside- South India produces some good strong coffees as well-some of it is shipped to the Middle east. Generally Americans do not know good Indian teas. Russians had a taste for it - but trade varies with exchange rates.

I used to do the tea shopping for my family and could browse in wholesale places and sample teas
in various ways to geta sense of the flavor and the strength and blend different qualities.

The English, the Arabs and the persians just repackage Indian teas. I dont think England has grown a leaf yet-in England.
Tea growing needs a combination of high ground, cool weather, good rain, sloping ground- so that there is no stagnant water- and the leaves have to be picked at the right time. Timing is important in all phases of tea- growing, preparing, drinking etc.

Of course it's still cha, chai etc.

joy chaudhuri

Zi Zheng

02-19-2009, 11:50 PM

Hey Simon!!

Matcha is ground up from Gyokuro. It's a high quality green tea that is grown on one side of a mountain and shaded by bamboo. That is why it has a very distinct, clorophyl-ly taste. Yes, it's not a real word, but it works and gets the point across. Better than grassy, which is how I would describe yerba mate. which is an argentinian bush by the way. Hubei province has a tea indigenous to the region that has been dubbed "Chinese Gyokuro". I can't wait to try it. Next time I go to Wudang, which is soon, I'm hunting it down.

Xiao3 Meng4

11-24-2009, 07:21 PM

Mint tea the morning after sparring, perhaps?

A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, a study suggests.

Hyptis crenata has been prescribed by Brazilian healers for millennia to treat ailments from headaches and stomach pain to fever and flu.

Working on mice, a Newcastle University team has proved scientifically that the ancient medicine men were right.

The study is published in the journal Acta Horticulturae.

In order to mimic the traditional treatment as closely as possible, the Newcastle team carried out a survey in Brazil to find out how the medicine is typically prepared and how much should be consumed.

The most common method was to produce a decoction. This involves boiling the dried leaves in water for 30 minutes and allowing the liquid to cool before drinking it as a tea.

The team found that when the mint was given at a dose similar to that prescribed by traditional healers, the medicine was as effective at relieving pain as a synthetic aspirin-style drug called Indometacin.

They plan to launch clinical trials to find out how effective the mint is as a pain relief for people.

Lead researcher Graciela Rocha said: "Since humans first walked the Earth we have looked to plants to provide a cure for our ailments - in fact it is estimated more than 50,000 plants are used worldwide for medicinal purposes.

"Besides traditional use, more than half of all prescription drugs are based on a molecule that occurs naturally in a plant.

"What we have done is to take a plant that is widely used to safely treat pain and scientifically proven that it works as well as some synthetic drugs.

"Now the next step is to find out how and why the plant works."

Graciela is Brazilian and remembers being given the tea as a cure for every childhood illness.

'Interesting research'

She said: "The taste isn't what most people here in the UK would recognize as a mint.

"In fact it tastes more like sage which is another member of the mint family.

"Not that nice, really, but then medicine isn't supposed to be nice, is it?"

Dr Beverly Collett, chair of the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition, said: "Obviously further work needs to be done to identify the molecule involved, but this is interesting research into what may be a new analgesic for the future.

"The effects of aspirin-like substances have been known since the ancient Greeks recorded the use of the willow bark as a fever fighter.

"The leaves and bark of the willow tree contain a substance called salicin, a naturally occurring compound similar to acetylsalicylic acid, the chemical name for aspirin."

The research is being presented at the International Symposium on Medicinal and Nutraceutical Plants in New Delhi, India.

herb ox

11-25-2009, 10:45 AM

Just to be clear, this is specific to the hyptis crenata species of "bushmint", not our common mentha genus that comprises what we know as "mint", i.e. spearmint, pennyroyal, etc.

So, make sure you verify your species before you start brewing anything...

cheers,

herb ox

GeneChing

06-28-2010, 04:19 PM

PlumDragon

06-29-2010, 08:08 AM

Here in town, there is a little southern coffee shop that sells essentialy a hot toddee minus the whiskey, but its ridiculously hot this year so Im not up for hot drinks.

This summer Ive been in the habit of following a southern tradition (despite really not liking the south) by brewing up some decent quality tea (either green or Oolong) at double strength and then diluting it to normal strength with a heap of ice. Then, with the hot toddee idea in mind, I add a bit of honey and pretty good amount of lemon juice--and when my wife doesnt want any, a shot of Rum.

It certainly isnt the way you would drink tea in China, but the kick from the lemon really hits the spot very nicely. I train my guys outside without any A/C, fans, etc and its all I can do to run in the house and brew some up and gulp it down after a 2 hour training session on Saturday morning...

Dale Dugas

06-29-2010, 10:20 AM

my favorite is Tieh Kuan Yin which is a green oolong.

I add nothing as tea by itself is as good as it can get.

Not much of a white tea fan but then again if I had some that was decent I might change that tune.....

GeneChing

06-29-2010, 10:28 AM

The thing with white tea is it's got to be fresh. It's the buds or finest leaves, sun dried and not fermented. You can get white bagged tea from poseur tea brands like Tazo at Starbucks, but that totally defeats the point. White tea goes flat when its not fresh. Processed Tazo just kills the flavor completely, although I suspect they bump up the aroma artificially somehow.

There's nothing like premium fresh white tea. Alas, maybe next year...:(

GeneChing

07-09-2010, 01:51 PM

Dale, you must try the new shipments in at RED BLOSSOM. They have two fine tieguanyins in stock now:

Our Dark Roast Tieguanyin (http://www.redblossomtea.com/details.php?sec=anxi&item=60) is a testament to the rewards that come from restraint and patience. It's also a brilliantly delicious tea.

Harvested in Anxi County, Fujian Province in Spring 2010, the leaf is 30% oxidized, first by bruising the leaves in a bamboo drum and then allowing them to rest and gradually whither. The rest time enables the conversion of catechins into bioflavinoids while enriching the color of the liquor. We then asked the tea maker to finish the tea using a traditional loose roll, then roast the tea in a way that does not leave too strong of a final impression.

Once in our hands, we give the tea its finishing roast - tuning the temperature and roast time to impart an extraordinarily robust character to the tea, but doing it in such a way to highlight its natural honeyed character. It takes quite a few patient hours to roast the tea to perfection. But the end result - rich nuttiness with hints of stone fruit, caramel and honey - is worth every minute.

Water Temperature: 195-200°, or when medium bubbles begin to rise and water becomes agitated.

Brewing Instructions: Use 2 teaspoons (double for a medium sized pot). Rinse tea for 1 second. Discard rinse water. Steep for 2-3 minutes. May be infused multiple times.

Tieguanyins of old were robust teas, oxidized to 30% and then typically high fired with charcoal. But a decade ago, the character of these teas changed. Tea makers in Anxi began crafting light-oxidized tieguanyins in a newer “qing xiang” or “green fragrance” style. These new style tieguanyins became instantly popular, and soon, every tea maker began crafting only in this newer style. The old ways and techniques quickly disappeared.

Harvested Spring 2010 from Anxi County, Fujian, our Heritage Tieguanyin (http://www.redblossomtea.com/details.php?sec=anxi&item=60) pays homage to old style tea making. From harvesting to roasting, every step employs time-honored methods handed down from one generation to the next. Each leaf is individually hand-bruised, a painstaking process that ensures the flavor producing enzymatic break-down occurs across the entire leaf rather than just at the edges. Once oxidized to 30%, the tea is roasted with a wood-fired drum, then rolled and shaped by hand. The rolled tea is then taken through a series of low-fired charcoal roasts. Our Heritage Tieguanyin received over thirty hours of roasting over charcoal.

The result is a tea whose flavor and aromatic profile is extremely focused. The initial aroma of the dry leaves is that of caramel and cane sugar. With an initial rinse, that aroma intensifies and deepens with notes of burnt caramel, brown sugar and smoked cedar plank. The liquor is exceptionally clean and smooth, its robustness weighed towards the finish on the middle and back palate. This tea is delicious, its finish long, with brighter notes of honey and apricots anchored by an underlying current of roasted nuts and cacao.

Water Temperature: 195-200°, or when medium bubbles begin to rise and water becomes agitated.

Brewing Instructions: Use 2 teaspoons (double for a medium sized pot). Rinse tea for 1 second. Discard rinse water. Steep for 2-3 minutes. May be infused multiple times.

Dale Dugas

07-10-2010, 07:31 AM

Gene,

thanks for the heads up.

I ordered 2 ounces of the Hetitage Tieguanyin.

Cannot wait to try it out.

Dale Dugas

07-19-2010, 07:40 PM

Tea arrived this afternoon.

I will be brewing up a pot tomorrow. It smells very nice!

Thanks for the resource Gene!

teetsao

07-19-2010, 11:48 PM

being a huge tea fan myself,i quit drinking coffee back in '99 and switched to green tea,and have never looked back. i was buying from dragonwater.com but we now have a local tea merchant who carries a good assortment. my favorite is long ji/lung ching and also tikuanyin.sometimes i like to add jasmine for a change up,as they are so fragrent and taste so good. she also cuts me in sometimes on her stash of 10 year old puerh/bo lam. she got a huge cake of it,and gives me samples when i go to purchase. i offer to pasy but she refuses and just breaks me off enough to enjoy a pot or 2.

Featherstone

08-15-2010, 09:39 PM

Hey, I'm a little late in chiming in on this thread but I was wondering, have any of you purchased teas from teavana? Have one of them here and Tampa and I've purchased a few loose leafs from them that I have enjoyed immensely. I've been checking out the links provided in this thread and they pretty say the same thing and have a lot of similar wares as well. I think this one has been my favorite so far. http://www.teavana.com/The-Teas/White-Teas/ToLife-White-Tea.axd

Dale Dugas

08-16-2010, 07:41 AM

teavana is overpriced and not as good as some of the better tea stores out there.

Not bad if you do not have access to some of the better tea stores or the ability to order online from them.

Featherstone

08-16-2010, 10:10 AM

yeah, I was kind of thinking them akin to the walmart of tea shops to be honest. They have little bit of everything but no personal touch with customers.

Thanks for the reply.

I've been looking in my local area of Tarpon Springs and have found a few that I'm going to have to check out.

David Jamieson

08-17-2010, 10:14 AM

Shang Tea (http://www.shangtea.com/)

I met a rep at Legends of Kung Fu (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56851) last weekend. They had some very nice stuff. He gave me a little sample of some under-the-table black tea with chrysanthemum buds, not my usual tea of choice, but it's very interesting and I've been drinking it all day. Later, one of my dear friends gifted me some high mountain green (http://www.shangtea.com/store/p/10-High-Mountain-Green-Tea-Classic.html) that she bought from him, knowing my soft spot for tea. I haven't opened that yet.

As some of you might know, there's a shortage of white tea right now. Poor weather conditions meant major crop losses, so white tea is really pricey this year. I'm bummed about that as I love white tea and was looking forward to restocking my stash with something fresh.

High mountain Tea is awesome. It is the best tea I've ever had by my recollection.
I understand that the real deal goes for some 500 (hk)dollars a pound which is about 100 bucks canadian or 97 bucks american.

anyway, pretty expensive, but dang it is sooooo good.

looking at that site, they sell the high mountain green tea for 108$ american per pound not including shipping and any applicable taxes or duties if you are not in the lower 48.

I still think that is a fair price for that tea.

GeneChing

11-23-2010, 07:26 PM

I just got the following from Red Blossom:

Organic Snow Peony 2010 (http://www.redblossomtea.com/details.php?sec=white&item=4)

Shortages in available tea from Fujian province due to frost and rain led us to seek out a new source for a certified organic white tea in 2010. This year's Organic Snow Peony or "Xue Ya" comes from an organic tea garden in Guangxi province. It is a relatively new cultivar developed from traditional white tea varieties, but crafted in a manner similar to green tea.

Once harvested, the down covered bud and leaf combination is roasted without the usual "fade" time traditionally used to craft white teas. The result is a tea that has the almond and apricot notes of a white tea, but does so with the lighter character of a green tea. It's quite delicate in flavor, excellent in the second infusion, very subtle.

Organic Cloud & Mist (http://www.redblossomtea.com/details.php?sec=green&item=23)

Harvested late March 2010 from Fuding County, Fujian Province. In a season of devastating frost and endless rain that saw drastic declines in the availability of green and white teas, it’s remarkable that we found a tea as wonderful as this.

Each leaf is hand-picked, then roasted with a drum roaster – a more traditional method of green tea crafting that predates the pan firing methods commonly used today. The dry leaves are dark green, each wiry twisted strand only about 2.5 centimeters long. The aroma is slightly floral with an underlying note of roasted macadamia. In water, those strands unwind and turn a creamy green, revealing tender leaves and buds. The infused tea is surprisingly sweet and bright, with a hint of butter and grass. This is very robust for a green, with an amazing aroma and a gorgeous color when dry. I can get a lot of infusions out of it.

I also was gifted some West Lake Dragon Well, which I just opened today. It's okay. It's a good tea for work here. I also was gifted some High Mountain Green from Taiwan, which I have yet to open, as I have three open bags now.

GeneChing

03-16-2011, 04:38 PM

I just got reminded to drink more tea. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1083973#post1083973)

I'm now drinking some Golden Monkey Black Tea from Teavana.

Golden Monkey Black Tea (http://www.teavana.com/The-Teas/Black-Teas/Golden-Monkey-Black-Tea.axd)
Price reflects 2oz (25-30 cups)
$18.50
Product Rating 4.3 stars (31 Ratings)

Description
The finest China black from the Fujian province. This smooth tea with complex chocolaty undertones is extremely low in tannins, yet rich in flavor. This tea was chosen by the White House to serve at the State Dinner on January 19, 2011 during a visit by the president of China.
I don't taste chocolate. It has almost an orange pekoe aroma. It's okay. Honestly, I'm not much of a black tea drinker. And I don't want the tea that the White House serves to the President of China. I want the tea that the President of China serves to the White House.

Zenshiite

03-19-2011, 10:05 AM

I'm a huge fan of Pu-erh. I've been using Tao of Tea's tuocha pu-erh and it is the best. Nothing else really does it for me...

Syn7

03-23-2011, 08:30 AM

i like a clean smooth black tea... doesnt have to be expensive, but im not into the super cheap stuff... its all about steep time and water temp... i like that kenya kamba, its good for making chai... but its nice on its own too... you can pick up a pouch for less than 10 bucks... makes like 80 cups or something like that...

Raipizo

03-24-2011, 10:57 PM

I like white tea quite a bit, not gonna commercialize something but i usually go to http://www.naturalremi-teas.com/ for my tea. It's not very expensive, lasts awhile and has lots of other healthy dietary stuff. I heard White Tea is about the best tea you can drink.

YouKnowWho

03-25-2011, 12:04 AM

The "Superfine Pouchong" is the only tea that I'm drinking right now. Just wonder if anybody else like it.

http://www.tentea.com/supo.html

Elviss

03-29-2011, 07:02 AM

Green tea fans would not face the tension of fatness ever....
So keep loving green tea and stay away from fatness...
Thanks

Featherstone

08-19-2011, 10:51 PM

not to necro, but since this is the "Tea" thread. Has anyone ever tried this tea?

Mushroom Tea (http://www.etsy.com/listing/58696758/kombucha-culture-mushroom-scoby-organic?utm_source=googleproduct&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=GPS)

Dale Dugas

08-21-2011, 05:51 AM

FYI, that is not tea but a fermented fungus.

You have to be careful as many people who are allergic to fungus, penicillin should be very cautious with that stuff.

Though is is called tea, that is a misnomer.

Featherstone

08-22-2011, 10:31 AM

yeah I read that about it, not sure about trying it, probably wont.

GeneChing

05-22-2012, 10:12 AM

Kung Fu Cha: Peace and Power in a Cup of Tea (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1046) by Kenneth Cohen

ngokfei

06-14-2012, 11:07 AM

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kung-Fu-Tea-Centre-Street/140108099420134

RickMatz

06-30-2012, 05:58 AM

A photo essay (http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/travel/20060702_TEAHOUSE_FEATURE/index.html)from the NT Times.

xiao yao

07-04-2012, 06:38 PM

Does anyone here drink Wuyi Yan Cha varieties? Like da hong pao etc.....

If you want to try an amazing tea, look for Qi Lan - although I have no idea about the availability of it outside China

www.jingtea.com (http://www.jingtea.com) does some really good teas in the UK

ride57

08-02-2012, 04:20 PM

I just ordered the sample collection (4 different kinds) from the Red Blossom Tea Company.

http://www.redblossomtea.com/tea/pu-erh.html

GeneChing

01-09-2013, 10:36 AM

Unfortunately in the transfer, the formatting is lost. I replaced some of it, but I recommend reading this on the original source - follow the link.

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Business Blockbuster or False Fad? (http://knowledge.ckgsb.edu.cn/2013/01/08/china/traditional-chinese-medicine-business-blockbuster-or-false-fad/)
January 8, 2013 By David Friesen

Tong Ren Tang is a household name in China. The pharmacy specializing in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been around since 1669. Legend has it that Tong Ren Tang was set up as the royal pharmacy for the palace of the Qing Dynasty. The dynasty came and went, but Tong Ren Tang withstood the test of time. In fact, today it has spread its wings beyond China to places like the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia. By 2015, it aims to open over 100 overseas stores in countries as diverse as the US and Japan. From the claims of healing herbs to pain-reducing acupuncture, TCM is steeped in historical terminology and philosophical musings. Taking a so-called holistic approach to health and wellness, TCM has long been practised in China. Today, as many companies like Tong Ren Tang are discovering, it is also big business, both in China and many Western countries. According to a 2012 report by market research organization IBISWorld, government support and increasing demand in China has driven TCM to expected revenues of $25.7 billion in 2012, up 14.8% from 2011. The industry has grown by 20% each year on average since 2007, and profitability has continued to rise as well. So what accounts for this sudden spurt in TCM’s popularity, and is it sustainable in the long run?

Marketable Medicine
There is no doubt that TCM within China is a hugely profitable business with growing industrial output. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, in 2011 the value of the industrial output of TCM reached RMB 418 billion, recording a year-on-year growth of 37.9%. The surprising fact, however, is that TCM is growing at a faster clip in other countries. The National Bureau of Statistics also points out that TCM exports rose in 2011, with exports to the US alone jumping by 66.3% year-on-year. It is not just Western countries that are seeing growth. Africa is now China’s largest market for the export of medical products, both TCM and otherwise, thanks to low cost. In fact, in 2011 TCM was formally introduced into South Africa’s healthcare system. Many of the large Chinese TCM companies have expanded outside of China. Apart from Tong Ren Tang, others like China Health Resource, Inc. have seen record results this year thanks to increased sales of premium TCM herbs such as its Tian Ma brand in Western countries, as well as a growth of low-cost TCM options in Africa and Asia. Much of the success of TCM in Western countries is because it is associated with wellness. It offers an alternative to supposed Western modes of thinking about treating the symptoms of disease as opposed to seeing the human body holistically. This is pushing TCM from the fringes to the mainstream in terms of demand and acceptance. Australians, for example, are spending over AUS$4 billion per year in the complementary and alternative medicine industry, some of which is on TCM. In July this year, the Chinese Medicine National Registration Board began to officially register Chinese Medicine practitioners nationwide in Australia. In fact, TCM marketing has become a business in itself, with a number of companies now dedicated to providing marketing solutions for individual TCM practitioners and TCM companies. “There is potential in all areas of Chinese medicine, from the herbs and acupuncture to health preservation and wellness. The ideas of Chinese medicine can be used as a format for understanding the human body to design wellness plans and treatments,” says Alex Tan, a qualified TCM practitioner and educator from Australia who founded the Straight Bamboo TCM Clinic in Beijing. Tan thinks that aside from his firm belief that TCM really can improve health and wellness, TCM has appeal because of its cost-effectiveness. “TCM (is a) low-technology, low-cost approach. Most of the developing world cannot afford Western medicine purely because of the cost. These countries can use the methodology of Chinese medicine to diagnose and then use local herbs or acupuncture pins which are cheap to treat patients,” says Tan. This is not always the case in developed countries, however. “Due to the National Health Service in the UK, TCM does not enjoy any economic advantage and is seen as quite expensive. A typical consultation with a Chinese doctor in the UK can cost up to £50 before any charges for medicine are added,” says Mike Bastin, Visiting Academic at Tsinghua University and researcher at Nottingham University’s School of Contemporary Chinese Studies. The potential economic benefits of TCM are also attracting large pharmaceutical companies, as they begin to research ways of using TCM. Britain’s biggest drug maker, GlaxoSmithKline, has set up a number of research labs in China that are looking at ways of developing TCM. The company has created a Discovery Performance Unit that will integrate traditional Chinese medicine with modern drug discovery.

