The Tea Maker’s knowledge is one of the keys to obtaining an excellent tea menu. These experts perform work which is sustained over time, during which they systematically identify, monitor and assess the suitability of the properties of the tea leaves from different origins, often on small plantations located in remote areas of China. The […]
The Tea Maker regularly visits the plantations, some of them tiny, located in countries such as China, India and Sri Lanka, in order to study and select the varieties of tea and tisanes which, by weight and infusion time, are ideal for preparing the finest flavoured drinks, in combination with other ingredients. With the Tang […]
At the Nanu Oya railway station, located about 27 kilometres from Sri Lanka, I am awaited by a rickshaw, a lightweight two-wheeled carriage which, on this occasion, is pulled by a young local. Once I am on the vehicle – a common means of transport in Asian countries – we set out on a journey […]
The name Darjeeling, a city in the Indian state of West Bengal, at the foot of the Himalayas, is derived from the combination of two Tibetan words, Dorje (thunderbolt) and ling(land), translated as “land of the thunderbolt”. On our arrival, Darjeeling reveals an interesting mixture of cultures, the consequence of the confluence of people from both Tibet and Nepal. While walking […]
By train, I am just an hour away from the city of Kyoto, in the Wazuka area. This part of Japan, ringed by mountains, has grown high-quality tea for over 800 years, acquiring real status as one of the most coveted and respected teas in the country. The different varieties of tea – over 300 […]
I find myself in the middle of the Cederberg Mountains, a vast region of South Africa covering 20,000 square kilometres, where the entire world rooibos production is based. What we call rooibos tea is an infusion made from the leaves of a bush native to this land. It is a tisane with highly beneficial properties, […]
The Tea Maker regularly visits the plantations, some of them tiny, located in countries such as China, India and Sri Lanka, in order to study and select the varieties of tea and tisanes which, by weight and infusion time, are ideal for preparing the finest flavoured drinks, in combination with other ingredients.
With the Tang dynasty, tea achieved its full glory in Chinese culture.
A large number of the destinations visited by our Tea Maker are in China, a vast territory which, in around 250 B. C., witnessed the beginning of the custom of serving leaves from the tea plant to give a good taste to boiling water. Initially consumed as a medicinal tonic, tea gradually became a mystical drink.
In China, tea had a Golden Age and its own sacred book
It was so important in Chinese culture that it even had a Golden Age – during the Tang dynasty – and a sacred book, the Cha Sing, or the Classical Art of Tea, providing a poetical explanation of the different techniques and ways of preparing it.
The prominence acquired by tea in Chinese culture and society is also reflected in its contribution to the development of the ceramic industry in the country. This material made it possible to create tools for its consumption and, at the same time, utensils which, in themselves, were an indication of the status and wealth of their owners.
In China, tea has inspired poetry, legends and tradition.
