The internet has long circulated the eighteen levels of drinking tea: No Tea, Dislike Tea, Reluctant Tea, Hermit Tea, Business Tea, Awakening Tea, Love Tea, etc. Which level are you at?
一、No Tea: This means not drinking tea at all. Tea is now honored as one of the world's three major beverages, and it is also the national drink with health benefits. It's a pity for those who don't drink it (except those who cannot due to objective conditions).
二、Dislike Tea: Can drink it, occasionally does, but does not like drinking tea.
三、Reluctant Tea: Knows how to drink and doesn't dislike it, but is unwilling to take the time to sit down and brew a pot of tea.
四、Hermit Tea: Knows how to drink and loves to drink, but prefers to drink tea alone.
五、Business Tea: Knows how to drink and loves to drink, but only uses it as a medium for communication during business negotiations.
六、Aesthetic Tea: The "aesthetic" here refers not to "good tea," but to an interest in people, events, and things related to tea. For example, elegantly postured tea art masters, tea art activities, and related arts like music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and poetry.
七、Awakening Tea: Using tea to refresh and clear the mind.
八、Meal Tea: Drinking tea to aid digestion and increase appetite.
九、Study Tea: Called a Tea Novice, learning the realm of tea. It has been said that one is always a student in the face of tea, not because tea leaves are profoundly difficult to understand, but because drinking tea is also about "drinking beyond the tea itself."
十、Love Tea: Called a Tea Apprentice, focusing on pursuing the情趣 (interest/charm) of tea. Observing the tea soup, smelling the tea aroma, tasting the tea flavor, and being able to explain the origin, vintage, and characteristics of the tea.
十一、Obsessed Tea: Called a Tea Devotee, obsessed with the true taste of tea. Not seeking the tea's origin, source, or age, only seeking to drink the tea that they truly believe in.
十二、Indulge Tea: Also called a Tea Enthusiast, one who experiences the true state of tea through practical action.
十三、Fervent Tea: Called a Tea Fanatic, one who only seeks to cultivate the Way of Tea. This stage has a feeling of going overboard,一不小心 (if one is not careful) falling into "obsession and greed."
十四、Mastery Tea: Called a Tea Immortal, one who is thoroughly familiar with the Way of Tea and has obtained its essence. As stated in "The Ultimate Meaning of the Tea Way": "As for tea, it is in the heart, not in the technique; it is in the technique, not in the heart. When both heart and technique are absent, the true flavor is revealed. This is the wonderful Way of Tea."
十五、Cherish Tea: Called a Tea Sage, one who cherishes both tea and human connections. In one's lifetime, one gains and loses; cherishing human connections means cherishing the present.
十六、Joyful Tea: Called a Tea Saint, one who has reached a state where drinking tea or not doesn't matter, remaining content and at ease in the presence of tea. It is said that the Tea Saint "Lu Yu" only reached this level.
十七、Observe Tea: Called a Tea Patriarch, one who finds joy merely upon seeing tea, no longer needing to drink it.
十八、Transcend Tea: Called Nirvana Tea, one who can reach another state of being through tea.