Economics over Evidence
Despite the economic success of TCM in recent years,TCM also has its share of problems. Although qualifications and regulations are growing and advocates strongly recommend that those offering such services be fully qualified and appropriately registered, the industry is still fragmented in terms of regulation and quality. For example, the USFDA has struggled to regulate herbal medicines, as it has often seen herbs as ‘not drugs’, thereby leaving them almost completely unregulated. Herbs are classified as dietary supplements, leaving the FDA with no power under federal law to regulate these products in the same way as drugs. This is not to say that the FDA could not approve certain TCM products. In fact, the Dantonic pill by TCM manufacturer Tasly, used to treat angina and heart disease and approved by drug watchdogs in Canada, Russia, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and some African countries, is currently in Phase III trials to become the first USFDA-approved TCM product in the US. Of course, such legitimacy is not always sought, given the lack of regulation of herbal products. However, the European Union (EU) has been stricter. In May 2011, all unauthorized TCM products were pulled from shelves in the EU. This followed a directive in 2004 that gave a seven-year grace period to manufacturers of herbal medicines to register their brands. No Chinese TCM producers were able to obtain a license due to high costs and difficulties meeting the EU’s stringent criteria. This has changed recently however, with SU BioMedicine BV successfully registering the Diao Xin Xue Kang capsules, the first Chinese medicine in the Netherlands this year. Whilst it is clear that herbal TCM has some promise because many herbs do, in fact, have active ingredients, the products approved are so far the exceptions in terms of regulation and stringent testing. Although most practitioners seemingly welcome further research, this belies the fact that extensive research in many areas has already been carried out. Also, in areas where further research is needed to potentially prove efficacy and mechanisms of action for treatments such as herbs or acupuncture, treatment still continues. This is generally a reversal of the usual methodology of science-based medicine, where efficacy and significant understanding is needed before treatment is prescribed. Take acupuncture, for example. The well regarded website Science-Based Medicine gives an excellent overview of the efficacy of acupuncture. In summary, there appears to be no plausible mechanism for acupuncture, and most of the evidence supporting acupuncture, of which there is, in fact, very little if any, is generally not scientifically rigorous. A large majority of acupuncture studies showing any sort of positive effect have come out of China and have not been properly peer-reviewed or shown to be scientifically rigorous. And although major manufacturers do at least have quality controls in place, outside of this there is a worrying lack of quality control and regulation. For example, an Australian-led group of scientists found traces of endangered species, as well as potential toxins and allergens in traditional Chinese medicines that were confiscated from overseas travellers. They performed ‘second generation DNA sequencing’ on 15 samples, and found traces of animals including Asiatic black bear and the saiga antelope. “There’s absolutely no honesty in the labelling of these products. What they declare is completely at odds with what’s in there,” says Mike Bunce, a geneticist at Murdoch University near Perth, Australia, who led the study, in a comment to the journal Nature. These concerns do not appear to be harming the TCM business as of yet though. Marketing that plays to today’s consumers regarding health and wellness, as well as the logical fallacy that just because something is ancient and has a long history means it must work, will continue to attract people to TCM. Combined with consumers’ frustration with what they see as the problems of Western medicine, the rise of TCM is likely to continue. However, without addressing many of these concerns and really putting money into rigorous research, the economics of TCM will surely be overtaken by the weight of evidence in the long-term.

GeneChing

04-29-2013, 01:44 PM

Right now, at home I have some more Red Blossom bought tea from the last time I was in Chinatown (about a month ago)

Organic Bai Mu Dan ⋅ 白牡丹 (http://www.redblossomtea.com/tea/white/baimudan.html)

Our Organic Bai Mu Dan comes from Fuding County, Fujian Province. Its two leaf and a bud combination comes from the Da Bai tea tree, picked in mid-April after the individual tea buds that make up Silver Needle have been gathered.

Once picked, the leaves undergo a gradual "fade", during which time, the leaves are slightly enzymatically oxidized before they are given a final low temperature bake. This classic white tea crafting method enhances the sweetness and mouth feel of this tea, while preserving the natural character of the tea leaves.

Organic Bai Mu Dan brews a light golden infusion with a hint of sweetness reminiscent of dried apricot and almonds. The clerk said this can be over-brewed, which is good because I have a tendency to do that. It didn't grab me much at first but it's starting to grow on me.

Here at the office I have some Lao Shan Cha (Lao Mountain Tea). It was gifted to me by a visiting master. Unfortunately, I already tossed the box so I'm just left with the inner foil bag and all that says is Lao Shan Cha, so I can't say much more about it. It's quite good, a hearty green tea that survives my over-brewing quite well. The leaves are dark and tiny, like pencil shavings. I'm really enjoying it and it's lasting a long time as it keeps it's flavor after multiple infusions.

GeneChing

07-15-2013, 08:52 AM

Beijing Zhangyiyuan Tea (http://www.zyy365.com/). A gift from a visiting master.

It's excellent. Very floral.

GeneChing

09-16-2013, 09:52 AM

7.6 mil yuan = $1,241,771.60 USD

Qing dynasty tea brick sold for 7.6 million yuan (http://shanghaiist.com/2013/09/16/qing_dynasty_tea_brick_sells_at_auction_for_seven_ point_six_million_rmb.php)

A Qing dynasty tea brick was sold for a record price of 7.6 million yuan at an auction Hubei province.

The auction winner is the owner of a trading company in Shenzhen. He said the tea brick was worth more than he had paid for and estimates it could have gone for at least eight million yuan.

The tea brick was produced during China's last dynastic period, the Qing (1644-1912), at the Hubei Provincial Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory.

A tea brick is composed of whole or finely ground layers of black tea, green tea, or post-fermented tea leaves that are pressed into a rock solid brick and undergo a period of controlled fermentation.

The rising popularity in green fermented tea bricks has changed the quality of the teas sold.

Dong Junpo, general manager at the Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory, states that poor-quality tea bricks are sold for 40 percent less, a move aimed at capturing a bigger market share.

According to the chairman of a tea procurement company, the majority of consumers do not know to distinguish the different grades of tea, making them victims of the new cheap marketing plan.

GeneChing

12-06-2013, 06:41 PM

A can of Chin Hsuan Oolong Tea from Ten Ren (http://www.tenren.com/). Some one gave it to Gigi and she passed it along to me as I'm more the tea drinker in the office here. I'm not big on oolongs but this one is okay. It's perky for the winter.

GeneChing

01-24-2014, 05:01 PM

Pu Bao-Chung from Taiwan Choice Best Tea.

A nice hearty green - delicate, aromatic, almost buttery.

Raipizo

01-24-2014, 07:18 PM

I'm pretty boring when it comes to tea drinking, I drink peony white from prince of peace. I think it's pretty good but plain tea leaves are pretty hard to mess up :p

GeneChing

11-26-2014, 10:25 AM

I've gone through a lot of tea since my last post. I've got several open bags at home. I'll list them later as I'm at work now (obviously). Here I'm currently drinking Pearl Green Tea from Prince of Peace, a gift from a visiting master. It's a flavorful tea, almost creamy with the finish - I tend to overbrew it because I like the bitterness (okay, not true, it's because I'm lazy about brewing at work).

Here's what I came here to post:

Enjoy a relaxing bowl of tea with these beautiful goldfish-shaped teabags from Taiwan (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/11/25/enjoy-a-relaxing-bowl-of-tea-with-these-beautiful-goldfish-shaped-teabags-from-taiwan/)
Philip Kendall 2 days ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/kingyo1.jpg?w=580&h=433

Despite what many Japanese and Americans think, when we Brits envisage having a cup of tea, it’s usually more “in a giant mug with biscuits for dipping and the TV on” than “cucumber sandwiches and sipping from a china cup.”

If we had access to teabags as delicate and beautifully designed as these Goldfish-shaped teabags from Taiwanese company Charm Villa, though, I think even we Brits might be inclined to switch off the TV and make tea-time chill-out time a bit more often.

Spotted by our Japanese sister site Pouch, these ornate teabags are perfect for a nice, relaxing cup of cha while overlooking a Japanese water garden or relaxing in a traditional ryokan.

Unlike the usual square or circular teabags we often throw into our mugs to make a quick brew, Charm Villa’s teabags feature a unique three-dimensional design and an assortment of flaps and fins to make them look exactly like a tiny goldfish peeping over the edge of your cup.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/screen-shot-2014-11-25-at-11-52-50-am.png?w=580&h=432

They may start off pure white, but when placed in a cup – or bowl, if you’re feeling particularly whimsical – of hot water, the teabag fish (tea-fish?) will slowly start to change colour, becoming a rich golden-brown. Peer into your cup and you’d swear that there was a real goldfish swimming in it, albeit one that had taken the bait on the end of some indiscriminate fisherman’s line.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/kingyo11.jpg?w=580&h=432
It looks like Charm Villa’s products are currently only available to buy within Taiwan, but maybe if enough of us pester them on Facebook they’ll start shipping overseas, so be sure to stop by their page when you have a second.

Photos: Charm Villa, Facebook

▼ Someone get these fish some hot water to swim in!

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/kingyo3.jpg?w=450&h=801
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/screen-shot-2014-11-25-at-12-22-10-pm.png?w=450&h=473

GeneChing

03-12-2015, 08:15 AM

I thought I'd keep this thread rolling with an ongoing account of my current teas, but I don't keep up with it for some reason. Fortunately, other factors make this thread resurface occasionally. This time, it's our latest ezine offering: Rebuilding the Northern Shaolin Temple: Part 12: Fan Yi Hui Chan House - Beijing (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1211) by Gregory Brundage

curenado

03-12-2015, 09:42 AM

I read that and got to it by a link pasted on foolbook so it is getting exposure.
Narurally, there was a person with a kung fooey name, making the erudite comment "What is this?!?" Ahahaha!

herb ox

03-13-2015, 08:35 AM

Greetz gents,

Personally, I switch between a large bing of pu erh that I've had since 2008 (ya I know, it should probably be gone by now...:p) and a good oolong - my current fave is the "Supreme Jin Xuan Milk Oolong" that has a naturally buttery taste to it.

Oolong tea can clear the head and reduce red eyes, but sometimes I find it too "cold" for my digestion and over the course of a day can wind up with a headache or stomach ache, so I tend to drink it only for specific occasions, like when I need to clear my head or if there is a special guest for whom I am making gongfu cha.

Most of the time, I prefer pu erh with a couple of chrysanthemum flowers and a couple of dried rosebuds. Chrysanthemum clears heat from the eyes and the dried rose soothes "liver qi" - aka soothes the mood. Pu erh is versatile and I often add other substances like wu wei zi, the five flavored seed, which nourishes the precious fluids, or chen pi, the dried tangerine peel, which assists in digestion and helps transform phlegm.

I imagine all you tea purists out there are probably rolling your eyes :rolleyes: but tea is not just for straight drinking - it can be incorporated into an herbal formula to yield different results... like Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San - a powder of several herbs including oolong tea to relieve a headache caused by "cold wind invading the channels of the head" :p

...and that's the truth, Ruth!

peace

herb ox

curenado

03-13-2015, 11:40 AM

Tomb Raider: "Drink your tea. It tastes very bad but is very good for you"

Of the numerous and equally wonderful reasons for tea are taste, health, pleasure, refreshment, healing, edification, wisdom and folly. ..and the wonderful alchemy of mixing them around

Here, we fix tea often as to whether we think you should be a saint, whether we think you got worms and bad teeth or D - all the above

herb ox

03-13-2015, 02:32 PM

9357

My daily tea setup:

2 tone gaiwan from China - brought back from the mainland by a girlfriend some years back.
The pot in the background is just for doing my pour-offs - I almost never use it for brewing tea, it's just too big! We have 3 of these in our house so I snagged one for my office...
The drinking glass is from one of those yogurts that comes in the kewl glass jar. Love those! They make great makeshift cups for cupping therapy, too:D

Jin Xuan Milk Oolong in the cup ;)

Clearing the head for the afternoon shift. TGIF!

herb ox

boxerbilly

03-15-2015, 11:22 AM

Drink Lipton. it is cheaper and usually tastes better than the more expensive stuff I tried. To each his own. I'm fine with the so called low grade powder.

boxerbilly

03-15-2015, 12:06 PM

9359

My tea set up

boxerbilly

03-15-2015, 12:11 PM

Herb Ox. Im not sure if you can tell in the photo you attached. But you have things floating in your cup. Might want to check before you drink that.

mickey

03-16-2015, 07:14 AM

Greetings,

I enjoy Tetley Tea. There's something about them tiny little tea leaves.

A long time back there was "Ho Ho" brand Chinese Tea. It was served at Chinese restaurants in NYC. It was really good. It was like orange pekoe tea and it had a beautiful rich flavor. I wish I could find that again. Nothing else could top it except sassafras.

mickey.

boxerbilly

03-16-2015, 09:55 AM

Most Chinese restaurants serve Oolong as the house tea. It can range form a green to black tea. I only go to one Chinese place where I live. We have lots. They all suck but this one house. They are actually from Taiwan. And the tea they serve there is the best I ever had. Oolong. And, I bet it is pretty cheap too....

I have to ask him the next time I am there where I can get his tea.

Great people. I love this husband and wife team. Great food. Always glad to see me. The best service and food. On the west coast I hated all the Asian houses too. Everyone I went to I thought sucked. So, I ate Mexican mostly when I went out.

He was a Taiwan Marine too. Great guy! Why we don't have more like him in the world is beyond me but I'm glad I found him 17 years ago.

curenado

03-16-2015, 10:21 AM

9373
Oh call me when it's over

herb ox

03-16-2015, 02:28 PM

Herb Ox. Im not sure if you can tell in the photo you attached. But you have things floating in your cup. Might want to check before you drink that.

@boxerbilly - That's right... thanks for noticing. Here's how I check the contents of the cup before I drink:

Observe the unfurling tea leaves
Appreciate the aroma
Examine the color of the infused liquid
Enjoy the taste

Check my Supreme Mao Xie Oolong before and after hot water...

9374

As Neville "Bunny Wailer" Livingston said: "the smell is as good as the taste" :cool:

Believe it or not - this is what tea is supposed to look like - not warehouse floor sweepings placed in a filter bag :eek: I mean, to each is own and we all have our individual preferences... but if you cut open your used tea bag and it looks like a poopy mess, ya gotta wonder - how can we tell what is in it?

IMHO most oolong served at Chinese-American (aka Chop Suey Kitchen, etc) restaurants is the lowest grade available. It is completely lacking in taste and aroma. However, I suppose it is one good way to understand the "terroir" of the local water supply :p

Now if you'll excuse me I need to refill my cup for the second steeping.

Peace

herb ox

boxerbilly

03-16-2015, 03:26 PM

LOL. Thank you.

Seems you are very educated with the herbs. I'm no stranger to their usage and study but I do not think as well as you. I know little of Chinese herbs.

Oh, could you recommend a good book on the foods the Chinese use for the different organs, etc. if you know one please.

boxerbilly

03-16-2015, 03:33 PM

Would have been better if you wrote warehouse floor droppings. I loved that last post!!!!!

GeneChing

10-05-2015, 09:34 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbQHUIi9gy0

GeneChing

10-26-2015, 09:05 AM

Boba tea ain't real tea. And apparently, it ain't real boba either sometimes.

Hospital finds milk tea boba balls in Chinese reporter's stomach actually made of something disgusting (http://www.dramafever.com/news/-disgusting-hospital-finds-milk-tea-boba-in-chinese-reporters-stomach-actually-made-of-shoes-and-tires/)
by Danny Kichi on Fri, Oct 23, 2015

http://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/524ffccb-aaf6-4d6c-949a-b4fe31cd37a9.jpg

What people love most about milk tea boba, otherwise known as bubble tea, are the chewy and sweet tapioca balls sitting at the bottom of the drink. These delicious balls are usually made out of tapioca starch and brown sugar, but as one Chinese reporter recently found out, sometimes they're made out of something else.

A local reporter for Shangdong Television in Qingdao, China got a little thirsty while on the job just a while ago, so he ordered a milk tea boba from a local shop. A few hours after drinking the tea and munching on all the tapioca balls, he fell quite ill, so he went to the hospital for a check-up. After a number of tests, and with no answer as to what was causing his patient's distress, the doctor performed a CT scan and saw some undigested tapioca balls sitting at the bottom of the reporter's stomach. So the doctor extracted the balls and sent them to Qingdao University’s Chemical Experimentation Center, where scientists analyzed them to figure out what exactly these things were made of.

When the scientists reported back to the doctor that the tapioca balls were "highly adhesive," the doctor immediately relayed this information to his patient. And because he was a reporter, the man who had ingested these mysterious materials decided to do some investigating. What he found out while going undercover at the tea shop was something he had trouble digesting — literally. The tapioca balls that he so happily chewed on and swallowed a few weeks earlier were actually produced in a chemical plant and made out of the soles of leather shoes and tires. And yes, the shoes and tires were not new when they were recycled. Gross!

So if you ever go to Qingdao, you might want to make sure that the tapioca balls sitting at the bottom of your tea are actually made of something edible.

Delicious!

http://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/b70a6896-d969-43cb-95ed-231f534a107b.jpg
(Source: via)

Mor Sao

10-27-2015, 07:02 AM

I drink tea. Not bubble tea, nor anything other than hot water and the tea leaves.

Drink that **** at your own risk.

Which is now a real risk.

GeneChing

11-18-2015, 09:53 AM

But I couldn't resist mentioning this here.

James Bond stars drink kung fu tea in China (http://gbtimes.com/china/james-bond-stars-drink-kung-fu-tea-china?page=0%2C1%2C1)
GBTIMES
2015/11/13

http://cdn2.gbtimes.com/cdn/farfuture/y9YJ3K9djEKqdbxqGw7tUijr5UvvhIH0WmuFyNSLD60/mtime:1447396931/sites/default/files/styles/1280_wide/public/2015/11/13/james-bond-daniel-craig-45.jpg?itok=3HjUt8Pa
http://cdn3.gbtimes.com/cdn/farfuture/eFTNX6MUrr1rt28u8dI-d0CADOd7rmcXLl0LUQUIFd0/mtime:1447398211/sites/default/files/styles/1280_wide/public/2015/11/13/james-bond-daniel-craig-changsha-china13_0.jpg?itok=tm4fFFiq
http://cdn2.gbtimes.com/cdn/farfuture/LeQmqDczPPnxNKRuGB9xYDNXheQuPxytGDmx1lHitEE/mtime:1447396931/sites/default/files/styles/1280_wide/public/2015/11/13/james-bond-daniel-craig-changsha-china1.jpg?itok=gt9tJpBT
http://cdn3.gbtimes.com/cdn/farfuture/IP-MxeJG0BuF0C2Pff_ucLUcxj3JBR0W2WbePoqsemQ/mtime:1447396931/sites/default/files/styles/1280_wide/public/2015/11/13/james-bond-daniel-craig-changsha-china.jpg?itok=dzuF3JGe
http://cdn3.gbtimes.com/cdn/farfuture/geMwjz0gxsPCr3n1ywcvT-QuTvUdpAKecqR-Sp-0xeU/mtime:1447396931/sites/default/files/styles/1280_wide/public/2015/11/13/james-bond-daniel-craig-china.jpg?itok=VASxrsMJ

Bond stars Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux enjoyed kung fu tea in Changsha and attended the Spectre premiere in Beijing earlier this week. (Photo: Zhong Xin, Di Lu, China News Service)

Bond stars Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux were seen enjoying kung fu tea in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province on November 11.

The actors and producer Barbara Broccoli arrived to China on Tuesday to promote the latest Bond film Spectre, reported the Chinese language Red Net news.

The trio attended the recording of a popular talk show Tiantian Xiangshang (Day Day Up) during their stay in Changsha.

Craig and Seydoux were amazed and thoroughly impressed after witnessing a traditional kung fu tea ceremony, reported news site Sina Hunan.

Although one would think James Bond doesn't want tea but Mar-tea-ni, (stirred, not shaken) Craig revealed he loves the famous Chinese drink.

"I think this is a very good drink. I am very, very fond of it."

The star then joked about leaving his address to the audience so they could send some Chinese tea to him.

Seydoux, the new Bond girl, also loved the fragrant drink. The French beauty added her favourite alcoholic beverage isn’t French wine but Chinese beer.

"I like Qingdao beer," Seydoux told with a smile.

The actors also tasted Chinese Cassia wine and Seydoux loved it so much she wanted to take a bottle back home.

PalmStriker

11-18-2015, 10:05 AM

:) I always have a gallon jug of green tea sitting by the computer, sometimes it has citrus in it or just as often, ginseng. Other than that I drink a cup or two of coffee daily. Craft Beers, occasionally. " Bonding " with green tea can only be good for the business.

GeneChing

01-27-2016, 10:11 AM

I'm constantly going through tea and never remembering to post about it here. Right now I'm drinking some Organic Bai Mu Dan (Silver Peony) white tea from Red Blossom Tea Company (http://www.redblossomtea.com/), which I picked up a few months ago, last time I was in Chinatown. It's alright - a little too much stem and shake in the mix. It was cheap and I was saving for my Spain trip (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?46834-Which-flan-does-Gene-Ching-consume&p=1289789#post1289789). At least it's better than Tetley. :rolleyes:

Meanwhile, here's some cool tea news:

World's Oldest Tea Discovered In An Ancient Chinese Emperor's Tomb (http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/01/26/464437173/worlds-oldest-tea-discovered-in-an-ancient-chinese-emperors-tomb)
January 26, 20162:14 PM ET
JEREMY CHERFAS

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/01/26/greentea_custom-109a685633a254db595a33a1bc0d6eb212a2269d-s600-c85.jpg
Loose-leaf green tea of the modern variety. Archaeologists have discovered ancient tea in the tomb of a Chinese emperor who died in 141 B.C. It's the oldest known physical evidence of tea. But scientists aren't sure if the emperor was drinking tea as we know it or using it as medicine.
iStockphoto

Tea is often referred to one of the world's oldest beverages. But just how old is it?

A Chinese document from 59 B.C. refers to a drink that might be tea, but scholars cannot be certain. Now, a new analysis proves that plant remains found in tombs 2,100 years old – about 100 years before that document – definitely are tea, the oldest physical evidence for the drink. And the buried tea was high-quality stuff, fit for an emperor.

That's no surprise, because one of the tombs, the Han Yangling Mausoleum in Xi'an in western China, was built for the Jing Emperor Liu Qi, who died in 141 B.C. The other tomb is the slightly younger Gurgyam Cemetery (maybe A.D. 200) in Ngari district, western Tibet. In both, archeologists found remains of millets, rice and a kind of spinach. They also found tiny leaf buds that bore an uncanny resemblance to the finest tea.

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/01/26/han_jingdi_enl-e2218e3fc1c0608f27dd2464f2a92026e69c5112-s1400.jpg
The 2,100-year-old tea leaves were found in the tomb of the Jing Emperor Liu Qi, who died in 141 B.C. His portrait hangs in the Han Yangling museum in Xianyang, China.
Brücke-Osteuropa/Wikimedia Commons

While those buds did look like tea, there was a chance they could be some other plant. To confirm their suspicions, the researchers compared the chemistry of the leaves with modern samples of tea. The ancient leaves contained unmistakable traces of caffeine, present in tea and also in a few other plants. The clincher was equally unmistakable traces of theanine, a chemical found only in plants of the tea family, with especially high levels in tea itself. Crystals found on the surface of the leaves also matched crystals on modern tea leaves.

