“Some people drink tea in a very simple manner, using ordinary utensils to boil and serve the tea. Some are even more rustic, just grabbing a handful of leaves to steep in water and drinking it in big gulps; while others are very solemn about it, with a multitude of tools and even a refined approach to their movements.”

Is there a distinction between good and bad here?

There is indeed a significant difference in how people drink tea, but to judge this as superior or inferior based solely on that would be too narrow-minded.

Just like the three realms of life: seeing mountains as mountains and waters as waters; then seeing mountains not as mountains and waters not as waters; finally, seeing mountains once again as mountains and waters as waters.

In fact, there are also three realms when it comes to tea.

1. Drinking Tea as tea

Tea leaves were originally discovered by wise ancients for their detoxifying properties. As their nutritional benefits were uncovered, history became increasingly filled with the presence of tea, consumed by more and more people.

By the 1980s, the six major categories of tea had been clearly defined, from Green Tea to the six main types, spreading from China to the world and becoming one of the top three non-alcoholic healthy beverages. The reach of tea has grown ever wider.

Nowadays, we cannot do without tea during gatherings with friends, entertaining guests, or business meetings. The occasions for drinking tea have become more diverse.

At this stage, we may be quite knowledgeable about tea, able to discern its taste, color, age, and type with just one sip. We can even correct small mistakes made by tea artists and guide them to use better equipment. However, all these are merely surface-level manifestations.

Our understanding of tea at this point is: a healthful beverage with certain effects and cultural significance.

Just like the first stage of life: an initial acquaintance with the world, where seeing a flower means just a flower, a tree just a tree, and the sky just the sky, everything is perceived in a pure and simple way.

This is the purest and clearest phase of life.

2. Drinking tea, but not just tea

We must eventually transition from school to society, and so does tea. And because of this, it undergoes another transformation.

Hence, we have tea art, tea culture, and tea ceremony.

Indeed, now, tea is no longer just a functional beverage. We have imbued it with various spiritual and intellectual dimensions.

Tea art, tea culture, and tea ceremony are not complicated and can be simply distinguished:

What we see is tea art—the Etiquette of the person opposite us, her tea-brewing movements, and the tools she uses, which is called tea art.

What requires insight is the tea ceremony, which relates to our thoughts, aesthetics, and the subtleties of our inner understanding, which is called the tea ceremony.

Understanding tea is about tea culture—learning about its past and present, tracing its origins, which is called tea culture.

Now, tea has become part of our lives, and the quality of the tea is no longer so important.

At this stage: tea is no longer just a leaf, but embodies certain ideas, aesthetics, and philosophical insights about life.

This is precisely the second stage of life

We no longer focus solely on the surface of things, but through phenomena, we see the essence within.

You might think this is a well-learned phase, where one can live with clarity. Not so! This is the most perplexing stage, where you see much but struggle to make choices.

3. Drinking tea as just tea

Tea, after all, is just a leaf, processed through complex steps until it dissolves in water.

I know how to brew tea, understand its production and history, and even have some grasp of the tea ceremony. Yes, I am constantly improving.

The term “tea person” is bestowed upon me. Setting aside the elegant tea setting and meticulous movements, it's all ultimately for the sake of enjoying a Cup of tea.

Have you noticed what tea truly is?

This is what we often refer to as the story of a single leaf. It goes through so much to become the fragrant infusion in your cup.

Starting as fresh leaves, ending up in vessels, and finally transforming into a precious liquid.

This is the third realm: having gone through the curious youth, the middle-aged phase of seeing through illusions, one arrives at a stage of clear understanding and insight into life. Having witnessed the myriad facets of life, one still maintains a love for it.

Everyone else is drunk, while I alone am sober? Perhaps this is the romance of being a tea person.