Tea does not grow in the area of the tombs, so the evidence shows not only that it was present and valued enough to be buried with important people, but also that it was being imported to Xi'an at least 141 years B.C., and westwards into Tibet by the second century.

Gurgyam Cemetery also yielded woven silk cloth, metal bowls and a gold mask, further supporting the idea that luxury goods were already moving along early tracks of the Silk Road 2,000 years ago. It was Emperor Jing's son, Emperor Wu, who really promoted the development of trade along what became the Silk Road.

Dorian Fuller, professor of archaeobotany at University College, London, and a member of the research team, says he's pleased that modern science is able to provide details of ancient Chinese culture.

"The identification of the tea found in the emperor's tomb complex gives us a rare glimpse into very ancient traditions which shed light on the origins of one of the world's favorite beverages," he tells us.

Other scholars wonder whether the emperor was drinking tea as we know it, despite the apparent high-quality buds.

James Benn, professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions at McMaster University in Canada and author of the recent book Tea in China: A Religious and Cultural History, agrees that tea was consumed "in some form" 2,100 years ago.

"But," he adds, "I'm not convinced that this is a discovery of 'tea drinking' as it was later understood. It could have been used along with other ingredients in a medicinal soup, for example."

The remains from Gurgyam Cemetery in Tibet may support this view. They contained barley and other plants mixed with the tea. As the researchers write in the online Nature journal Scientific Reports, this offers the intriguing possibility that the plants "were consumed in a form similar to traditionally prepared butter tea, in which tea is mixed with salt, tsampa (roasted barley flour) and/or ginger in the cold mountain areas of central Asia."

No matter how it was being used, this research pushes back the verified history of tea in China and Tibet. Tradition says that tea came to Tibet as part of the Chinese princess Wencheng's dowry on her betrothal to the Tibetan Songtsen Gambo, around 640 A.D. The tea found in Gurgyam Cemetery is some 450 years older than that.

Tea Tuesdays is an occasional series exploring the science, history, culture and economics of this ancient brewed beverage.

Jeremy Cherfas is a biologist and science journalist based in Rome.

GeneChing

02-15-2016, 03:08 PM

Anyone for a cuppa? Sculpture at a Chinese tea factory is dubbed 'vomiting teapot' after part of it turns bright green from algae (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3448100/Anyone-cuppa-Sculpture-Chinese-tea-factory-dubbed-vomiting-teapot-turns-bright-green-algae.html?ITO=applenews)

The sculpture is located outside a tea factory in Chongqing, China
Workers at factory say algae has turned the installation bright green
It has since been dubbed 'vomiting teapot' by Chinese internet users
By SOPHIE WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:27 EST, 15 February 2016 | UPDATED: 13:56 EST, 15 February 2016

A decorative giant teapot in a Chinese tea factory has become famous after it was dubbed the 'vomiting teapot' by the public.

The art installation was intended to look like a floating teacup pouring a drink in tribute to China's favourite drink, the People's Daily Online reports.

It was built in 2013 by a tea factory in Chongqing, south west China's Sichuan province.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/15/16/3139C9D800000578-3448100-image-m-29_1455552897571.jpg
Algae: Lichen has grown on a sculpture in Chongqing, causing the water part to turn green

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/15/16/3139C9BD00000578-3448100-image-m-31_1455552941448.jpg
The sculpture is located outside of a tea factory in Chongqing, south west China's Sichuan province

The stream of water has been turning green for some time giving a murky and filthy effect.

Staff at the tea factory say that the water section of the teapot is around 10 feet long and is made from concrete.

Because of this, it is easily susceptible to algae which has turned the water section of the design bright green.

The hot climate in Chongqing has enabled lichen to grow on the sculpture.

Owners of the tea company have promised to begin maintenance on the artwork to restore it.

Other workers said that the sculpture has been repaired three times already due to the material used for the teapot.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/15/16/3139C9C200000578-3448100-image-m-37_1455554279400.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/15/16/3139C9CB00000578-3448100-image-a-38_1455554288161.jpg
Impressive piece of work: The artwork was built in 2013 and was supposed to look like a levitating teapot

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/15/16/3139C9D400000578-3448100-image-a-34_1455554260578.jpg
Tea is number one: The sculpture was intended to pay homage to China's most popular drink

This came up on my newsfeed while I was reading news on my phone at lunch, and drinking tea. Spit-take worthy.

PalmStriker

02-16-2016, 09:09 PM

:eek: That tea looks like it would cause hallucinations.

GeneChing

02-19-2016, 10:10 AM

I wonder what kind of tea they serve at Imperial Afternoon Tea. It's China, after all, where the bar for tea is set high.

CHINA’S HIGH-END HOTELS PAY TRIBUTE TO ‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS’ (http://jingdaily.com/chinas-high-end-hotels-pay-tribute-to-star-wars-the-force-awakens/#.VsdL0fkrKUk)
BY JESSICA RAPP

http://jingdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/starwars_tea.png
EAST Hotel’s Domain cafe is offering “Yoda Scones” among other Star Wars themed treats as part of their Imperial Afternoon Tea. (Courtesy Photo)

Star Wars hype may have died down (if only slightly) around the globe, but it’s only been less than two weeks since the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuted in China, making more than $100 million in ticket sales in the Chinese box office. In order to cash in on the hype, luxury hotels across China are channeling The Force with a host of Star Wars-themed promotions.
Fans of the film in Beijing are gearing up to honor it on January 23 at EAST Hotel’s Xian Bar for the Imperial Star Cruiser party. The celebration is part of the hotel’s month-long series of events dedicated to the film, and the hotel is one of several lifestyle brands joining in on the film’s marketing frenzy.
EAST partnered with Star Wars fan club 501st Legion and thus were allowed to use the names of the characters in their campaign—and they didn’t hold back. Along with the Xian party, which promises people in costume, EAST is offering “Imperial Afternoon Tea” at the hotel’s Domain cafe until the end of this month, featuring “R2D2 Macaroons,” “Chocolate Cherry Wookie Hair Mousse Cakes,” “Light Saber Cookies,” “Yoda Scones,” and “Ham Solo Paninis.” On a more serious note, the hotel, located in the capital’s bustling 798 Art District, is also playing host to a pop-up shop that features Star Wars-inspired art by Beijing-based artist Vincent Rondia.

http://jingdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Art-2.jpg
Star Wars-inspired artwork by Beijing-based artist Vincent Rondia. (Courtesy Photo)

Darth Vader also popped up at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, which encouraged clients to “clear and calm their mind like a Jedi” with a massage promoted via a photoshopped Twitter ad. The hotel also channeled Star Wars in a ****tail at its M Bar called “Dark Resolution.”
“Many of our colleagues (including myself) are fans of Star Wars and we want to also celebrate it in some small way,” said Director of Communications at Mandarin Oriental HK, Edwina Kluender. “The bar was a positive way to enjoy it with our regular guests. Plus, it was also fun for us to share this small initiative with our fans around the world on social media.”
While the hotels’ efforts weren’t part of official partnerships with Disney, they could reasonably be considered to be part of what Forbes is calling the Disney’s biggest success in the country, following disappointing box office results for China’s leg of the film franchise: “In China, consumers appear to love the licensed products, moderately enjoy the movie, and are ho-hum about the digital games,” it says.
Star Wars licensed products have been prevalent in China’s high-end fashion scene, with independent designers collaborating with Disney as it sought to educate its customers who have little relationship with the movie or sci-fi in general. On the educational end, Disney’s efforts seem to be working in China if EAST Hotel Communications Manager Mina Yan’s take is any representation. “The movies are so popular in both the Chinese and expat community that we don’t need to explain any of the jokes to anyone,” she said.
China’s Star Wars culture extends even further within Beijing’s boutique hotel scene. Hotel Éclat in Beijing’s design-centric Parkview Green shopping center already boasts a deluxe, Darth Vader-themed suite, while The Opposite House in Beijing is gearing up for its annual May the Fourth party. Even after the film has left the box office, The Force is likely to continue to live on in China’s lifestyle industries.

herb ox

02-29-2016, 03:53 PM

9718
2015 Phoenix Oolong - much different than the usual oolong that I am used to. Instead of the tight green rolled leaves, this one is thin dark leaves - looks almost like kukicha but without the stems. The taste is significantly different than a typical oolong, too - a floral sandalwood aroma... taste lacking the vegetal quality usually encountered in high grade oolongs, with more of an almost metallic roasty taste, reminiscent of Tie Guan Yin. Smooth finish. Very nice - picked this one up from Haymun Daluz at Aroma Tea Shop near Clement St. in San Francisco last year, and it's still holding up well.

GeneChing

03-24-2016, 09:34 AM

Starbucks wants to start selling its own tea in China by September (http://shanghaiist.com/2016/03/24/starbucks_sells_china_tea.php)

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Already scheduled to open up its first coffee shop in Italy, Starbucks has bold ambitions for this year that also include bringing its own branded tea line to China, as well as the UK, France and Germany.
Bloomberg Business reports that the American coffee giant will begin introducing its Teavana products to China by September. While, globally, tea sales amount to more than $100 billion and Starbucks' tea sales rose 17% to nearly $1 billion since last year, bringing Teavana to China is a risky move.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/starbucksinchina.jpg

China has an ancient relationship with the beverage with legends claiming the first brew happened in 2737 B.C. Recently, archaeologists dug up the oldest evidence of its use in the tomb of a Han emperor. In the present day, China is the world's greatest consumer of tea. You can even get tea-flavored toothpaste!
Still, Starbucks already has some business acumen in China, having dealt with expired meat scandals and push-back against Western food companies.

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The 45-year-old company hopes to eventually have more outlets in China than in the US. Chief operating officer, Kevin Johnson, explains his faith in Teavana here:
“It’s very complementary to our coffee business. With Teavana -- similar to what we’ve done with coffee -- we’ve established a very premium brand.”
Starbucks will face plenty of local competition in the form of home-grown drinks like bubble milk tea as well as herbal offerings from outlets like KFC, China's most popular foreign brand.
By Matthew Patel
[Image via Flickr]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Mar 24, 2016 8:20 PM

What next? Panda Express in China? :rolleyes:

GeneChing

04-08-2016, 02:27 PM

The secrets behind the perfect brew: Mesmerising photographs reveal the painstaking process of tea making in China (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3529701/The-secrets-perfect-brew-Mesmerising-photographs-reveal-painstaking-process-tea-making-China.html?ITO=applenews)

Pictures show farmers around China plucking, heating and drying tea leaves as the spring harvest season begins
Every step of the process is a form of art in the country where people have been drinking the brew for 3,000 years
Tea production takes place in most of the year, but the spring tea is considered the most valuable and desirable

By TRACY YOU FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:26 EST, 8 April 2016 | UPDATED: 13:55 EST, 8 April 2016

They say a cup of tea makes everything better, and that's never an overstatement.

The love affair between man and the aromatic beverage has lasted for more than 3,000 years. From planting, picking to brewing, every step of the tea making has grown into a form of art.

A collection of stunning pictures have emerged showing how tea leaves are harvested and processed across China, the birthplace of the popular drink.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/08/12/32F73D4400000578-3529701-image-a-14_1460114808250.jpg
Brew-tea-ful: Tea-harvesting season takes place in China at the end of March and beginning of April. Farmers worked in the fields of Xuan'en County, Hubei Province, on March 31

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Gorgeous: The Wujiatai tea, a famous speciality of Hubei Province, has entered its harvest season in the stunning Xuan'en County

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Let's get the part-tea started: Farmers took part in a tea picking contest in Anshun, Guizhou Province, south-east China on March 29

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Perfect work spot: A worker picked tea leaves in Zhongcunba Village of Xuan'en County, central China's Hubei Province on April 7

The tea-harvesting season begins in China every spring, with many farmers heading out into the fields in China's rural areas to collect leaves for the perfect hot drink.

The peak time for tea-picking period falls at the end of March and the beginning of April when factories operate at full capacity.

Although tea production also takes places in summer and autumn, spring tea is always the highly desirable and pricey among Chinese drinkers, especially the so-called 'first pick' which is available on the market in April.

The Chinese people divide tea into six categories based on processing techniques: green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, dark tea and yellow tea.

Depending on the type of tea, the crops will then go through a variety of treatment, including steaming, withering, heating, rolling, oxidation and drying. In large part of China, all of these steps are still done by human hands, which will make sure the final products carry the best flavour.

In the set of pictures, tea farmers around China can be seen plucking fresh tea leaves in the expansive and rolling plantations.

Most of the tea plantations are situated in eastern and southern part of the country, including Xuan'en County in Hubei Province, which is famous for its green tea, and Jing'an County in Jiangxi Province where quality white tea comes from.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/08/12/32F73D1F00000578-3529701-Mandatory_Credit_Photo_by_Xinhua_REX_Shutterstock_ 5619726d_nA_fa-m-17_1460116205197.jpg
The pricey pluck: A farmer picked white tea at a tea garden in Jing'an County, east China's Jiangxi Province on March 28. The so-called 'first pick' in spring is considered most desirable and valuable

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A fragrant task: Workers air the newly picked tea leaves in Zhongcunba Village of Xuan'en County, April 7. Xuan'en green tea is said to have been favoured by many Chinese emperors

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Handle with care: Depending on the type of tea, the crops will then go through a variety of treatment. A worker heated tea leaves in a cooking pot in Xuan'en County on April 7

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Fresh tea leaves will undergo a series of treatment, including steaming, withering, heating, rolling, oxidation and drying. In large part of China, all of these steps are still done by human hands

China is known as the first country in the world to cultivate and drink tea leaves. People from southern China, where the plant originated, started enjoying the brew as early as 1122BC, according to historic records.

The world's oldest tea leaves have been discovered buried with royal treasures in the tomb of Jing Emperor Liu Qi, an ancient Chinese emperor who ruled more than 2,150 years ago, in the city of Xi'an, in China's Shaanxi Province, reported People's Daily Online.

It appears Emperor Jing, who was the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, enjoyed the drink so much he wanted to be buried with a large supply of tea leaves so he could drink it in the afterlife.

Unearthed in the tomb of Jing Emperor Liu Qi, the huge stash of tea buds provides some of the earliest evidence for the ancient Silk Road trade route that grew to stretch across Asia from China to Europe.
continued next post

GeneChing

04-08-2016, 02:27 PM

FORGET ABOUT DIAMOND, HERE COMES THE LIQUID GOLD: A GUIDE TO THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE TEAS
Yellow Gold Tea Buds

At about £62 for 50 grams (25 cups), the leaves of this Chinese tea are painted with non-toxic 24-carat gold. They are harvested on one day a year with special golden scissors, and only from the top part of the tree.

Panda dung tea

Reportedly costing £127 a cup, this tea from China is not actually made with panda poo but grown in ground that is fertilised by the bear's excrement. Pandas only eat wild bambo, of which 30 per cent is absorbed into their body. The rest of the nutrients are in their waste, which, according to connoisseurs, makes the tea taste of bamboo.

Da Honh Pao

The half green-half black Da Honh Pao tea is similar to a heavy Darjeeling. The taste is described as rich and floral and lingers in the mouth several minutes after drinking. The £180 a pot tea is served at Royal China Club's restaurants in London.

Gyokuro

A Japanese green tea made from ungrounded leaves also known as Sencha, the leaves are shaded from the sun before they are harvest. 100g of the super-exclusive tea costs £26.

Tieguanyin

This Chinese tea costs £1,900 per kg. The Oolong tea leaf is robust and can be brewed up to seven times before it loses its flavour. The price is steep because the leaves are kneaded before being put into cloth bags so they make a pitch-perfect sound when they are poured into the cup.

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Razzle dazzle: A worker removed impurities from the tea leaves in Xuan'en County on April 7. The region is famous for its green tea

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People from southern China, where the plant originated, started enjoying the brew as early as 1122BC, according to historic records

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/08/10/32F5B95C00000578-0-image-a-32_1460107894766.jpg
Most of China's tea plantations are situated in eastern and southern part of the country. Above picture shows a tea planting garden in Liangwang Township of Rongjiang County, south-west China's Guizhou Province

I've been really enjoying Daily Mail recently.

GeneChing

04-12-2016, 11:12 AM

Tourist scammers are everywhere. :(

Shanghai tea house charges Japanese tourists 48 yuan per sip (http://shanghaiist.com/2016/04/12/shanghai_tea_scam_japanese_students.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2016/04/teascam2.jpg

Many foreigners who arrive in Shanghai are aware of the city's infamous "tea ceremony scams," but not everyone, including two Japanese students who were recently charged an exorbitant amount of money for a few cups of tea. How did the Shanghai tea house manage to justify the students' 2,100 yuan ($324) bill? By charging the tea per sip. 48 yuan, per sip.

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Yes! While the two unsuspecting students were visiting Yuyuan Garden, they thought about trying some Chinese tea when three strangers they met inside the subway station asked them to help take pictures and afterwards invited them to tea. Keen to practice their Mandarin, the students decided to give the strangers the benefit of the doubt. They were taken to a tea house and shown a menu, agreeing on the price of 48 yuan, which they believed was per person, rather than per sip, Shanghai Daily reports.

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After chatting about Chinese culture and history for around half and hour, the bill was served, and the three strangers quickly paid up; however, the students didn't have enough money on them to cover their portion of the hefty bill. The thieving tea house settled with just taking the 1,000 yuan they were carrying with them -- good for around 20 sips of tea.
Following their ordeal, the students were handed decorative knots as souvenirs; however it turns out that the knots were not well-meant gifts, but served as signals for other scammers that the students had already been cheated.

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Thankfully, the students later called the police after realizing they had been cheated and their money was given back. And the tea house in question? Well it was was aptly named Yuyuan Teahouse; however, it turned out to be nothing more than a common retail store that provided tea to customers.
Netizens on Weibo were furious over the incident, many asking for severe punishment and labeling the practice as shameful to China.

“Charging tea by the sip? When will rice be charged by the grain?” said @Shiguoxiansenzirannongchang.
“Did the restaurant just rip off only these two people? Are there others who have been cheated here? Are such stores going to exist in the future?” questioned @Mangxiaodao_eve.
Considering, the long history of Shanghai's tea scams, we would have to assume so. Still, it is not like only foreigners get ripped off in China. Locals are just as likely to rip off Chinese visiting from elsewhere. For instance, earlier this year domestic tourists were charged 38 yuan per prawn and 5,000 yuan per endangered fish.

By Kitty Lai
[Images via CCTV]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Apr 12, 2016 5:50 PM

GeneChing

04-27-2016, 11:56 AM

**** Daniel. That's some high grade.

This Pot of Chinese Tea Costs More Than $10,000 (http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-04-26/this-pot-of-chinese-tea-costs-more-than-dollar10000)
Written by CNT Editors April 27, 2016

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Getty
Wuyi rock tea is said to get its taste from the fresh water and green mountains that surround the trees where it grows.

If you want genuine da hong pao tea, be prepared to pay up before you tip a cup back.

We like a good cup of tea as much as anyone, but China's da hong pao is for true (and truly wealthy) brew aficionados only. As one of the priciest teas in the world, it costs more than 30 times its weight in gold, reports the BBC can cost more than $10,000, with just one gram going for roughly $1,400.

The expensive strain of oolong tea can be found in Wuyishan in southern China, also known as the country's tea capital, which is about a two-and-a-half hour flight from Beijing, or a 90-minute flight from Shanghai. But cheaper versions are also available; travel into town, and you can find da hong pao for around $100 a kilogram. It's still far from what you'd pay for some Earl Grey at your local coffee shop, but it won't cost more than your entire trip to China, either.

Why the price difference? True da hong pao, a rock tea grown in the mountains, comes from the same "mother trees" that have been used to make the tea for generations, and there aren't many left. If you want to drink tea made from one of the original trees, you'll pay. The market is so exclusive, in fact, that there are brokers who help connect rich tea collectors to sellers.

If you want to experience China's tea culture, you can easily do so in Wuyishan—but know that the area still doesn't get many tourists, so you'll want to plan your visit in advance. When you're not sipping, be sure to take advantage of local activities like bamboo rafting and hiking.

GeneChing

09-06-2016, 10:01 AM

Well imagine that. I do like a good cup of Earl Grey or English Breakfast in the morning.

British tea is booming in China, the drink’s birthplace (http://mynorthwest.com/385058/china-world-leader-in-tea-grows-a-taste-for-uk-blends/)
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS | September 5, 2016 @ 2:01 am

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Matthew Davies, Head of International Sales at Taylors of Harrogate, picks up a package of tea in the tea company's tasting room in Harrogate, England, Tuesday Aug. 30 2016. A wave of affluent Chinese consumers, who want the British afternoon tea experience, are boosting British exports of premium tea to China and Hong Kong. (AP Photo / Leonora Beck)

HARROGATE, England (AP) — Ji Mengyu sinks into a soft chair with her cup of tea to the sound of tinkling teaspoons and light chatter. The opulently decorated Victorian tea salon is quintessentially British, something straight out of Downton Abbey. Except it’s in Beijing.

The 25-year-old HR professional is one of a growing number of Chinese who are looking past their country’s ancient tea traditions in favor of imported British blends. For Ji, the tea has an aura of luxury and quality, and gives her a sense of partaking in the posh British culture popularized globally by TV shows and fashion brands.

“I think British people’s traditional customs and culture have a kind of classical style,” says Ji, who says she’s inspired by TV shows like Downton Abbey, but also Sherlock Holmes and Game of Thrones.

For three centuries, countries in Asia and Africa have been quenching Britons’ thirst for tea, supplying dried leaves worth millions of pounds every year. Now, that trend is showing some signs of reversing. China and Hong Kong in particular are seeing a surge in appetite for British tea blends — some of which are made with leaves from China itself, an example of the twists in trade that the globalization of tastes can create.

Upscale tea blends from storied British companies like Twinings, Taylors of Harrogate and Hudson & Middleton occupy increasingly more space on shelves in Chinese supermarkets, restaurant menus and online shops.

Tea houses serving British afternoon tea have sprouted up in the bigger cities in China. Five years ago, Annvita English Tea Company managed ten tea houses around China, serving imported blends and pastries in British-style tea rooms. The number has since grown ten-fold, with more planned.

“It fits the taste of people who want to pursue a higher quality of life,” says Li Qunlou, general manager at AnnVita English Tea House in Sanlitun in Beijing.

As a result, British tea companies selling premium blends have seen their exports to China and Hong Kong skyrocket.

In the first five months of 2016, British tea exports to Hong Kong nearly tripled in value compared with two years earlier. They doubled to the rest of mainland China, data from the U.K. HM Revenue & Customs show.

Shipments to China and Hong Kong only make up 7 percent of total British tea exports, but the share is growing quickly.

Some of these deliveries come from Harrogate, a small town in northern England that is the home to Taylors of Harrogate. The fourth generation family-owned company has been selling tea to China for more than 10 years. In the past three years, sales have more than doubled every year, albeit from a low starting point.

“China produces nearly one half of the world’s tea, so on the surface you would think that there is a limited opportunity for Taylors of Harrogate,” says Matthew Davies, Head of International Sales at Taylors of Harrogate.

Tea originates from China and has been a central part of the culture for thousands of years. In Britain, tea was not introduced until the 17th century, though it has since become a staple and adapted to local tastes.

Every day thousands of tea samples arrive in Harrogate for the tasters to evaluate. The business essentially relies on their taste buds to find the right mix of leaves to maintain the signature flavors that the company bases its reputation on. Chinese customers mainly buy Taylor of Harrogate’s Earl Grey and English Breakfast tea.

“Our approach was to invest time and resources to understand consumer behavior and we found that there are a number of Chinese consumers with a high level of discretionary income and demand for Taylors of Harrogate brands,” says Davies.

The demand is growing mainly among China’s wealthy middle class and is fueled by portrayals of British high society featured in TV shows, news stories of the British royal family and classical novels like Jane Austen’s, analysts say.

“Previously, Chinese consumers were more exposed to American culture, McDonalds and Hollywood-style things. These few years, because of the popular British TV dramas, Chinese consumers are more exposed to British brands and the lifestyle,” says Hope Lee, senior drinks analyst at Euromonitor International.

Another reason for the thriving popularity of British imported tea is the seemingly endless string of food scandals that plagues China and Hong Kong.

Greenpeace and government investigations found high levels of pesticides or poisonous earths in tea, also in some of the best known brands. Imported premium British tea brands are perceived as being safer and of higher quality.

Paradoxically, some of the British tea sold in China and Hong Kong is originally grown in China. However, it represents only a small amount of British exports there — about 3 percent, according to Frost & Sullivan, a market research company.

British tea makers mainly import leaves from Africa and India, regions where the taste for British tea blends has not grown in the same way, for economic and cultural reasons.

Despite the recent slowdown in the Chinese economy, Taylors of Harrogate and many other companies and industry experts are optimistic about the country’s consumers.

“We are continuing to strengthen our lengths in China,” says Davies.

___

Helene Franchineau in Beijing contributed to this report.

GeneChing

09-12-2016, 09:11 AM

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooo :mad:

Starbucks New Tea Line Chases China’s $9.5 Billion Market (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-12/starbucks-new-tea-line-chases-china-s-9-5-billion-tea-market?bcomanews=true)
Bloomberg News
September 11, 2016 — 8:39 PM PDT

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Teavana beverages by Starbucks. Source: Starbucks Corp.

Starbucks Corp. plans to increase its global tea business to $3 billion over the next five years as its starts selling its new line of tea drinks, known as Teavana, across the Asia Pacific region Monday following the products’ entry in China last week.
China is Starbucks’ fastest-growing market and the Seattle-based coffee chain is opening 500 stores a year in the world’s most populous nation, aiming for a total of 3,400 stores by 2019.
The company is looking to China for growth momentum, honing in on China’s 63.2 billion yuan ($9.5 billion) tea fixation, which is almost ten times bigger than the country’s coffee market. Starbucks’ new tea products may also align with Chinese consumer’s growing demand for products aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles.
“The health trend is growing strongly across Asia, and as with most things, uptake of new trends in China tends to be faster than the rest of the world,” said Matthew Crabbe, Mintel Group Ltd.’s head of Asia-Pacific research. “There is a strong tea identity in Asia and it also chimes well with the particularly Asian view of healthcare as being centered around prevention, rather than cure. Because of this, tea-based products are likely to see strong growth."
Tea Culture
Starbucks acquired Teavana, a line of teas and tea houses, in 2012, and says the drinks have done well in its U.S stores. American consumers seeking out healthier food and drink options have propelled its tea business to grow 12 percent last year, with best-seller iced tea growing at 29 percent.

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In China, the much larger market for tea drinkers is growing at about 6 percent, roughly the same pace as coffee. For Asia, where tea-drinking is a well-developed habit, Starbucks had to invent tea drinks in bolder and more sophisticated combinations to catch consumers’ eyes.
With the rich tea culture here, we couldn’t have beverages that are expected or common, or we could not give consumers that feeling of premiumization and of being different,” Vera Wang, the company’s director for product line innovation in China and Asia Pacific, said in an interview Monday.
For Asia, its offerings include black tea with ruby grapefruit and honey and green tea with aloe and *****ly pear, relatively more complex recipes compared to U.S bestsellers like mango black tea and peach green tea.
Starbucks may already be late to the game, with growth in China’s tea market slowing to 5.8 percent last year, after steadily decelerating from an 18 percent growth rate in 2010, according to data from Euromonitor International.
"Tea is, of course, a mature market in Asia,” said Crabbe. “It’s been around for thousands of years and we saw how rapidly bubble tea took off among teen consumers across Asia several years ago. But as those younger consumers get older, they will trade to something more sophisticated, which is where Teavana could fit in."
— With assistance by Rachel Chang

GeneChing

10-24-2016, 08:40 AM

Interesting read. :cool:

Why Our Founding Fathers Adored Chinese Tea (https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/why-our-founding-fathers-adored-chinese-tea)
BY CLARISSA WEI
October 21, 2016

Chinese steel may have a bad connotation in today’s political circles, but for early Americans, buying Chinese was preferred.

China gets a bad rap in the US nowadays. According to a 2015 Pew Survey, just 38 percent of Americans have a favorable view of China. “CHY-NA,” à la Republican nominee Donald Trump, has been painted as the ultimate antagonist—for stealing our jobs and devaluing their currency to incite exports. With negative rhetoric at a high, perhaps now is an apt time to cool the vitriol and be reminded of how, once upon a time, China provided our founding fathers with the most important beverage of colonial times.

“It makes me cringe when I hear people talk about China taking our jobs, because we’ve treated the East so badly throughout history,” Bruce Richardson, tea master for the Boston Tea Party Museum, says.

Chinese products, which also included hand-printed wallpaper and ceramics, were adored as status symbols for early American colonists and the British. Chinese loose-leaf tea became the highest ranking of these goods and by 1765, it had so much clout that it represented up to 90 percent of the imports of the powerful British-owned East India Company.

Even back then, America imported more from China that it exported.

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Colonial teas at the Boston Tea Party Museum. All photos by the author.

In early colonial times, Darjeeling tea did not exist, nor was Earl Grey invented yet. Tea bags weren’t conceived until 1904. Blended teas were virtually unheard of in the colonies, and unlike the India-sourced black teas of today’s Western tea service, all teas were Chinese loose leaves and came to the West via a port in modern-day Guangdong province.

As a bachelor, George Washington had beautiful tea sets made from China, which, according to Richardson, was a sign of good taste and training. John Adams and John Quincy Adams were both avid connoisseurs. Thomas Jefferson was a fan of green tea, presumably produced in the Anhui province of China. Paul Revere made silver tea pots.

Tea became such a prized product that on December 16, 1773, 342 chests of it were thrown into the Boston Harbor to protest the British.

That’s how tremendous of a role the drink played: The British thought they could capitalize on the colonists’ thirst for tea and the Americans were furious because they knew that if the market was saturated with cheap tea, people would not be able to resist it. And so they dumped it all overboard.

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A ship docked outside the Boston Tea Party Museum.

Those 342 chests contained five different types of Chinese tea: bohea, congou, souchong (all black teas), hyson, and singlo (all green teas). Of course, those names are all *******ized Anglicized versions of Chinese; they do not resemble the Chinese language in any way.

“We Westerners have a hard time with language,” Richardson jokes. “It was long trip from Canton. A lot of rum came from the sailors’ mouths.”

Bohea is a butchered version of the word Wuyi — a mountain in the Fujian province of China. It’s a black tea and was the cheapest variety of the day. Congou is a derivative of the word gong fu, or kung fu, which simply means “discipline.” It got its name because it reportedly required more technique than the other teas to make. Souchong, known today as lapsang song, was a smoky black tea made from large tea leaves. Hyson, a green tea, was reportedly the favorite of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. In fact, it was so desired by the English that it was taxed higher than the other teas. Hyson was picked in the early spring and had a slight curl to it. Lastly, there was singlo, which also hailed from Fujian and was produced south of the Wuyi mountains.

The tea protest paved the way to the war that led to American independence. Once the Americans were free from the British, however, they launched their own expeditions to China for tea. The money made off of this trade gave birth to the first American millionaires, who started vast shipbuilding businesses. Years later, in a cruel twist of irony, those very ships were eventually used to transport indentured Chinese laborers to the sugar and tobacco plantations in Latin America to mine guano.

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Both the British and Americans sourced their tea from China.

On the British side, the thirst for tea was so unquenchable that it caused a national silver shortage.

“They needed to figure out some way to trade with China and not send silver over,” Richardson says. “So they used opium from India. It led to the [First] Opium War and that’s the great stain on the British reputation.” Americans aren’t exempt for this part in history; we started trading in opium from Turkey.

For the West, tea from China was the drug of choice and opium was used to finance the growing addiction. Today, the dynamics have completely shifted.

In America, Chinese products are now considered cheap and corrupt; in China, Western products are king. On the tea front, China is now a growing market for Western tea companies. According to Richardson, the Chinese have been buying heavily from Twinings Tea—a tea company founded in the 1770s and whose founders were on the board of directors of the East India Trading Company.

“So many Chinese folks these days just want the Western packaging,” Richardson says. “They are now shipping tea from China back to China.”

It’s a sobering reminder that the dynamic between China and the States is not as simple as some of the current rhetoric makes it out to be, and that the trade of Chinese products to our country was what made America both a great and a terrible force to be reckoned with.

-N-

10-25-2016, 04:46 PM

Tea bag tea.. Twinings... Starbucks...

Might as well drink vending machine coffee :D

One student came back from China with some cakes of 9 year old Po Nai(Pu Erh) tea for us.

Made one of my very few exceptions to my rule against food products from China.

GeneChing

01-12-2017, 10:46 AM

Chinese medicine expert says 'anti-smog' teas ineffective
11 January 2017

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TAOBAO
This "anti-smog" tea sold on Taobao promises to "boost lungs and moisten throats"

As parts of China continue to be engulfed by choking smog, many are turning to traditional Chinese medicine to combat the pollution's effect on their health.
One practice that has gained popularity is drinking "anti-smog" tea, which some believe can "clean" their lungs.
But a leading Chinese medicine practitioner has sought to dispel this myth, saying it is ineffective.
"Anti-smog" teas have become more widely available in Chinese medicine shops, pharmacies and online sites as the smog in China has worsened over the last few years.
There are different recipes, but they generally are made up of Chinese herbs such as dried flowers and roots.
The practice stems from the Chinese medicinal belief that drinking certain concoctions can boost one's health and rid the body of impurities.
A 2015 report by Beijing Morning Post noted that several pharmacies in the capital were selling "lung-cleansing teas to combat smog".
On popular online marketplace Taobao, "anti-smog" teas can be bought for 20 yuan (£2.20, $2.90) per packet and one listing claims that its combination of seven ingredients including dried chrysanthemums and honeysuckle can "boost lungs and moisten throats", and "combat the smog".

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AP
Beijing has issued several pollution alerts since the smog began this winter

But in a recent report by state broadcaster CCTV, Liu Quanqing, president of the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said such teas were "unreliable".
He noted, that the digestive and respiratory systems were separate, and that many teas contained ingredients which "may cause health problems if taken for a long time."
What would help instead, Mr Liu added, was maintaining a healthy diet and boosting one's immune system.
The same report also quoted officials from China's communicable disease centre as saying that using air purifiers and wearing masks were more effective in combating the smog.
'Delicious mist and haze'
The heavy pollution has become an annual occurrence during winter, affecting the north and eastern parts of China the most.
This year's smog has prompted school closures and warnings for residents to stay indoors, and triggered widespread health concerns.
One Shanghai surgeon's poem linking the smog to lung cancer recently went viral on social media.
The poem, which was originally written in English before it was translated into Chinese, describes a lung condition that is "nourished on the delicious mist and haze". That line has stirred controversy as authorities have sought to downplay the smog's health consequences.
But the surgeon, Zhao Xiaogang, told Global Times that he wanted to make the point that "the intense rise in lung cancer (in China)... is intimately related to smog".
The government has also tried to censor discussion and block protests, and municipal authorities in Beijing are even contemplating reclassifying smog.

Reporting by the BBC's Tessa Wong

I didn't even know this was a thing, but I should've assumed. It would be grand it if it worked. :rolleyes:

GeneChing

02-07-2017, 10:41 AM

Follow this link for an embedded video. Totally worth the view if you don't know about this art.

Spouts of Fury: When Tea and Kung Fu Collide (https://www.yahoo.com/news/spouts-fury-tea-kung-fu-134713308.html)

Great Big Story Great Big Story February 7, 2017
Ya'an, China, is home to some of the country's best tea. It's also home to the amazing long spout tea performers. This performance art, which dates back to 220 AD, mixes Kung Fu and the long spout metal teapot. Liu Xumin is a tea performer who has spent years mastering this ancient art form. His hope, he says, is to "achieve the integration of tea pot and human, of heaven and human, and of tea and human."

This Great Big Story was inspired by Genesis.

I've been to restaurants where they served tea through long spout tea pots like this. They didn't spin the pots about like this guy, but they did pour streams of boiling water into cups that were yards away. It was alarming and entertaining.

highlypotion

02-13-2017, 10:02 AM

Can Oolong tea make you lose weight? I've been drinking green tea for quite some time now and it did helped me shed a few pounds but it has a bitter after taste..

Subitai

02-21-2017, 09:47 PM

Ok not sure if this is old here but I know brother Gene loves this stuff...hehe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTkm20eGBxU

GeneChing

02-23-2017, 09:59 AM

I posted a yahoo vid on this above (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea&p=1299809#post1299809), but those don't embed as nicely as YouTube on our forum. Thanks for the assist, bro!

GeneChing

09-14-2017, 12:12 PM

Scalding Starbucks tea disfigured a woman and killed her dog, lawsuit says (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/09/13/scalding-starbucks-tea-disfigured-a-woman-and-killed-her-dog-lawsuit-says/)
By Amy B Wang September 13 at 4:46 PM

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A Colorado woman filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, claiming a cup of tea was served improperly, which led to injuries for her and death for her dog. (Elise Amendola/AP)

A Colorado woman has filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, claiming an employee improperly served a cup of hot tea at a drive-through window — causing the liquid to spill, severely burning her and ultimately killing her dog, who was also in the car at the time.

Deanna Salas-Solano is seeking more than $75,000 in damages from the global coffee chain, according to a complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

The incident allegedly occurred in September 2015, when Salas-Solano visited the drive-through of a Denver Starbucks and ordered a “Venti”-size hot tea. She did not specify that she wanted her drink “extra hot,” the complaint states.

When a Starbucks employee handed the cup of tea to Salas-Solano at the pickup window, its lid was not secured, it lacked a hot-cup sleeve, and it was not “double-cupped,” according to the lawsuit. The complaint also alleges that the temperature of the tea was “unreasonably hot.”

“Once Plaintiff received the cup of tea into her hands, the hot temperature of the cup began to burn her hands,” the complaint states. “Hot tea began to spill out of the cup through the unsecured lid and onto Plaintiff’s body. The tea caused Plaintiff’s clothing to melt. The tea caused severe burns to Plaintiff. Plaintiff immediately experienced intense pain including on her stomach, legs, and lap.”

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Photos of Alexander’s burn injuries were included with the complaint against Starbucks. (Courtesy of Sean Leventhal)

Salas-Solano began screaming and writhing in pain — at which point her dog, Alexander, jumped into her lap and caused tea to spill onto him, according to the complaint. The dog was taken to an emergency veterinarian, the filing states, and he died a little later from injuries caused by the hot tea.

Salas-Solano was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for severe burns and, the following day, underwent skin-graft surgery for “2% total body surface area second-degree burn injury to the abdomen and bilateral thighs,” according to the lawsuit. She has since reportedly suffered permanent scarring, loss of feeling and emotional distress, among other things, the suit states.

The filing additionally alleges that the store had received complaints related to improperly served hot beverages in the past.

“At all relevant times, Defendant knew or should have known, using reasonable care, that providing hot tea without a hot-cup sleeve, without securing the lid onto the cup, and/or utilizing unreasonably hot temperatures for the water used the make the tea, would create an unreasonable risk of injury to patrons ordering tea at the drive-thru at the Premises,” the complaint states.

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A burn injury reportedly suffered by Deanna Salas-Solano, included in the complaint against Starbucks. (Courtesy of Sean Leventhal)

A Starbucks spokesman said the company denies the allegations and has video evidence to prove that the coffee chain’s employee was not at fault.

“I think it goes without saying we’re certainly sympathetic to Ms. Salas-Solano and the injuries she sustained, and my heart goes out to her for the loss of her dog,” Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges told The Washington Post. “Having said that, we have video evidence that clearly contradicts the claims by her and actually believe they’re without merit. We don’t have any reason to believe that our partner [employee] was at fault in this.”

Sean Leventhal, an attorney for Salas-Solano, provided The Post with a copy of the complaint but declined to comment further on the lawsuit Wednesday.

This is not the first lawsuit filed against Starbucks related to injuries from a hot beverage. In May, a jury awarded $100,000 to a Florida woman who claimed she was severely burned and permanently scarred after a lid fell off a Venti-size Starbucks cup and spilled 190-degree coffee into her lap. During that trial, a Starbucks representative testified that the company receives 80 complaints per month related to lid leaks and lids popping off, according to the law firm Morgan & Morgan.

Starbucks has also been the target of several other recent lawsuits: A cafe in Brooklyn accused Starbucks of copy-catting its “unicorn latte” to create its popular limited-edition “Unicorn Frappuccino” this summer. Two weeks ago, Simon Property Group, the largest mall operator in the United States, sued the coffee chain in a bid to stop the premature closing of its Teavana stores, CNBC reported.

The latest complaint against Starbucks is reminiscent of a 1994 lawsuit filed against McDonald’s by Stella Liebeck, who suffered severe burns at age 79 after spilling hot coffee on herself in the drive-through of an Albuquerque branch of the fast-food chain. A jury awarded Liebeck more than $2 million in punitive damages, which a judge later reduced; Liebeck and McDonald’s ultimately settled for an undisclosed amount under $600,000. That well-known case later became the basis for “Hot Coffee,” a 2011 documentary that explores tort reform in the United States.

Poor dog. Starbucks kills puppies.

GeneChing

09-18-2017, 12:27 PM

Winnie Yu served tea at our 20th Anniversary after-party when her company Teance (https://www.teance.com/) was a Bronze level sponsor (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/info/tournament/sponsors_2012.php).

Influential tea expert Winnie Yu dies at age 47 (http://m.sfgate.com/food/article/Influential-tea-expert-Winnie-Yu-dies-at-age-47-12196016.php)
Jonathan Kauffman Sep 13, 2017

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Photo: photo by Craig Lee, SFC
Winnie Yu, right, at her Berkeley tea house Teance in 2007.

Winnie Yu, co-founder of Teance Fine Teas in Berkeley, and a woman whose influence on American tea culture was quiet but pervasive, died in Berkeley on September 11 after a year-long illness. She was 47.

Yu was born in Hainan, China, in 1970. Her parents, who were artists, emigrated first to Hong Kong and then to New York when she was in grade school. She came to Berkeley to attend college, then completed a master’s at the Haas UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and worked as a financial advisor.

However, friends say, Yu was not your average business school grad. She had grown up immersed in art and traditional tea culture, and was a student of both Buddhism and kung fu. Inspired in part by Roy Fong’s Imperial Tea Court, which opened in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the early 1990s, she mulled over the idea of opening a tea room that would pour — and sell — whole-leaf teas sourced directly from tea farmers in China, Taiwan, Japan and India.

Around the turn of the millennium, she brought the idea to Fu Tung Cheng, a designer friend. He asked her how much she would charge for such teas, and she told him anywhere from $50 a pound to $400 — in an era when many customers considered a $10 tin of loose-leaf teas an extravagance. “I said, Americans are going to have to come into a shop that represents that quality,” Cheng recalled. “She said, great. You do it!”

Yu and Cheng opened a tranquil, stylish tea room called Celadon on Solano Avenue in 2002, which drew a devoted clientele but was too tranquil, perhaps, to generate a profit. In 2006, they moved to Fourth Street in Berkeley, reopening as Teance (the name came from the combination of “tea” plus “ambiance”). Cheng designated more of the space to shelves of teas and teawares. In the back, they installed a circular tea bar with a polished concrete top for tastings and educational events.

Each year, Yu revisited Asia in search of higher-quality teas. Darius Moghaddam, who started as a dishwasher at Teance and rose to store manager and close friend, traveled with her numerous times. He remembers long and perilous trips into the tea mountains of China, arriving only to stay up all night to watch tea farmers process the new harvest.

“Anything Winnie did she did 150 percent,” Moghaddam said. “We’d hit two to three farms every day, with nonstop travel, trying to absorb as much knowledge and information as we could. She was tenacious and ferocious.”

Red Blossom Tea’s Alice Luong added that the patriarchal nature of many tea farms in China and Taiwan pose an additional layer of challenges to women who do business directly with them. “As one of the few women in the tea business I will miss her presence and positive influence on the Bay Area tea scene,” wrote Donna Lo of Far Leaves Tea.

Teance soon exerted its own influence on the tea world. Jesse Jacobs, owner of Samovar, said Yu educated Bay Area drinkers that their seasonal, organic and artisanal culinary ideals should apply to the tea they drank as well. “She has helped deliver tea in that same vein in a contemporary way without *******izing it with, say, bubblegum and banana,” he said.

In the United States, Yu raised the bar, both in terms of quality and the price that American connoisseurs were willing to pay, said James Norwood Pratt, author of “The Tea Lovers’ Treasury.”

“Once you’ve had a Taiwanese baozhong (oolong) from Teance, you might have others elsewhere, but you could usually say, well, it’s good but it’s not up to Winnie’s,” Pratt said.

Yu’s passions were not restricted to tea. She continued to study martial arts, and was an avid fan of kung fu movies, particularly any starring Donnie Yen. Cheng said she would host big gatherings in her house to drink high-mountain oolongs and watch mixed martial arts matches on television. She mentored several young adults, particularly those who had lost their parents.

According to Cheng, four years ago Yu began playing with a process to make cold-brew tea and coffee rapidly without sacrificing the flavor. Engineers translated the method she came up with, involving a drill and a glass jar, into machinery that could produce 50 gallons every 30 minutes. Yu and Cheng attracted enough investment to begin producing FogDog Cold Brew teas and coffees, with production facilities in Brooklyn and Berkeley. They began selling in Bay Area stores in June.

By that time, however, Yu had fallen ill. “She fought so hard through it,” Moghaddam said, “and as much as she went through, she didn’t complain once.” She died on Monday, September 11.

“It was a brilliant career cut short,” Pratt said.

Winnie Yu is survived by her parents and a brother. Friends and associates plan on holding a memorial in the future; check the Teance Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TeanceFineTeas/) for updates.

Jonathan Kauffman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jkauffman@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @jonkauffman

GeneChing

11-15-2017, 12:04 PM

Been trying to stay a-political about the recent Asia trip, but it's **** near impossible.

The meaning behind Donald Trump’s cup of tea in a Forbidden City treasure hall (http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2119196/meaning-behind-donald-trumps-cup-tea-forbidden-city?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=UV_cchina_diplomacy-defence_us&utm_campaign=GME-I-trumpasiavisit-Nov17_US&cx_source=fb&cx_campaign=GME-I)
Xi’s dinner with the US president in the former imperial palace was much more than a meal
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 09 November, 2017, 6:54pm
UPDATED : Friday, 10 November, 2017, 10:52am
Laura Zhou

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Beijing’s Forbidden City was more than just an opulent backdrop for US President Donald Trump’s first day in China.
One of the main halls used to stage a set piece on Trump’s tour of the former imperial palace was weighted with meaning and chosen to underscore cooperation between the two countries.
As part of their higher-than-usual welcome to the Chinese capital, Trump and his wife, Melania, sipped tea and had dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan in the World Heritage Site on Wednesday.

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US President Donald J. Trump (2-L), first lady Melania Trump (L), Chinese President Xi Jinping (2-R) and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, 08 November 2017. Photo: Xinhua

The couples took tea in the Bao Yun Lou, or Hall of Embodied Treasures, a Western-style imperial building erected in 1915 to store treasures from other imperial residences outside Beijing.
It was built with funds remitted by the US government under then president Theodore Roosevelt.
China’s Qing dynasty government had been forced to pay compensation to eight nations, including the United States, over the Boxer rebellion, an anti-foreigner movement from 1899 to 1901.

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Bao Yun Lou. Undated Handout.

But the US agreed to cancel the debt and the Chinese government used some of the money to build the hall. The rest was used to create a scholarship for Chinese students studying in the US and to build Beijing’s elite Tsinghua University.

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Bao Yun Lou was rebuilt with funds remitted by the US government under then president Theodore Roosevelt. Photos: Associated Press

Renmin University international relations professor Jin Canrong said having tea in the building “could send a strong signal to the US government that cooperation instead of antagonism is needed between the two countries”.
The two couples later sat down for dinner in the Jianfu Palace, a structure that was destroyed in a fire in 1923 along with all of its treasures before rebuilding got under way in 1999 with the help of a Hong Kong-based cultural foundation.

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Jianfu Palace. Undated Handout.

The Jianfu Palace has no obvious historical links with the United States but the meal was the first time a foreign head of state had dined with a Chinese president in the Forbidden City since 1949.
The dinner also appeared to run overtime.
At the start of talks with Xi on Thursday, Trump said the dinner was expected to last for about 20 or 25 minutes but continued for much longer.
“Because I was travelling and you were so nice and you said, ‘we’ll just do a quick dinner’,” the US president said, addressing Xi.
“And I think it [had to have lasted] at least two hours and we enjoyed every minute of it.”

GeneChing

12-08-2017, 11:25 AM

Drink Wanglaoji and prolong your life by 10%, popular herbal tea company claims (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/12/08/wanglaoji-life-elixir.php)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON DEC 8, 2017 11:40 PM

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Everyone's favorite herbal tea brand Wanglaoji is now claiming that its extremely popular beverage can extend the life of consumers by 10%, a claim that many netizens are finding hard to swallow.
First established in Guangzhou in 1828, Wanglaoji (王老吉), also known by its Cantonese name Wong Lo Kat, has a long, storied, and rather confusing history. A distinctive blend of mint, honeysuckle, and other herbs, it is one of the most popular beverages in China and boasts of being made through the same process used to make traditional Chinese medicine.
Taking a page from the TCM playbook, Li Chuyuan, chairman of the Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group, a state-owned company that owns one form of Wanglaoji, is now claiming that his herbal beverage can increase a person's life expectancy by 10%, citing a study carried out by the Chinese CDC. Critics note that this experiment was performed on 576 rats, not human beings.
Meanwhile, netizens have also pointed out that Wanglaoji contains quite a large amount of sugar, not a diet that is typically associated with living an extraordinarily long life.
"Whether it will extend your life or not, I do not know. I do know that if you drink a lot of it, you'll get diabetes," commented one netizen. "If you don't drink it, you'll prolong your life by 50%," added another.

I've had this stuff before. It's kind of like Chinese sweet tea, which is silly to me because China has some of the best tea on the planet, so who would want it sweetened?

tonyc

01-19-2018, 11:24 PM

I personally prefer the Taiwan Oolong tea variety. Here are a few good tips for finding quality Taiwan Oolong (https://todotea.com/blogs/recipes/best-taiwan-oolong-tea).

Inspect leaves for sandy green textures
Feel the loose leaves for dryness and stiffness
Take three deep breaths and look for persistent aroma
Use a ceramic spoon to stir and look for aromatic spoon

GeneChing

01-24-2018, 10:01 AM

Part magic, part martial art: Sichuan tea master performs in SF (https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Ancient-art-of-pouring-tea-gets-an-airing-at-2-SF-12518539.php)
By Jonathan KauffmanJanuary 23, 2018 Updated: January 23, 2018 2:49pm

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Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
IMAGE 1 OF 4 Xumin Liu pours tea while performing the ancient art of gongfu cha at Z & Y Restaurant in San Francisco.

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In the hands of Xumin Liu, a long-spouted copper teakettle becomes a rapier, a whip, a copper-colored wash of light. Three lunches a week, Liu travels from table to table at Z & Y Restaurant, swirling the kettle around his head in intricate circles and letting it pirouette in the air. Every sequence of spins ends with the base of the kettle held high, its yard-long spout lasering a stream of steaming water into a cup of tea leaves.

Xiumin Liu is a master of two traditional Sichuan arts: gongfu tea, poured from a copper kettle with a three-foot spout, and “face changing.” He is performing at two Sichuan restaurants in San Francisco through March 2018.

Liu, 35, was born into a tea-farming family on Mengding Mountain southwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. In his early 20s, he studied the 18 forms of “dragon-flying” gongfu cha postures under a Sichuanese tea master named Shifu Chen, then moved on to a Taoist monastery on Qingcheng Mountain to practice a form of martial arts called wushu. The two traditions combine in the fluidity of his movements, and the way he can hold his body at improbable angles for minutes at a time.

Travelers to Chengdu can see tourist performances in teahouses, but few gongfu cha masters make it to the United States. Fewer still are also skilled in Liu’s second art: Sichuan face-swapping.

A decade ago, Liu was demonstrating gongfu cha in Korea when Shimen Lu, a famous face-swapping performer, noticed the young man’s performance and invited him to become a student. This second art Liu now demonstrates at the Hans’ restaurants at dinnertime. To the beat of rousing music, he stalks amid the tables, gold balls on his headdress quivering, face covered with a blue snarl. His red fan flashes past his face and — op! — the blue mask changes to green. You can watch the transformation a dozen times, even getting close, and not see the skill behind the surprise.

When pouring tea Sichuan style, Liu says through a translator, the purpose of the copper kettle isn’t merely aesthetic. The thin stream of water releases the flavor and the aroma in the tea leaves. “The water from this copper kettle is good for your skin, your brain and your health,” he adds.

He has been surprised by the Americans who set their teacups on their heads when he comes by, or merely open their mouths, not realizing the water gushing through the spout of his kettle is close to boiling. Everyone asks for a photo, too. Liu is used to that, at least.

Lijun Han says he asked Master Liu to travel from his home on Mengding Mountain to Old Gold Mountain — the old Chinese name for San Francisco — to introduce Americans to these traditional arts. “This way the tea, the masks and the Sichuan food complete an understanding of Sichuan culture,” Han says. “You no longer see just the food.”

Liu has only been in town for a few weeks, so his impressions of San Francisco are faint. He’s impressed by Hetch Hetchy water, which is very soft, very beautiful, he says. Perfect for making tea.

Xiumin Liu is a master of two traditional Sichuan arts: gongfu tea, poured from a copper kettle with a three-foot spout, and “face changing.” He is performing at two Sichuan restaurants in San Francisco through March 2018.

Last week he toured the city, and the sight of the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge so inspired him that he began practicing his 18 forms right on the street. “The air is good for training,” he says. “It’s very crisp and clean.”

Z & Y Restaurant: 655 Jackson St., San Francisco, (415) 981-8988 or www.zandyrestaurant.com

Chili House: 726 Clement St., San Francisco, (415) 387-2658 or www.chilihousesf.com

Al Cheng contributed translation assistance.

Jonathan Kauffman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jkauffman@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @jonkauffman

Jonathan Kauffman
Food Reporter
There's some embedded vids behind the link. Looks cool - wish I had the time to chase this guy down for an article but my cup is full right now.

GeneChing

02-06-2018, 10:50 AM

Well, I don't smoke, but I do drink alcohol, probably not one drink per day, but there are some days that surely make up for the ones that I skip. :o

There's a vid behind the link, if you're interested.

HEALTH CANCER
Here's How Drinking Hot Tea Could Increase Your Risk of Cancer (http://time.com/5131362/hot-tea-esophageal-cancer/)
By JAMIE DUCHARME February 5, 2018

Smoking cigarettes and drinking too much alcohol both raise your risk for developing esophageal cancer, which affects the tube connecting the throat to the stomach. Now, a new study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds another lifestyle linked to the cancer, this one more surprising: drinking hot tea, if people also smoke and drink alcohol.

Among people who regularly smoked cigarettes and drank at least one drink per day, drinking hot tea was linked to a five-times higher risk of developing esophageal cancer, compared to those who didn’t do any of those three habits. In people who didn’t have those two vices, however, drinking tea did not seem to have a significant effect on cancer development.

“We found that the association between high-temperature tea consumption and esophageal cancer risk was dependent on alcohol and tobacco consumption,” said lead author Jun Lv, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Peking University School of Public Health in China, in an email to TIME.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 456,000 Chinese adults between ages 30 and 79 who didn’t have cancer at the study’s start. People were asked to answer questions about their tea, alcohol and cigarette consumption. Then researchers followed the people in the study for about nine years to see how many developed esophageal cancer. (About 1,700 total people did.)

The researchers found that people who regularly drank hot tea, smoked and drank alcohol had the highest esophageal cancer risk. Those who regularly drank tea and either drank alcohol or smoked — but not both — also had an increased risk for developing cancer, but it was not as great. People who only drank hot tea did not see a significant increase in cancer risk.

The study was only observational, so a cause-and-effect link cannot be determined. But the authors speculate that hot tea may damage the tissue lining the esophagus, which could increase the chance of injury from other risk factors like smoking and drinking. Another potential way that hot tea may contribute to cancer risk, the authors write, is through the formation of inflammatory compounds, which occurs after repeated irritation to the esophagus.

In recent years, there has been some contradictory information about tea and cancer. In 2016, the World Health Organization concluded that hot beverages above 149 degrees F, including tea, were linked to an increase risk of esophageal cancer. However, tea has been singled out many times in the past for its potential cancer-fighting abilities. Green tea, in general, is associated with a lower risk of cancer.

The findings suggest that tea may contribute to cancer formation under the right circumstances, Lv says, but it’s probably not the main factor at work. “It’s important to abstain from high-temperature tea in excessive alcohol consumers and smokers for esophageal cancer prevention,” Lv wrote in an email. “Of course, keeping away from both tobacco and excessive alcohol use is the most important means for esophageal cancer prevention.”

PalmStriker

02-06-2018, 03:01 PM

:) Good to take note of this article as damaging the esophagus is nothing you want to take lightly. As did the SnakeFist Master in the classic movie "Snake in Eagle's shadow" I myself never really drink hot tea but do consume quite a bit of bottled green tea with lemon or ginseng or honey regularly, at room temperature or chilled. I'm not a smoker, stopped altogether about 10 years ago but drink a pint of beer on a daily basis. Helps me sleep at night and dream vividly. I would advise anyone to not sleep without propping yourself up so that your stomach acids do not attack the shut-off valve to your digestive tract as a double precaution. You will be doing yourself a very big favor.

GeneChing

02-21-2018, 08:45 AM

There are videos behind the link.

This Kung Fu Tea Master Is Basically Tea Bae (https://sf.eater.com/2018/2/20/17034010/kung-fu-tea-z-y-sf-salt-bae)
Like salt bae, but you know, with tea
by Caleb Pershan Feb 20, 2018, 5:00pm PST

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cTJLe7adYb0TClQlaInjwbH7Ghw=/0x0:4032x3024/920x613/filters:focal(1694x1190:2338x1834):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58762795/unnamed.0.jpg
Monica Wong/Z & Y Restaurant

For the past few weeks, Xumin Liu has thrilled San Francisco diners by filling teacups from his sword-length copper kettle at Z & Y Restaurant and Chili House. The performance shines in the age of Instagram, but it’s actually an ancient practice known as gongfu cha or “kung fu tea,” a thousand-year-old art.

Liu, a 35-year-old master practitioner, spins his kettle and pours hot tea with the precision, seriousness, and panache of “Salt Bae” — the chef and restaurateur Nusret Gökçe whose graceful salt sprinkling brought him viral internet attention. But as one commenter points out on a video of Liu (taken by none other than Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters) the tea master might make Salt Bae look a little bit lazy. Plus, he’s playing with even hotter stuff.

Of course Liu, like Gökçe, who just opened his first New York restaurant, is much more than a pretty face and impressive gesture. For one thing, Liu’s got several poses, all of which he learned studying under a Sichuanese tea master. And for another, gongfu cha isn’t the only trick Liu has up his sleeve. He’s also a master of the art of bian lian, or “face swapping,” a dance that involves switching traditional masks at lightning-quick speed.

Z & Y and Chili House owner LIjun Han brought Liu to San Francisco, where he’ll continue to perform for the next two weeks. On Mondays and Fridays during lunch and dinner he’s at Z & Y Restaurant, and on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, he’ll be at Chili House. Liu will also perform kung fu tea at 7 p.m. on Sundays at Z & Y before switching hats — or faces, as it were — to perform his face swapping routine afterward.

Z & Y Restaurant
655 Jackson St, , CA 94133
(415) 981-8988

More on Xumin Liu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea&p=1307083#post1307083)

GeneChing

04-16-2018, 08:17 AM

If you've never done true gongfu cha with a master, it's truly a magical experience.

Time for tea, kung fu style (https://www.shine.cn/feature/art-culture/1804143113/)
Tan Weiyun
15:00 UTC+8, 2018-04-14

https://www.shine.cn/contentimg/2018/04/13/b0a305a9-28e8-49c0-ba45-f3772196d52a_0.jpg
Ti Gong
Ye Hanzhong performs Chaozhou kung fu tea ceremony, which involves water, heat, cup and skills.

Ye Hanzhong does not like to be labeled a “master.” As heir to the national intangible heritage of the Chaozhou gongfu (kung fu) tea ceremony, the 55-year-old prefers to call himself “a tea boy,” who plays and creates art of tea.

“I never thought a tiny green tea leaf would carry so much knowledge, like a giant treasure house that has given me so much fun,” he says.

Always in a traditional Chinese silk jacket when appearing in public, Ye loves the media spotlight.

As a cultural heritage heir and businessman at the same time, Ye is often questioned about his motives. Last year there was controversy when he charged his apprentices 38,000 yuan (US$6,000) for teaching them tea skills.

However, that merely served to ferment public opinion and shine a spotlight on the gongfu tea ceremony. From being popular only in the Chaozhou area, it swept the country.

“I’ve received lots of criticism and misunderstandings over the years, but I won’t quit what I’m doing now — to promote the Chaozhou gongfu tea ceremony and carry it forward,” Ye says.

Born in Fenghuang Town, in a mountainous region in Chaozhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, which is known for its tea trees, Ye has been engaged in the tea industry for more than 30 years. In 1986, he took over his father’s job in the state-owned China Tea.

https://www.shine.cn/contentimg/2018/04/13/4c513999-3102-4ff5-ac9f-40ee8501c051_0.jpg
Ti Gong
Ye Hanzhong picks tea in a plantation in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province.

As a tea apprentice, he learned the tricks of the trade bit by bit, from tea picking and processing to blending, brewing and tasting.

“They couldn’t be learned from books, but from the experienced masters,” Ye recalls.

Gongfu literally means any study, learning or practice that requires patience, energy and time to complete. Kung fu tea is about the ceremonial way of making good tea, which takes time and energy, something the Chaozhou people have been doing well since the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

The art is in knowing how to brew a good cup of tea tailor-made for different individual tastes — with a strong or delicate aroma, a flowery sweet or fruity acidity, an immediate rich flavor in the mouth or a long lingering aftertaste. Ye can make you a cup to order, by adjusting the water, heat, cup and his skills.

“Good tea leaves can definitely make good tea, but we Chaozhou people can improve the flavor of just-so-so tea leaves,” Ye says.

A number of factors other than the tea itself can affect the final flavor — the size and shape of the cup, the height, speed and angle of the water poured into the cup, as well as the temperature of the water itself.

Chinese drink tea for two major reasons — fragrance and flavor. For those who love fragrance more, Ye advises selecting a teacup with a thin porcelain layer, because it wouldn’t absorb too much heat. When the boiled water is poured in, the fragrance is given off immediately. Also, the amount of tea leaves should be less than usual.

https://www.shine.cn/contentimg/2018/04/13/dbe4d7e6-9507-45eb-8e27-5bab7e3f16fe_0.jpg
Ti Gong
Ye Hanzhong smells the fragrance of a tea.

For poorer-quality tea leaves, Ye suggests choosing a teacup with a thick porcelain layer, which will absorb the heat quickly and reduce any bitter taste or harsh smell.

For those who like to enjoy flavor more than aroma, Ye also has his methods. Lowering the height of the water when it is poured into the cup, keeps its temperature higher, which helps keep the flavor well and create a long, lingering aftertaste. The amount of tea leaves should be a little more than usual.

“So the Chaozhou kung fu tea ceremony can cater to different tea drinkers, which takes individual taste, drinking methods and tea types into consideration. It makes tea that you like and you think good,” Ye says.

Blending different tea leaves to create new fragrances and flavors is Ye’s speciality. Taking advantage of varied tea leaves’ features, he can create teas with fragrances and flavors of honey, sweet lychee, dried plum, almond, osmanthus, orchid and magnolia with strong long-lasting aftertastes. “See, I’m just like a perfumer and a flavorist, who balances and plays with teas,” he says.

Ye was once invited to blend a new tea type, easy to brew and catering to the public taste, for the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse at Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden. “The public taste means everyone can find what they like in the tea,” Ye says.

By blending several kinds of tea leaves, he created Yelaixiang, a new tea with a slight orchid aroma and a rich, lingering aftertaste, which received thumbs-up from visitors. Yelaixiang is now one of the top 10 classic kung fu teas.

Ye says teacup plays an important role in good tea. The shape, material, thin or thick sloping sides of a teacup will result in totally different tastes.

A pottery cup is good with old tea leaves, helping change the tea to be mild and smooth, while a thin porcelain cup can bring out the fragrance best. Ye once tried a pottery cup, which impressed him greatly. With just one sip, he realized the cup was unique.

“It must have been soaked in water for a long time, I thought. And later they told me the cup had been buried in the Yangtze River for centuries and was an antique once collected by the British Museum,” Ye recalls. “It made the tea mellower and milder than usual.”

https://www.shine.cn/contentimg/2018/04/13/9480bbce-b120-49e9-9653-be4300d2acfc_0.jpg
Wang Rongjiang / SHINE
Ye Hanzhong tries a tea at an event promoting Chinese tea culture at Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai.

How to taste a cup of good Chaozhou kung fu tea correctly? Ye advises pressing the lower lip against the thumb that holds the cup. Then sip the tea while taking in air at the same time, which makes a not-so-elegant sound.

“The tea temperature has been lowered by the air when it gets in the mouth, and at the same time it fills the mouth, leaving a mouthful of fragrance,” he says.

The final step is to smell the still hot tea leaves in the cup and smell them again when they cool down. Chewing a little in the mouth is one way to show respect for the person who made the tea for you.

“To some extent, Chaozhou kung fu tea art shows the characters of its people, known as ‘Oriental Jews,’ who are good at doing business ─ balance, sharing and respect,” he says.

Ye has just finished a textbook on the Chaozhou kung fu tea ceremony, the first textbook of intangible heritage to be included in the country’s education system. He quantifies and standardizes traditional skills which had been passed down by word of mouth for centuries.

“It’s a practical guidebook for vocational school students, giving them a clear career plan. I think only in this way, the tea art can be smoothly carried forward by future generations,” Ye says. “I was lucky to learn from those old masters and now I’m glad to share what I’ve learnt with more young people.”

https://www.shine.cn/contentimg/2018/04/13/7d32b46f-5559-4ae0-bdf2-c110aaca6fb8_0.jpg
Ti Gong
Source: SHINE Editor: Liu Qi

GeneChing

07-18-2018, 08:14 AM

Diplo, Billie Eilish & Drake? srsly? Green tea better not go all hipster on me. :mad:

Drake-Backed Green Tea Startup Lures More Musicians to Wellness Trend (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drake-backed-matchabar-green-tea-startup-musicians-wellness-699755/)
MatchaBar, a Brooklyn tea startup, is the latest example of music and wellness culture intersecting
By AMY X. WANG

https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MatchaBar-Hustle_Brothers-and-Diplo.jpg?crop=900:600&width=860
Diplo (center) with brothers Graham and Max Fortgang, who founded MatchaBar.

Rock & roll had cigarettes and beer; the most influential rappers of the 2000s favored tequila and vodka. But as a health and wellness movement sweeps the millennial set, today’s musicians are striking deals and partnerships in the fitness industry – a space once considered the pinnacle of uncool.

One company rising up in that realm right now, for instance, is MatchaBar, a Brooklyn-based green tea startup in which Drake invested last year. On Tuesday, MatchaBar announced that it has completed a $8 million Series A round with the help of additional celebrity investors like producer Diplo, pop singer Billie Eilish, football player Von Miller and actor Ansel Elgort. The brand, which sells matcha-based energy drinks in New York and at nationwide stores like Whole Foods, considers itself a natural alternative to other caffeinated beverages like Monster or Red Bull, which have traditionally ruled the energy drink market.

Health is a clear emphasis – both from the brand and the artists backing it. Diplo, in a statement accompanying the company’s Tuesday announcement, praises the “clean, healthy ingredients” and “healthy lifestyle” of MatchaBar’s drinks; Billie Eilish says “it’s just tight that there’s finally an energy drink that’s actually healthier.” But while such messages would’ve sounded odd coming from chart-topping musicians a decade or two ago, it’s no longer off-brand for big artists to advertise personal care and wellness. Musicians in 2018 – rappers especially – are speaking candidly about fitness and mental health. Many are recording socially conscious music (or so-called “positive rap”) and putting their names on promotional campaigns for exercise and nutrition. Record labels are using Zumba, a health-oriented dance craze, to help break artists. When Drake was announced as a lead investor in MatchaBar last August, cofounder Graham Fortgang said the rapper embodied the startup’s key idea: that “good things come to those who hustle.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gA20qskGUM

That’s not to say that music’s traditional partnerships with liquor brands and other less health-minded industries are going out of fashion. Millennials account for almost half of the United States’ wine drinkers and musicians aren’t cashing out of the lucrative world of spirits and liquors any time soon. But even the alcohol industry is hopping on the wellness trend: At recent iterations of Governors Ball, Afropunk and other music festivals, for instance, the promoted drink of choice was a single-serve, portion-controlled wine sold in recyclable capsules – and created by none other than Interscope Records.

I might add that I was gifted a lot of fine tea from visiting masters at TCEKFMCX (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70463-10th-Tiger-Claw-Elite-KungFuMagazine-com-Championship-May-19-20-2018-San-Jose-CA) for which I am very grateful. :)

GeneChing

08-27-2018, 08:49 AM

Anyone ever try this?

Tai Chi Tea: Beware of TM Infringement (https://patentlyo.com/patent/2018/08/tai-beware-infringement.html)
August 27, 2018 Dennis Crouch

https://patentlyo.com/media/2018/08/TaiChiDiamondHong-e1535380295513.png

Diamond Hong owns the Tai Chi mark shown above on the left and Tai Chi Green Tea is has the mark on the right. Are these confusingly similar if both used in the hot beverage market?

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/94b160b6-3227-427d-8770-4d86afb2a1cb_1.528ff0d2a80a7aecdfd59603901e9b40.jp eg
https://cdn.patentlyo.com/media/2018/08/TaiChiGreenTea2.jpg

The PTAB sided with cancellation petitioner and senior mark holder Diamond Hong and the Federal Circuit affirms here. Zheng Cai, DBA Tai Chi Green Tea Inc. v. Diamond Hong, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2018).

A difficulty here is that Zheng Cai represented himself pro se and did not exactly follow either TTAB or Federal Circuit procedure. In particular, Cai presented a set of factual assertions and images in his brief, but did not follow the particular brief filing rules. Because of the procedural failure, the TTAB refused to consider the materials presented — finding that Mr. Cai “introduced no evidence.” As Manafort can attest — it is difficult to win a case without presenting any evidence. On appeal, the Federal Circuit affirmed the TTAB procedure with two main points:

The TTAB has authority to manage its own procedure; and
Mr. Cai’s Main Brief contains numerous assertions of fact without actually introducint the supporting evidence — i.e., no evidence.
In a cancellation proceeding, the moving party still has the burden to make its case. Here, the Federal Circuit affirmed the confusing similarity (Applying the DuPont factors). The court writes:

The marks are similar, when considered as a whole, because they both invoke a large yin-yang symbol and prominently display the term TAI CHI.

Cancellation affirmed.

= = = = =

Interesting backstory: On the same day this case was released supporting Diamond Hong’s Mark (No. 3966518), the USPTO also cancelled the mark. “Registration cancelled because registrant did not file an acceptable declaration under Section 8.”

Dennis Crouch
About Dennis Crouch
Law Professor at the University of Missouri School of Law.

THREADS:
Taiji products, marketing, and branding (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?61006-Taiji-products-marketing-and-branding)
Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea)

GeneChing

09-26-2018, 08:59 AM

Oh this deserves its own thread for sure (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70982-Cheese-Tea), but I'm copying it to our Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea) thread too.

I love tea.
I love cheese.
I must try this.

Cheese Tea Could Be the New Bubble Tea — If Americans Get Over the Name (https://www.eater.com/2018/9/21/17846630/cheese-tea-trend-explained)
Tea topped with cheese foam has been stuck on the cusp of trending stateside
by Esther Tseng Sep 21, 2018, 9:12am EDT

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Cheese tea Theerawan/Shutterstock
“Cheese tea? What’s that?”

Mention it to anyone who’s hearing about it for the first time and you’ll likely get a scrunched-up nose and a look of confusion. Perhaps even a shake of the head. To many Americans, the combination of tea and cheese sounds downright unappetizing. But, as any cheese tea purveyor will tell you, cheese tea tastes better than it sounds. In fact, the drink isn’t that different from bubble tea, which is now firmly entrenched in the mainstream. And given cheese tea’s popularity in Asia, as well as the successful migration of other Asian desserts (like matcha-flavored sweets and shave ice) to major U.S. markets, cheese tea should be on its way to making it big in America. So what’s taking so long?

Cheese tea is the name for cold tea (usually green or black tea, with or without milk) topped with a foamy layer of milk and cream cheese and sprinkled with salt. The drink is sweet, like boba, but has a savory finish. Using a straw is prohibitive to getting enough of that tangy cream overlay, so the method of sipping it from the top of the cup at a 40- to 45-degree angle is integral to enjoying cheese tea. Shops that specialize in cheese tea, like international franchises Happy Lemon and Gong Cha as well as independent shops like Steap in San Francisco, Little Fluffy Head in Los Angeles, and Motto in Pasadena, supply a lid, not unlike a coffee lid, that circulates just the right amount of air for sipping and shields the drinker from a foam mustache.

The drink originated in the night market stands of Taiwan around 2010. Back then, vendors combined powdered cheese and salt with whipping cream and milk to form a foamy, tangy layer on the top of a cup of cold tea. In 2012, the topping caught on in Guangdong province in China, where purveyors behind upscale tea salon HeyTea (formerly RoyalTea) began using real cream cheese in lieu of powders and combined it with fresh milk to concoct a premium version of the savory and salty topping. At HeyTea, cheese tea soon became a phenomenon, with lines long enough to wind around the block and wait times of two to three hours.

Today, cheese tea is popular in other parts of Asia as well, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. And it’s become part of the menu of longstanding tea houses that had previously made the bulk of their business selling bubble tea drinks and other desserts. In major cities in China, some tea franchises sell an average of 1,000 cups of cheese tea per day. The drink is so popular in Japan that Japanese beverage company Kirin plans to create a bottled version. “[The Japanese] have come up with their own version of cheese tea and it’s really successful in Japan,” says Jenny Zheng, a consultant for Kirin and founder of Little Fluffy Head, the Downtown LA tea shop that specializes in cheese tea. “They have a totally different reaction than Americans, like, ‘Oh, cheese tea? That sounds delicious!’”

Stateside, however, where cheese tea sometimes goes by other monikers, like “milk cap,” “cheese mouse,” and “milk foam,” the beverage is still waiting to achieve widespread popularity. “The concept of cheese tea sounds too weird for [Americans] to try. People associate cheese with pizza,” says Zheng, who was also initially skeptical of the drink. “Now when you put [cheese] into a drink, it just sounds weird.”

Uber-popular bubble tea brand Boba Guys seemingly agrees. It poked fun at the off-putting image the name brings to mind in an April Fool’s spoof in which it joked it would sell its own Instagram-friendly teas topped with cheese “ranging from the highest-quality Brie and bleu cheese to toppings including Kraft singles and Cheez **** (perfect for layering!).” And even prolific Taiwan-based bubble tea franchise Gong Cha — which actually sells cheese tea — wasn’t confident that cheese tea as it’s sold in Asia would appeal to customers in the U.S. “Last year they introduced cheese-flavored milk foam, so it’s saltier and cheesier and they only carry it [in Asia], probably because we weren’t sure how it would go over with the American market,” says Anchal Lamba, president of Gong Cha USA. Gong Cha stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Texas only offer the franchise’s signature milk foam, which lacks the salty, cheese flavor of its cheese tea option.

But there are signs that cheese tea may yet become a bonafide trend in the United States. The drink has many of the elements of foods that have achieved not just everyday recognition, but viral fame. At cheese tea shops, black teas are topped with tiramisu creams, salty milk foam floats above green teas, yielding picturesque tumblers with contrasting colors and a variety of flavor combinations. And in 2017, food media started speculating about cheese tea as a hot new craze. Although predictions that cheese tea would overtake bubble tea in popularity haven’t quite come to fruition a year later, independent cheese tea shops are starting to succeed in the U.S. by making direct appeals to the American palate.

At Little Fluffy Head, Zheng offers customized milk cream toppings such as cheesecake cream, creme brulee, white chocolate cream, and tiramisu, along with an additional option to pre-swirl the toppings throughout the drink. Emil DeFrancesco of Steap in San Francisco’s Chinatown sources mascarpone from neighboring pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani to create his signature foam top. “[Steap] is more of an American brand. I’ve got drinks like mint julep and Southern sweet tea — flavors that people might be more familiar with,” says DeFrancesco. Johnny Li, who opened Motto in Pasadena in March, batches his labor-intensive “cheese mousse” twice per day by simmering cheese and refrigerating the topping without stabilizers, which means that once he runs out, customers will have to wait until the next batch to get their fix. He offers a Nutella mousse for those with a hazelnut affinity, though his cheese mousse is still the best-seller of all his toppings.

While independent shops in the U.S. are customizing their cheese teas to their respective urban markets, franchises from abroad such as Happy Lemon, headquartered in Shanghai, and Gong Cha in Taiwan are well positioned to capitalize on the drink’s popularity in Asia by opening locations stateside. What preset menus, ready-to-go marketing, and predetermined ingredients lack in creativity, they make up for with an established reputation as an extension of an overseas brand.

“There’s always a line, often with over an hour wait, whenever we open a store,” says Jasmine Chin, a managing member of the Happy Lemon, based in San Francisco. And, she adds, the customers are largely diverse. “People of all ages come and they want to get a cup of coffee, which is great, because then sometimes they’ll try cheese tea for the first time,” says Chin. Chin has seen cheese tea enthusiasts at Happy Lemon locations requesting multiple layers of cheese foam, sacrificing even the level of tea in the cup. “You can order less of the tea and more of the cheese,” she says. “Sometimes people get triple layers of cheese; some people even say they want cheese on the side. They’ll save it to add later on.”

Boba shops that sell cheese tea are also helping the drink spread by putting cheese tea in a more familiar context. “It’s actually good for us that there’s more boba shops selling cheese tea, because it makes cheese tea more common,” says Zheng. “They’re competitors, but [their presence] makes it easier and more accessible to the general public.”

But for cheese tea to reach boba-level popularity in the U.S., tea drinkers need to get over the name and become more comfortable with the foam layer on top of their drink. In the meantime, the country’s existing cheese tea shops recognize that samples are essential to opening minds. “For the most part,” Chin says, “95 percent of the time [newcomers to cheese tea] say, ‘It’s cool! I’ve never had it and I would’ve never thought of it, and it’s good.’”

Esther Tseng is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who has also contributed to the LA Times, VICE, Outside, and more.
Editor: Monica Burton

GeneChing

01-04-2019, 11:14 AM

China has a tea habit – and it means big business (https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2180302/china-has-tea-habit-and-it-means-big-business)
China’s ready-to-drink tea market was worth US$11.7 billion by the end of 2015
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 01 January, 2019, 9:21pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 01 January, 2019, 11:04pm
Yujing Liu
yujing.liu@scmp.com
https://twitter.com/yujingliu_

https://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/images/methode/2019/01/01/24c9e0c6-0db8-11e9-85d9-37db0e8cf837_image_hires_222129.jpg?itok=oIGqfFWy

From delicate kung fu tea ceremonies to trendy cheese-topped bubble milk tea, China boasts a vibrant tea drinking culture that has also translated into big business opportunities. According to the China Tea Marketing Association, as many as 500 million people were drinking tea-related beverages in 2017 – and most of the new converts were young people.

The market for ready-to-drink tea products reported double-digit growth annually from 2006 to 2011, and continues to grow as more people shift to healthy, natural drinks, according to market research company Mintel Group. It was worth 81 billion yuan (US$11.7 billion) by the end of 2015, according to market research company GroupM Knowledge Center.

Shares in Hong Kong soy milk and lemon tea maker Vitasoy, for instance, soared by about 50 per cent in 2018, riding the fast expansion of its mainland China business.

But Vitasoy is hardly a big fish in the highly competitive red ocean that is China’s tea market, where drink makers are racing to develop new tea drinks and more exciting flavours such as sparkling tea.

One of the most successful tea brands in China is Master Kong Iced Black Tea. A household name and a leading player, Master Kong produces a wide range of instant noodle and drink products.

Its iconic iced black tea became a national hit after its launch in 1996. Together with its Taiwanese counterpart, Uni-President, Master Kong helped iced tea become one of the most popular drinks categories in mainland China over the next decade.

It enjoyed 48 per cent market share of the ready-to-drink tea sector in China as of the third quarter last year, making it the top player, according to research group Nielsen.

The brand is owned by Hong Kong-listed Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding, which is headquartered in the northern city of Tianjin. It has formed partnerships with global peers PepsiCo and Starbucks to aid their expansion in China.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2019/01/01/28a814ba-0db8-11e9-85d9-37db0e8cf837_1320x770_222129.jpg
Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun in an advert for Uni-President’s iced black tea. Photo: Handout

Uni-President, the Taiwan-based food conglomerate and rival of Master Kong, first introduced iced black tea in 1995. It gained popularity partially thanks to endorsements by Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun and Canadian entertainer Avril Lavigne, who were popular among Chinese youth at the time.

A decade later, in 2015, Uni-President launched a new tea drink called “Classmate Xiaoming” to attract younger customers. Its colourful packaging, which featured the cartoon of a cheerful boy, won the hearts of school pupils and millennials alike.

Together with another new fruit-flavoured drink, Classmate Xiaoming contributed to more than a tenth of the company’s revenue of 22 billion yuan in 2015.

Uni-President had a 25 per cent share of the tea drinks market in 2015, according to an annual report. It posted a 1 per cent increase in its tea products revenue in 2017 – which stood at 6 billion yuan – from the year before.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2019/01/01/2f466fa6-0db8-11e9-85d9-37db0e8cf837_600x_222129.jpg
Nongfu Spring’s Tea Pai is endorsed by Chinese-Canadian actor, singer, and model Kris Wu. Photo: Handout

Domestic bottled water giant Nongfu Spring has followed in the footsteps of Uni-President to develop tea products with a young and fun vibe.

Its Tea Pai, with flavours such as peach oolong, citrus green tea and lemon black tea, reported sales of more than 1 billion yuan in the three quarters following its launch in 2016, becoming one of the most popular tea drinks in China.

Nongfu Spring announced in July it would introduce a sparkling tea drink – a carbonated, fruit-flavoured tea. It also said in December 2018 that Chinese-Canadian actor, singer, and model Kris Wu will endorse Tea Pai.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Firms tap growth of tea-drinking trend on mainland

Honestly, I prefer the Japanese bottled ice teas over the Chinese ones. Some of those are really pricey, like $15 a bottle (I'm not paying that much for any drink unless it has alcohol).

GeneChing

06-18-2019, 01:52 PM

Japanese Company Creates Sea Creature Teabags That “Come Alive” Inside Your Cup (https://www.boredpanda.com/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan/)
Product Design
By Rugile

There’s nothing more enjoyable than a delicious cup of tea after a long day. Despite the fact that the tea business and culture is absolutely booming, the traditional design of the tea bag has not changed for many years and it’s definitely time to take a more creative approach at the ordinary tea packaging. Here’s where the Japanese company, Ocean Teabag, comes into the picture with their adorable tea bags that will definitely make you crave for a cup of tea.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-6-5d089d6d74da6__700.jpg

The brand Ocean Teabag has teamed up with an oddity shop as well as a bookstore, Village Vanguard, to create a series of animal-themed teabags.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-1-5d089d63c0232__700.jpg

These original tea bags include jellyfish, octopus, isopods and even a few land animals such as tanuki.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-2-5d089d668ad92__700.jpg

Once added to the cup, the tea bags make it look like a creature is swimming in your tea. Now that’s something definitely worth capturing for your Instagram.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-12-5d089d7962f77__700.jpg

Tea bags cost 1,820 yen which is around $16. In an interview with Bored Panda, creators of the company told us that the company started 3 years ago and their first design was a dolphin tea bag that later grew into more unique designs. Currently, the team consists of 10 people, but it seems with the popularity they are gaining, they might need to grow soon.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-5-5d089d6b82e41__700.jpg

The squid-shaped tea bag is filled with black Pu’er tea that was inspired by squid ink and it also has a sweet persimmon flavor added as well. Meanwhile, the octopus tea bag is filled with Keemun tea.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-13-5d089d7d16a3a__700.jpg

Even though the octopus and squid-shaped tea is the most popular amongst buyers, there are also other adorable options such as a penguin-shaped tea bag that is filled with Chamomile tea.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-10-5d089d7553f3c__700.jpg

continued next post

GeneChing

06-18-2019, 01:52 PM

The Ocean Teabags team also shared with Bored Panda that they are planning to grow by creating moving as well as glowing tea bags in the future. Now, there are more than 50 types of unique tea bags in their online shop.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-11-5d089d7770c08__700.jpg

When it comes to the tea tradition, the records state that tea was first served in Japan by Emperor Shomu in the year 729 during a very special Buddhist ceremony.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-8-5d089d718070d__700.jpg

At first, tea was associated with Japanese nobility and was regarded as a type of medicine. However, after the tea ceremony was invented at the end of the 16th century, tea eventually became something drunk by both nobles and commoners alike. In 1859, tea finally became something to be used every single day and not only on rare occasions. (Not so) fun fact: tea leaves in Japan used to be tediously hand-rolled until the 19th century. It was boring work that seriously restricted tea production. However, things eventually changed for the better with technological improvements.

https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/squid-octopus-ocean-teabags-japan-9-5d089d7364b87__700.jpg

Tea in Japan is massively consumed due to its health benefits. Unfortunately, Japanese tea production is at an all-time low, meaning the next time you want to have a taste of delicious Japanese tea, you might just have to travel to the Land of the Rising Sun.

$16USD is steep for a teabag. Oh, pun not intended. :o

GeneChing

06-24-2019, 08:23 AM

In Chengdu, Kung Fu Tea Is Torn Between Tradition and Performance (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/kung-fu-tea)
A martial arts-influenced style of pouring tea is catching on in China.
BY JORDAN PORTER JUNE 20, 2019

https://assets.atlasobscura.com/article_images/66174/image.jpg
Performances with copper kettles are becoming increasingly popular attractions in Chengdu. CHINA PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES

KUNG FU TEA MASTER ZENG Xiao Long sits humbly in a small tea room, inside a massive courtyard in Chengdu. Dressed up in stone and bamboo to resemble an ancient Chinese village, the courtyard features an outdoor teahouse, a canteen, a public vegetable garden, and a handful of peacocks to complete the aesthetic. “When you say kung fu tea, you probably don’t mean what we do when we say kung fu tea,” Zeng says, pouring hot water over tea leaves in a gaiwan, or three-piece tea cup. Using the lid to hold the leaves back, he pours the tea into a small glass decanter, and then into thimble-sized teacups.

“This is also kung fu tea. In fact, this is what it really is,” he says. “You are probably talking about the long-spout teapot performance.” He motions to the banged-up copper teapots with spouts two or three feet long, leaning against the wall behind him. A small group of Chinese tourists enter the room, which serves as Zeng’s office. The leader introduces Zeng as the country’s most famous and best long-spout teapot performer. She doesn’t mention that he is also this art’s creator and one of its original ambassadors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTkm20eGBxU

Chengdu today is famous for its long-spout teapot performances. In theaters, boisterous restaurants, and touristy performance areas throughout the city, young men and women perform martial arts sequences, acrobatics, and dances, all while daringly twirling, throwing, and spinning long-spout teapots around their heads and bodies. The vibrant copper pots are filled with hot water, which dramatically makes its way into the teacups of lucky patrons.

This is often called kung fu tea, but it is not in fact martial in its art or origins. Only a few true wushu moves make their way into the choreography. The word kung fu (功夫), in most cases, refers to arts or disciplines mastered through hard work and diligence, where a greater understanding is ultimately achieved. In this way, it also refers to the ancient Daoist tea ceremony. Disciples study for years to properly perform this much less dramatic ceremony, which emphasizes restraint, subtle hand movements, and tea sets that are petite and pretty. This type of tea ceremony is often viewed as a form of meditation, and it’s the more widely known version of kung fu tea.

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Subtle movements and elegant tea sets are a feature of traditional kung fu tea. ALEKSEI POPOV/ALAMY

Long before Zeng twirled pointed copper pots and performed acrobatics, he knew little of tea or of kung fu. He was born in 1977 into a farming family in the Da Zhou region of Sichuan, east of Chengdu. He explains that in this mountainous region, people lived and worked in long, narrow buildings built into the hills. In local teahouses, cramped spaces made long-spout teapots a necessity, so patrons wouldn’t be moved or interrupted by the reach of the waiters refilling their cups with hot water. While long-spout teapots were a local custom, the young Zeng wasn’t very interested in tea. He moved to Chengdu to work in a restaurant, and found himself barely scraping by in the big city. A job ad for a tea master caught his eye with its lofty salary, inspiring him to throw in his table-cleaning towel and buy a long-spouted teapot.

At this point, the long-spout teapot performance did not exist. There were, however, contests where participants gracefully performed the original kung fu tea. But “there was really only one motion for pouring tea from a long spout,” Zeng says. Without a background in the arts, martial or otherwise, Zeng developed his own idea of what a tea performance should be, incorporating elements of tai chi and kung fu from TV and performers he’d seen. In 1999, he entered a tea ceremony competition, and with his unique movements and flare took second place. While there were objections over his flamboyance, a new tradition was born.

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A group of young tea-servers learn the long-spout teapot performance. CHINA PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES

Soon, Zeng and a small group of fellow performers began meeting to develop new, more athletic, and spectacular tea-pouring movements. They grew in popularity, with Zeng making a series of high-profile TV appearances, including a performance during China’s 2013 New Year’s Gala which thrust him into national fame. Zeng notes that while some of the others are still involved in the tea industry, he is the only one who stuck with performing. With his growing celebrity status, students sought him out as a teacher.

While kung fu tea as a cultural performance is a relatively new phenomenon in Sichuan, the history of tea here is deep and rich. Mengding Mountain, just 120 miles east of Chengdu, is traditionally considered the place where tea was first cultivated some 2,000 years ago. And tea house culture, whether featuring the short-spouted teapots of the Chengdu plain or the long-spouted ones of the mountains, is an essential part of the region’s identity. “A tea house is a little Chengdu, and Chengdu is a big tea house,” author Di Wang notes in the opening of his book The Teahouse: Small Business, Everyday Culture, and Public Politics in Chengdu. Today in Chengdu, there are over 13,000 tea houses serving as the spots for local gossip and information exchange, as well as rest stops for tourists basking in the beauty of Chengdu’s famous leisurely lifestyle.

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A typical, bustling Chengdu teahouse, sans any long-spout teapots. RYAN PYLE/GETTY IMAGES

For the most part, tea culture in Chengdu is unpretentious, more the setting for socializing than the high art of the tea ceremony. But Wu Bo, a young local tea master, worries that the sensational nature of the long-spout tea performance belittles the art of tea itself. She says the performers often understand very little about tea, its history, and its culture. “Some of them don’t even use hot water, it’s just a dance,” she says. “And for many, it’s not about tea, it’s just a job.” To her, true kung fu tea is the opposite of performance, and almost minimalist in its expression. “You can spend all your money on fancy teaware, or learn special movements, but a real tea master can make great tea in anything,” she says.

But performance plays an important role in modern Chinese travel, and cultural displays are consumed voraciously by domestic tourists. Travelers don historical or regionally specific clothing for photo-ops at recreated historic sites to celebrate their history. Even on television, cultural performances and costumed dances entice tourists to new places where they can do more than sightsee. According to Claudia Huang, a Chengdu-born cultural anthropology PhD, performance represents a more meaningful form of consumption for young Chinese people than the purchase of commodities. “This phenomenon of performance serves as a way to celebrate and glorify China’s own cultural history, in a quick and easily digestible way,” she says.

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While long-spout teapots are traditional, performing with them is fairly new. CHINA PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES

Zeng’s style of kung fu tea has certainly become a calling card of the city of Chengdu, and synonymous throughout China with Sichuan tea culture. However, he fears that performance itself is not enough to give the art meaning, and actively takes time to pursue the study of tea. He requires his disciples to study as well, sometimes forcing them away from their athletic training to sit down and actually learn how to pour. “I feel a responsibility,” he says. “I am the creator of the long-spout teapot performance. I need to make sure my students learn about the real kung fu tea as well.”

He echoes Wu Bo’s sentiments that most young people study kung fu tea so they can make money. Zeng has hundreds of disciples. For more than 80 percent, he says, this will just be a job. “The market is good right now, there is a big need for performers, and after only a few months of practice you can earn a good wage for performances,” he says. Someday, he believes, there will be a ceiling. Wages will fall, and fewer and fewer people will choose to study this new art.

All but retired from performing, Zeng sits in his office and sips tea from a small cup, his gaze drifting towards the future. “It is my dream to build a tea house some day, where the long-spout teapots can also find their place again off the stage and are used in their original fashion,” he says: simply to pour tea.

Gastro Obscura covers the world’s most wondrous food and drink.

I really need to get an article on long-spout teapots someday...

Meanwhile, I'm creating an indie thread for Long-spout Teapot Kung Fu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71353-Long-spout-Teapot-Kung-Fu). The posts above are from our general Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea) thread.

GeneChing

08-20-2019, 06:46 PM

This is a common legend but for anyone unfamiliar, here you go.

Heather Johnson Yu·April 15, 2018·8 min read
The Mystery of the ‘Two Finger Tap’ at the Dim Sum Table (https://nextshark.com/people-always-tap-two-fingers-table-eating-dim-sum/?fbclid=IwAR3oDnvpGcx_Q7cYEOo5_z2JchY0SlBrHBjzSCJ-E1t3sZlzS-ey0Nisrv0)

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/oaoa-e1500517397786.jpg

I remember the very first time I went to eat Dim Sum. I was in my second year of college and visiting my LDR boyfriend at the time, a snarky Taiwanese guy who had moved to California as a teenager. I had so far enjoyed going to his favorite restaurants, as they had always proved to be crazy delicious.

This time around, I had no idea what kind of learning experience I was in for; I just knew that as those doors opened and the glorious smells wafted from the kitchen into the waiting area, I was going to be in for a treat.

Once seated, I found myself unable to take in all the new information quickly enough. The establishment was a sight to behold — dozens upon dozens of large, circular tables seating entire families dotted the floor with servers dashing quickly between them, zipping from the kitchen to the hungry masses and back again.

But all eyes were on the carts that slowly but steadily chugged along, like merchants peddling wares through a busy street, calling out the names of each plate as they made their journey through the crowd. A steamed bun or a sizzling dish might catch the eye of a peckish customer, and the cart would stop to unload its treasures. The steamer would land with a “clunk” on the table, and the employee would hastily scribble the name of the dish on a piece of paper before speedily turning on her heels to find more ravenous patrons.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/800px-Dim-sum-HK.jpg
Image via Wikimedia Commons / Mailer diablo (CC BY-SA 3.0)

“Shu Mai!” Clunk. Scribble.

“Cha Shu Bao!” Clunk. Scribble.

“Xiao Long Bao!” Clunk. Clunk. Scribble. Scribble.

Carts kept coming through, and steamers kept piling up; the taller the tower, the higher the accomplishment, and the more satisfied the customer.

As this was a new experience for me, I couldn’t help but ask questions at every turn. “What is this one called?” “Can you repeat that in Mandarin?” and “What is in this bun?” was almost on repeat. My seemingly endless queries would be met with valid explanations at first, but after some time my then-beau’s patience began to wane. “Try it, you’ll like it.” “Just eat it.” and “It’s bull testicle.” (he was kidding).

But there was one thing that stood out to me in particular; when the servers would refill our tea cups, he always tapped two fingers on the table. When he first did it, I thought he was perhaps drawing attention to that particular area of the tablecloth, as if it needed cleaning or something. But after the second time, it became evident that this was done on purpose after something specific occurred.

My curiosity got the better of me. “Why’d you tap your fingers on the table after the server poured your tea?” I asked.

I expected a smart-ass answer (something about bull testicles), but what I got was an unexpectedly fascinating tale.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Qianlong-1024x533.jpg

According to legend, there was an emperor named Emperor Qian Long who wished to travel the world as common people did. He wanted to see life through the eyes of his people without the all the fanfare and prestige that would otherwise be a normal part of his existence. So he donned the outfit of a commoner and required his servants to treat him as an equal.

Of course, this must have been unfathomable for those accompanying him on his journey, but who were they to go against the emperor’s requests? So they went along with it, walking in step with the royal in disguise.

Eventually, they came to a restaurant and the group was served tea. The emperor, very committed to the ruse, took it upon himself to pour tea for his servants. This was beyond shocking to the servants, who would normally have to show their gratitude for such an honor by bowing or some other manner befitting of an emperor. But to do so would reveal his true identity, and the jig would be up — everyone would know that their ruler sat amongst them.

So the servants came up with a simple way to thank their emperor for the gesture — tapping two fingers on the table after the tea had been poured. That way, they could express their thanks to Emperor Long without arousing suspicion, enabling the party to continue their travels without giving away their real selves.

(This also proved to be quite a practical mannerism, as tapping on the table was far less disruptive to the conversation than turning and thanking the server. The gesture stuck and has survived to modern day usage.)

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/800px-Yung_Kee_Restaurant_Interior_2008.jpg
Image via Wikimedia Commons / WiNG (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The story may seem small to some — maybe even trivial — but at that moment I became absolutely enamored with Chinese etiquette. Mannerisms and phrases seemed to hold more meaning, and I wanted to know the captivating tales behind them all.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be during this meal — just as he was finishing his story, a cart full of delicious food passed us by, and he couldn’t help but cheekily take another dig at my ignorance.

“Oh look, your favorite–“

“Let me guess, bull testicle?”

“No, taro puffs. Don’t be racist.”

He grinned from ear to ear, the joke he’d cracked at my expense too good to pass up. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, making a mental note to get him back later. Taking a sip from my recently filled cup, I accepted the fact that I couldn’t learn the etiquette and nuances of an entire culture in one afternoon; instead, we drank tea and ate dumplings, laughing the day away and enjoying our time together.

Feature Image via Wikimedia Commons / Lain (CC BY-SA 3.0)

THREADS
Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea)
Dim Sum - dian xin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69387-Dim-Sum-dian-xin)

GeneChing

10-08-2019, 10:25 AM

HOW A SCOTTISH BOTANIST STOLE CHINA'S TEA AND CHANGED INDIAN HISTORY (https://www.ozy.com/flashback/how-a-scottish-botanist-stole-chinas-tea-and-changed-indian-history/96325)
By Pallabi Munsi

https://pictures.ozy.com/pictures/2048x1152/6/5/3/148653_gettyimages463916161.jpg
Packing tea in the warehouses of the East & West India Dock Company, London, 1874.
SOURCE GETTY
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
Because tea is the world’s second-most popular drink after water.

Robert Fortune knew his tea. In 1843, the Scottish botanist sailed to China, funded by the Royal Horticultural Society, to study the varieties of the drink grown there that had become hugely popular in Britain. But when the British East India Company reached out to him in 1848 and requested he return to China, it was for a very different mission — this time not to study, but to steal.

By that time — more than 2,000 years after the Chinese first started sipping tea and two centuries after the British fell hard and fast for the drink — the British East India Company had lost its trade monopoly in China, and the supply of drink had ebbed even as demand grew.

That autumn in Shanghai, Fortune shaved and put on what he later referred to as “Mandarin garb” to tour a tea factory in disguise as an official from a different Chinese province. The superintendent showed him around the factory, where workers plucked, brewed and dried the precious tea.

Little did they know that Fortune was at their factory on a mission: to steal tea seeds, understand how to harvest and process tea and take the stolen goods — and ideas — to India where the British East India Company planned to start a competing tea operation in a bid to end China’s monopoly over the trade. But Fortune’s actions would put India on a path to become one of the world’s leading producers of (and markets for) tea. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, total Indian tea exports last year were valued at $837.33 million, and India is the second-largest tea producer in the world after China.

https://pictures.ozy.com/pictures/768xany/6/5/2/148652_gettyimages89857783.jpg
Robert Fortune.
SOURCE GETTY

Although “Chinese Tcha,” as English diarist Samuel Pepys wrote, “was first sold to England in 1635” — approximately at $1,200 today’s price for a pound of the herb — China controlled the growing and production of tea until well into the 19th century. Britain couldn’t produce its own tea, and for a time depended on poor quality leaves imported to Europe via the Netherlands. Later, the U.K. strengthened ties with China in order to secure tea in exchange for silver, but dwindling coffers saw Britain switch from silver to opium, which it grew in parts of British-controlled India.

In 1788, the East India Company first considered just growing the tea in India, which would allow Britain to access the drink at far lower prices. The company discovered wild tea saplings in Assam, which eventually spread to Darjeeling in North Bengal. According to a lecture delivered at the Royal Society of Arts in 1887, shoemakers and carpenters from the Chinese settlement in Calcutta were taken to these plantations “presumably on the belief that every Chinaman must be an expert in tea cultivation and manufacture,” even though many of them had never seen a sapling in their lives.

“Assam tea was important because up until that moment, the British did not really think tea could be grown anywhere other than East Asia,” says Sarah Rose, author of For All the Tea in China. “This wild sapling gave them the idea that tea could be grown in India.”

After returning from his mission, a very proud Fortune wrote to the company: “I have much pleasure in informing you that I have procured a large supply of seeds and young plants which I trust will get safely to India.” Altogether, he’d collected 13,000 plants and 10,000 seeds. He spent months packing them in glass bottles that allowed them sunlight and just enough air to survive long travel, then smuggled them to Hong Kong, where he put them on a ship bound for India. But the ship was diverted from Calcutta to Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), and by the time it reached the East India Company’s botanical outpost, the seeds had all rotted.

In 1849, he tried again, stealing thousands of branches from the Wuyi Mountains, famous for black tea. Fortune and his new Chinese servant Sing Hoo hired local children to help them collect seeds and they also bought saplings from a nearby monastery. He took the specimens to Shanghai and once again packed them off to India, this time with soil inside their glass bottles to allow them to germinate and grow on the way.

Until then, India was a land of coffee. But during Fortune’s lifetime, India would surpass China as the world’s leading producer of tea. Tea in India slowly supplanted coffee crops: It could be grown at higher altitudes, and a fungus infecting coffee plants hit in 1869, speeding coffee’s demise.

Later in his life, Fortune would go back to China to obtain tea seeds for American planters interested in growing the crop in the Carolinas and Virginia, a dream that fizzled out after the Civil War as plantations no longer had slave labor to exploit. When Fortune died in 1880, his estate — which included some of the tea seeds he had stolen — was valued at about $5 million. Just one year later, a shop specializing in Indian tea had opened on London’s Oxford Street, and stalls and shops around the British capital were pushing Indian tea.

But tea still wasn’t popular among Indians themselves. Considered an anglicized drink, it was mostly consumed by British immigrants and those who associated with them. It wasn’t until after independence in 1947 that the Indian Tea Board launched an advertising campaign for the beverage, converting Indians to consume the tea that had previously been exported to Britain. Now, India is the second-largest consumer of tea — known as chai — after China. In fact, tea is right now the world’s second-most popular drink after water. And Indian tea is no longer second best: This August, a rare Assam tea sold for a world record price at an auction in India: $2,035 for just two kilograms of Maijan Orthodox Golden tea.

Pallabi Munsi, OZY AuthorContact Pallabi Munsi

innerestin spot o history. :)

GeneChing

11-26-2019, 09:46 AM

Tea for T-Day! READ Tea with Your Teacher: Tackling the Unexpected (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1525) by Williy Pang

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/upload/5287_2019533.jpg

THREADS
WINTER 2020 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71573-Winter-2020)
Dim Sum - dian xin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69387)
Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674)

GeneChing

12-02-2019, 09:36 AM

Replacing Coffee With Green Tea Affects Your Body In These 6 Ways, Experts Say (https://www.bustle.com/p/replacing-coffee-with-green-tea-affects-your-body-in-these-6-ways-experts-say-19378625)
By JR THORPE
Dec 1, 2019

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Lars Mensel / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images

Coffee is one of America's favorite beverages — a survey published in 2018 found that 64% of the nation drinks at least one cup every day — and a hot steaming espresso in the morning can be one of life's greatest joys. However, coffee isn't your only choice for morning caffeine. Green teas, which are created by treating fresh tea leaves with steaming or gentle heating, have less caffeine in them than black teas or coffee, but enough to give you a boost. They also have a host of other health benefits. If you're looking for a way to perk up in the morning but are increasingly dissatisfied with coffee, switching from coffee to green tea might be a great option.

There isn't one uniform type of green tea; there are a lot of varieties, including those with added flavors like flowers or herbs. Smoky, roasted green teas like hojicha taste very different from steamed teas like sencha because of their method of production — and leaf teas taste much better than anything you get in a teabag. (Sorry, but it's true.) However, all green teas have particular ingredients and compounds that can affect your health. If you're interested in switching over from coffee to green tea in the mornings for your dose of caffeine, here's what might happen.

1. You'll Be Ingesting Less Caffeine — If You Don't Drink Matcha

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Lorenzo Antonucci/Image Source/Getty Images

You may have heard that tea contains more caffeine than coffee, but that's only half the story. "At its core, tea leaves contain more caffeine than coffee beans," Dr. Edo Paz, M.D., a cardiologist at online health consultancy K Health, tells Bustle. "However, once both are brewed, the amount of caffeine in coffee exceeds that in tea."

The amount of caffeine you ingest from green tea depends on a lot of things: the variety you choose, whether it involves leaf tips or buds (which contain more caffeine), and whether it's powdered or uses whole leaves. Matcha, the popular powdered tea, has a much higher caffeine content than leaf green teas, because a single cup of it contains many more ground-up leaves than a cup of leaf tea. If you drink matcha in the mornings rather than coffee, you'll be ingesting more caffeine than you once did. If, however, you stick to the non-powdered varieties of green tea, your caffeine intake will drop, which can cause withdrawal symptoms.

"If you drink a lot of coffee, you may get headaches when you try to cut back," Dr. Paz says. Switching from coffee to green tea may not cause all the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal, because green tea still contains approximately 20 to 30 milligrams of caffeine per cup. If you're switching from very strong double espressos to one cup of green tea, though, you may experience headaches, irritability, difficulty concentrating and lack of focus for a short time until your body adjusts.

2. You Might Help Anxiety & Sleep Issues

Cutting back on caffeine levels by drinking green tea may help lower anxiety and improve sleep, particularly if you happen to be sensitive to caffeine. "The higher caffeine content of coffee may negatively impact people who are sensitive to caffeine," Ramzi Yacoub, the chief pharmacy officer at SingleCare, a prescriptions service, tells Bustle. "They may experience anxiety, insomnia, and heart effects like increased heart rate or blood pressure."

If this sounds familiar, it might be worth lowering your caffeine levels by switching over to green tea. The change could help decrease your body's anxiety response and reduce symptoms of caffeine over-stimulation — while still giving you enough of a caffeine boost to get going in the morning.

3. You'll Ingest More Antioxidants

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Jurga Po Alessi/Moment/Getty Images

Green tea also contains various compounds and ingredients that can help our immune systems, fight off infection, and lower our risk of diseases. "Another benefit of tea is the amount of antioxidants it contains," Dr. Paz tells Bustle. "While coffee also has its fair share, tea typically has a higher concentration." Green tea in particular has a variety of antioxidants that have been shown to have health-boosting properties, and has a higher antioxidant content than coffee.

One of the most studied antioxidants in green tea are the catechins, a compound found abundantly in tea, cocoa, and berries. Catechins have been shown in studies to have antimicrobial properties, and a review of science published in 2010 found that they've also been shown to lower cardiovascular disease risk, help prevent degenerative diseases, and assist with kidney and liver function. Catechins have also been implicated as a possible way to lower the risk of breast and other cancers, but as with a lot of dietary science, the possibility that green tea is a cancer-buster is hugely individual. Just switching from coffee to green tea won't automatically change your cancer risk.
continued next post

GeneChing

12-02-2019, 09:36 AM

4. You May Reduce Inflammation

Inflammation, which is the immune system's response to threats and stress, is a key factor in keeping you healthy, but it's also a component in a lot of health conditions, particularly when it won't go away. Persistent low-grade inflammation has been linked to heart conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, degenerative illnesses and various cancers, according to research published in 2018.

Enter green tea. A study in 2018 found that green tea has serious anti-inflammatory properties; in other words, it's capable of reducing inflammation levels, because it stimulates the body's anti-inflammatory responses and calms the immune system down. Coffee can also reduce inflammation levels, but its anti-inflammatory properties are lower than those of coffee. If you have chronic low-grade inflammation, you may find that green tea can help more than coffee does.

5. It May Be Better For Your Oral Health

https://imgix.bustle.com/uploads/getty/2019/11/27/7cfda604-d0ee-471e-b25d-a48886445ac0-getty-1159070931.jpg?w=349&fit=max&auto=format&q=70&dpr=2
Jurga Po Alessi/Moment/Getty Images

Switching from coffee to green tea may be an unexpected boost for your mouth. Coffee can heighten your risk for the gum infection periodontitis, according to a large study published in PLoS One in 2018, and also increases your risk of tooth staining. Green tea, however, seems to have benefits. A study published in Oral Chemistry in 2016 found that its anti-microbial properties might reduce the risk of certain harmful bacteria building up in the mouth over time.

Switching over from coffee to green tea may also help the bacterial population in your mouth in general. We all have an oral microbiome; it's a collection of bacteria and other living things in our mouths that can help or hinder its health. A study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention in 2018 found that tea drinkers had a more varied microbiome in their mouths than coffee drinkers, complete with higher amounts of helpful bacteria. That could help prevent infections and general oral issues. Tea might change your mouth for the better.

6. You'll Still Reap The Benefits Of Caffeine

Caffeine can have serious benefits, even in the small amounts you get from green tea. Scaling your caffeine intake down rather than going cold turkey means that you can still reap some of those benefits. "Caffeine is an effective stimulant to help improve physical performance and mental alertness," Yacoub tells Bustle. "In some studies, caffeine has also been shown to reduce type two diabetes." Harvard Medical School notes that in small doses caffeine has also been shown to help protect against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. A little caffeine a day may prove to be helpful to your health in the long run.

If you're thinking of making the move from coffee to green tea, research indicates that you may be looking at improved health outcomes in the future. It's definitely worth considering swapping your espresso for a cup of sencha. Just don't pour boiling water over green tea leaves; it scorches them. Take it from a devotee.

Studies cited:

Bhupathiraju, S. N., Pan, A., Manson, J. E., Willett, W. C., Dam, R. M. V., & Hu, F. B. (2014). Changes in coffee intake and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes: three large cohorts of US men and women. Diabetologia, 57(7), 1346–1354. doi: 10.1007/s00125-014-3235-7

Chacko, S. M., Thambi, P. T., Kuttan, R., & Nishigaki, I. (2010). Beneficial effects of green tea: a literature review. Chinese medicine, 5, 13. doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-13

Fujiki, H., Sueoka, E., Watanabe, T., & Suganuma, M. (2015). Primary cancer prevention by green tea, and tertiary cancer prevention by the combination of green tea catechins and anticancer compounds. Journal of cancer prevention, 20(1), 1–4. doi:10.15430/JCP.2015.20.1.1

Han, K., Hwang, E., & Park, J. B. (2016). Association between Consumption of Coffee and the Prevalence of Periodontitis: The 2008-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. PloS one, 11(7), e0158845. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158845

Khurshid, Z., Zafar, M. S., Zohaib, S., Najeeb, S., & Naseem, M. (2016). Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis): Chemistry and Oral Health. The open dentistry journal, 10, 166–173. doi:10.2174/1874210601610010166

Pahwa, R., Jialal, I. (2019) Chronic Inflammation. StatPearls Treasure Island (FL). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173

Paiva, C., Beserra, B., Reis, C., Dorea, J., Costa, T. D., & Amato, A. (2017). Consumption of coffee or caffeine and serum concentration of inflammatory markers: A systematic review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 59(4), 652–663. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2017.1386159

Peters, B. A., Mccullough, M. L., Purdue, M. P., Freedman, N. D., Um, C. Y., Gapstur, S. M., … Ahn, J. (2018). Association of Coffee and Tea Intake with the Oral Microbiome: Results from a Large Cross-Sectional Study. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 27(7), 814–821. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-18-0184

Reygaert W. C. (2018). Green Tea Catechins: Their Use in Treating and Preventing Infectious Diseases. BioMed research international, 2018, 9105261. doi:10.1155/2018/9105261

Sajadi-Ernazarova KR, Hamilton RJ. Caffeine, Withdrawal. (2019) In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430790/

Yang, C., & Wang, H. (2016). Cancer Preventive Activities of Tea Catechins. Molecules, 21(12), 1679. doi: 10.3390/molecules21121679

Experts:

Dr. Edo Paz, M.D., cardiologist at K Health

Ramzi Yacoub, chief pharmacy officer at SingleCare

THREADS
Coffee (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?42891-Coffee)
Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea)

GeneChing

01-03-2020, 09:51 AM

New yum cha, butterfly themed HK$20, HK$50 notes to be released in time for lai see to insure widest circulation, HKMA says (https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3044218/hkma-says-new-yum-cha-butterfly-themed-hk20-hk50-notes-be)
New notes to arrive on January 14, the same day customers can start exchanging notes for lai see
The HK$20 notes will be themed around tea gatherings, while the HK$50 notes will feature butterflies
Enoch Yiu
Published: 8:00am, 2 Jan, 2020

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/methode/2020/01/02/6ff74808-2c71-11ea-8334-1a17c6a14ef4_image_hires_081217.JPG?itok=JHnmKLI5&v=1577923943
The new HK$20 and HK$50 notes are presented during a press conference by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Photo: Winson Wong

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority will launch new HK$20 and HK$50 notes on January 14, the same day customers can start exchanging old notes for new currency in preparation for Lunar New Year, it said on Wednesday.
The notes will be released by the city’s three note-issuing banks, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank and Bank of China (Hong Kong).
The HK$20 notes will be themed around yum cha, or tea gatherings, while the HK$50 notes will feature butterflies. Of the 2.36 billion banknotes in circulation in Hong Kong worth a combined HK$503.9 billion (US$64.5 billion), the HK$20 notes represent the highest share at 35.7 per cent, while the HK$50 dollar notes represent 10.4 per cent.
“The HK$20 banknote is the most circulated banknote in Hong Kong, and is part of the lives of Hong Kong people. Similarly, yum cha is a favourite [activity], as many Hongkongers like to go and enjoy dim sum lunches and tea with their family and friends. This is why we picked yum cha as the theme for the HK$20 banknotes,” Edmond Lau, the HKMA’s senior executive director, said.
“We chose to launch the new HK$20 and HK$50 banknotes on the same day the public can go to the banks to exchange notes for lai see money, as this is an effective way of widely circulating the new notes,” he added.
Lai see money is handed out to children and young people who are unmarried during the Lunar New Year holiday, and cash – usually HK$20 and HK$50 notes – is preferred despite the growing popularity of digital payments. According to some estimates, at least HK$10 billion in lai see changes hands each Lunar New Year holiday.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/01/02/6d2f3b0c-2c81-11ea-8334-1a17c6a14ef4_972x_081217.jpg
SCMP Graphics

Every year, the city’s three note-issuing banks prepare on average 350 million notes – including 55 per cent newly printed notes – in all denominations for lai see, according to HKMA statistics. These banks have printed a combined 260 million of the new HK$20 notes and 85 million of the new HK$50 notes, which Lau said were sufficient to meet the public’s needs.
The two new notes are the latest and last batch to be issued under the 2018 design series. The HKMA announced the designs of the new banknotes with the latest security features in 2018, but has launched them at different times.
The HK$1,000 note that celebrates Hong Kong as a smart international financial centre was launched in December 2018, the HK$500 note that features the city’s natural beauty was introduced in February 2019, while the HK$100 note featuring Cantonese opera was launched in September last year.
Lau said the more than 240 types of butterflies found in Hong Kong were the inspiration for the new HK$50 notes. While the HKMA decides on security features and sets the theme, the three note-issuing banks come up with the designs.
Older notes will continue to be legal tender, Lau added.

THREADS
2020 Year of the Rat (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71622-2020-Year-of-the-Rat)
LaiSee (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?1200-LaiSee-and-Lion-Dance-traid-related)
Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea)

GeneChing

01-10-2020, 09:02 AM

Drinking green tea, rather than black, may help you live longer, new study suggests (https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/09/health/tea-live-longer-wellness/index.html)
By Katie Hunt, CNN
Updated 3:29 AM ET, Thu January 9, 2020

(CNN)Drinking tea at least three times a week could reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and is linked with a longer and healthier life, at least in China, a new study suggests.

Chinese researchers found the health benefits associated with tea were more pronounced for drinkers of green, rather than black tea, and for those who had been drinking tea regularly over a longer period of time. The benefits were also clearer among men, the study indicated.
Researchers looked at data from 100,902 Chinese people with no history of heart attack, stroke or cancer and divided them into two groups: habitual drinkers who drank tea three or more times a week, those who never drank tea, and those who drank it less regularly. They followed up with them after a seven-year period.
Their analysis found that regular tea drinkers had a 20% lower risk of having heart disease and stroke, and a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease and stroke. Specifically, they found that regular tea drinkers could expect to live 1.26 years longer at age 50 than those who did not regularly enjoy a cup of tea.
"We found that the protective effects of habitual tea consumption were very pronounced and robust across different outcomes for men, but only modest for women," Dr. Dongfeng Gu from China's National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Peking Union Medical College and the Chinese Academy of Medical Science said via email.
"One reason might be that the proportion of habitual tea consumers among men was approximately two and a half [times] as high as that among women," Gu said. Some 48% of the men in the study were regular tea drinkers, compared with 20% of women.
Gu said Chinese women were more likely to drink herbal tea made from rosebuds or lotus leaves but this information wasn't included.
In their analysis, the researchers controlled for some factors like smoking, drinking, diet and physical activity that could have explained the link between tea drinking and longevity. However, as an observational study it can't establish cause and effect, only association.
"Other things to consider that are not mentioned in the study are: Firstly, what those who weren't drinking tea were drinking -- was tea replaced by sugary drinks or caffeinated beverages ... and was that what increased their risk...?" said Jodie Relf, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association.

Black vs. green

The benefits associated with drinking black tea "were not statistically significant," Gu said, but that could be because there were far fewer black tea drinkers included in the study -- only about 8% of the habitual tea drinkers participating in the study said they preferred black tea.
Gu also said that green tea is a richer source of flavanoids, especially tea polyphenols, and these bioactive compounds could be protective against cardiovascular disease. While from the same plant and containing the same amount of caffeine, black tea is processed in a different way from green tea after picking.
"Black tea is fully fermented and tea polyphenols might be oxidized into pigments and inactivate during fermentation. Thus green tea tends to be more effective than black tea in anti-oxidation, improving blood lipid profile, and in turn, to be more effective in cardiovascular protection," Gu said.
Gunter Kuhnle, a professor of nutrition and food science, University of Reading in the UK, who was not involved in the study but conducts research into the association between flavanoids and health, said it's not currently known how tea -- or the compounds found in tea -- affect health.
"The antioxidant effect of polyphenols found in tea has long been assumed to be responsible, but this has been resoundingly disproved in the last decade. Some of the compounds found in tea might have a beneficial effect, but this is currently still under investigation," he told the Science Media Centre (SMC) in London.
As the world's most popular drink after water, Gu said that tea-drinking habits varied from place to place and the findings might not apply to Western countries, where black tea was a more popular choice -- often taken with milk or sugar.
"Tea consumption is part of a cultural heritage, and its health effects might be confounded by other eating and drinking patterns, for example, consumption of other flavanoid-rich food or beverages like coffee."
The conclusions of previous research on the health benefits of tea has been inconsistent, Gu said, with the study noting that green tea had been associated with lower risk of cadiovascular disease in Japan but in the UK no link was observed with black tea taken with milk.
"This study strengthens the body of evidence that habitual tea drinking is associated with lower rates of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, though it cannot prove that it's definitely the tea that's responsible," Dr. Jenna Macciochi, a lecturer in immunology at the University of Sussex, told the SMC.
However, she noted that "a body of evidence in nutrition suggests that whole diet patterns are more informative of diet-disease relationships than any isolated food or nutrient."
Dr. Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior teaching fellow at Aston Medical School, Aston University, said that while green tea is safe and may have benefits, green tea supplements "should be considered carefully as there has been a number of cases of liver damage reported in individuals who have consumed these in large doses."
I drink both, almost daily. :)

THREADS
Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea)
Drinking Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?29135-Drinking-Tea)

GeneChing

02-03-2020, 02:58 PM

Yum Cha
Where the Real Kung Fu Lessons Take Place
By Williy Pang

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/upload/9183_202001_Winter.jpg

WINTER 2020 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1518)

THREADS
Dim Sum - dian xin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69387)
Tea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674)

GeneChing

02-22-2021, 09:42 AM

FEBRUARY 21, 20215:51 PM UPDATED 15 HOURS AGO
Sexist tea mugs leave a sour taste in China: Shanghai Daily (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-sexistmugs-idUSKBN2AM04O)
By Reuters Staff

1 MIN READ

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A popular chain of Chinese tea shops has apologised for a range of cups and teabags sporting sexist slogans, after they sparked widespread outrage on the internet, the Shanghai Daily reported on Monday.

Modern China Tea Shop, based in southern China’s Hunan province, was selling tea bags captioned with “the mouth says no but the body says yes,” and “my dear, I want you.”

One mug referred to women as a “big bargain,” saying that customers could pick up an unexpected deal by meeting beautiful women while they wait for their tea.

Modern China apologised on Saturday, saying it took responsibility for offending women and would not mistake sexist jokes for creative ideas in the future, Shanghai Daily reported.

The offending items are no longer on sale, the newspaper added.

Reporting by Engen Tham; editing by Jane Wardell Those sayings remind me of what's printed on those little candy Valentine hearts.

@PLUGO

01-04-2022, 12:43 AM

As a “thank you” for support subscribers received an 8 page PDF excerpted from the book Haute Tea Cuisine: New Techniques for Tea-Infused French Cooking by Fred Lit Yu you can read the intro here: https://atigerstale.com/a-brief-introduction-to-tea/
10939 (https://atigerstale.com/a-brief-introduction-to-tea/)

GeneChing

12-02-2022, 03:33 PM

Chinese tea, Vietnamese pottery, Cambodian martial arts: Asian cultural practices granted UNESCO world heritage status (https://nextshark.com/intangible-cultural-heritage-unseco-list/)

Khier Casino
22 hours ago

https://nextshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/UNESCOlist.jpg

Traditional Chinese tea-processing techniques, Japanese ritual dances and Vietnamese pottery-making are some of the cultural practices that made it on this year’s intangible cultural heritage list by UNESCO.

About 48 cultural practices from 61 countries were added to UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage, including five in urgent need of safeguarding, such as the art of pottery-making of Chăm people in Vietnam.

The United Nations’ cultural agency began deliberations on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Rabat, Morocco, on Monday.

According to UNESCO, the list consists of “priceless national treasures, which recognizes and promotes the diversity of cultural practices and know-how of enduring communities.”
Other nominations from Asia include China's traditional tea-making techniques and associated social practices, Japanese traditional "Furyu-odori" folk dances, the Kun Lbokator martial arts of Cambodia, the Talchum mask dance of Korea and more.

Traditional Chinese tea-processing techniques, Japanese ritual dances and Vietnamese pottery-making are some of the cultural practices that made it on this year’s intangible cultural heritage list by UNESCO.

About 48 cultural practices from 61 countries were added to UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage, including five in urgent need of safeguarding, such as the art of pottery-making of Chăm people in Vietnam.

The United Nations’ cultural agency began deliberations on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Rabat, Morocco, on Monday.

UNESCO began tweeting its decisions under the “Intangible Heritage” hashtag on Tuesday.

Other nominations from Asia include China’s traditional tea-making techniques and associated social practices, Japanese traditional “Furyu-odori” folk dances, the Kun Lbokator martial arts of Cambodia, the talchum mask dance of Korea and more.

China now has 43 items on UNESCO’s list, making it the most listed country in the world, according to CGTN.

The Yaldā/Chella festival to celebrate the winter solstice in Iran and Afghanistan also made the list.

According to UNESCO, the list consists of “priceless national treasures, which recognizes and promotes the diversity of cultural practices and know-how of enduring communities.”

“These practices and traditions have been transmitted to younger generations for centuries, through active participation in the event and preparations, as well as through the media,” it added. “The event promotes tolerance and inclusion due to the participation of people from different social groups and fosters mutual respect and appreciation among the individuals and institutions involved.”

Featured Image via Getty

UNESCO International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72011-UNESCO-International-Centre-of-Martial-Arts-for-Youth-Development-and-Engagement)
Tea (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49674-Tea)
Cambodian-martial-arts (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57343-Cambodian-martial-arts)

GeneChing

02-01-2024, 10:13 AM

https://cff2.earth.com/uploads/2024/01/01065514/drinking-tea_every-day_delays-biological-aging_1m-960x640.jpg
02-01-2024
Drinking tea every day delays biological aging and extends lifespan (https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-tea-delays-biological-aging/)
ByAndrei Ionescu
Earth.com staff writer

Recent research suggests that enjoying a daily ritual of tea drinking could have more benefits than just relaxation.

According to a new study, indulging in three cups of tea daily might contribute to delaying the process of biological aging.

This finding by Chinese scientists hints at the possibility that the traditional brew, rich in certain health-promoting compounds, may play a role in enhancing longevity.

Historically, black tea has been recognized for its potential health benefits, particularly in enhancing heart, gut, and brain health.

Moreover, animal studies have indicated that flavonoids, abundantly found in tea, could potentially increase the lifespan of organisms ranging from worms and flies to mice.

Studying tea’s impact on aging
A comprehensive study by experts at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, involved analyzing data from two cohorts: 5,998 British individuals aged between 37 and 73, and 7,931 Chinese participants aged 30 to 79.

The participants provided detailed information about their tea consumption habits, including the type of tea they preferred (green, black, yellow, or oolong) and the average number of cups they consumed each day.

The researchers then assessed various aging markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and body fat percentage to determine the participants’ biological age.

Tea slows biological aging
The findings, published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, revealed that tea drinkers exhibited signs of slower biological aging.

“The exposure-response relationship suggested that consuming around three cups of tea or six to eight grams of tea leaves per day may offer the most evident anti-aging benefits,” the authors wrote.

Interestingly, those who had given up on tea drinking showed a higher increase in the acceleration of biological aging.

Powerful polyphenols
The researchers attributed these anti-aging benefits to polyphenols, the primary bioactive substances in tea, which are believed to influence gut microbiota significantly.

This, in turn, impacts age-related shifts in immunity, metabolism, and cognitive function.

While the study did not delve into the specific types of tea, it found no substantial differences between UK black tea drinkers and Chinese green tea enthusiasts.

Furthermore, the temperature at which the tea was consumed appeared to have no impact on the outcomes.

Study limitations
However, the researchers acknowledged limitations in their study, including not accounting for the size of the tea cups used by participants.

As the study was observational, it could not definitively conclude that tea drinking was directly responsible for slowing down biological aging.

In the UK, where tea consumption amounts to about 100 million cups per day, there has been a noticeable decline in tea demand, particularly among younger individuals, in the face of growing coffee popularity.

More about aging and tea
Green tea, black tea, white tea, and oolong tea all come from the Camellia sinensis plant, but their unique characteristics are a result of different processing methods.

As discussed previously, these teas are rich in antioxidants, which play a significant role in protecting the body from free radicals, molecules that can damage cells and contribute to aging and diseases like cancer.

Green tea slows aging and heart disease
Green tea, in particular, is renowned for its high concentration of catechins, a type of antioxidant.

Studies have linked the regular consumption of green tea to a reduced risk of heart disease, as it may help in lowering LDL cholesterol levels and improving artery function.

Black tea health benefits
Black tea, the most widely consumed type globally, has its own set of health benefits. It’s high in compounds called flavonoids, which can improve heart health.

Drinking black tea has been associated with a reduced risk of stroke, lower blood pressure, and a decrease in LDL cholesterol.

White tea high antioxidants
White tea is the least processed and thus retains a high amount of antioxidants. It’s believed that white tea may have the strongest anticancer properties compared to more processed teas.

Oolong tea and enzymes
Oolong tea, being partially fermented, combines the qualities of black and green teas. It’s particularly noted for its ability to activate enzymes that cut down triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood.

Mental alertness
Additionally, tea is known for its mental alertness benefits, largely attributed to its caffeine content.

However, the L-theanine in tea can moderate the effects of caffeine, such as anxiety and jitteriness, and it is thought to improve brain function.

Dental health
Regular tea drinking also has a positive impact on dental health, as it contains fluoride and tannins that may reduce plaque buildup and tooth decay.

Plus, it’s hydrating and has a calming effect, which can be a welcome addition to a daily routine for overall well-being.
I drink this much ta everyday. Yay! :cool:

GeneChing

04-16-2024, 09:15 AM

Surprise! Princess Peach: Showtime! Is Getting A "Limited-Time" Kung Fu Tea Collaboration (https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/03/surprise-princess-peach-showtime-is-getting-a-limited-time-kung-fu-tea-collaboration)
Five drinks release alongside the game
by Liam Doolan Mon 18th Mar 2024
https://images.nintendolife.com/69107cce203a4/princess-peach-kung-fu-tea.large.jpg
The American bubble tea company Kung Fu Tea is back with another Nintendo partnership - celebrating the upcoming release of Princess Peach: Showtime! later this week.
For a "limited-time" between 22nd March and 21st May, Kung Fu Tea will be offering a handful of themed Princess Peach drinks, which come with a complimentary Princess Peach-themed staw cap. Here's the rundown of what's on offer, along with another look:
"In celebration of this highly anticipated debut, Kung Fu Tea will introduce five specially crafted themed drinks inspired by the game, elegantly presented in Princess Peach themed packaging."
The Leading Lady - This sweet and creamy peach slush is a delicious take on the classic peaches and cream
Peach Premiere Green Tea - A classic peach green tea that will have you ready to walk the red carpet in no time!
Spotlight Sipper - A Peach Oolong Tea made with bold flavor made for the limelight.
Peach's Showstopping Milk Tea - Our Peach Milk Tea has undergone the royal treatment and is ready for the spotlight!
Peach Green Tea Can - A new addition to our Green Tea Cans, this Peach Green Tea Can is perfect for every on-the-go princess!

As part of this promotion, there'll also be Nintendo Switch prize packs up for grabs (including an OLED model Switch, a game download for Peach's new title, and a year's worth of Boba Credit on the Kung Fu Tea app).
Princess Peach: Showtime! launches alongside this latest Kung Fu Tea collaboration on 22nd March 2024.
I can think of a few Kung Fu princesses that I'd get this for...:p