Southern lands warm, swallows nest fit; Northern waters idle, spring priceless.
A cup of tea, colorful melons, flowers of four seasons.——[Southern Lyric] "Four Jade Pieces·Leisure" Yuan Dynasty·Zhang Kejiu
Tea trees can be harvested after three years of planting. The best time is during Qingming Festival when tender buds first sprout, producing the renowned "Mingqian tea". Fresh leaves become finished green tea through processes like fixation, rolling, drying, and refining. If leaves undergo withering, rolling, fermentation, drying, and refining, they become finished black tea. Mingqian tea is mostly made into green tea to preserve its tenderness.
Mingqian green tea has buds like tender jade, colored like dawn light. Brewed in glass cups, the liquor resembles emerald waves. Watching tea leaves float while inhaling the fragrance brings mental refreshment. Green tea should not be brewed with boiling water—wait five minutes after boiling to avoid foam. The younger and greener the leaves, the lower the water temperature should be for a refreshing brew with lingering aroma.
Can also clear the mind
There's a famous palindrome poem about tea, still engraved on many teapots and cups today. Palindrome poems can be read cyclically in any direction. This poem highlights tea's heart-clearing effect.
Can also clear the mind.
Also clear the mind can.
Clear the mind also can.
The mind also can clear.
Also can clear the mind.
Tea clears the mind in two ways: First, through its inherent effects. "Suixiju Diet Guide" states: "Tea is slightly bitter, slightly sweet, and cool. Clears mental spirit, awakens from sleep, relieves irritability. Cools liver and gallbladder, cleanses heat and phlegm. Purifies lungs and stomach, brightens eyes, quenches thirst—those not thirsty should not drink." Generally, fermented teas like black tea warm the stomach; semi-fermented teas like Tieguanyin are less warming; unfermented green tea is the coolest.
People with inherent heat excess, thirst, and irritability can regularly drink green tea to moisturize the body, reduce internal heat, and lessen agitation. However, those with cold spleen/stomach constitutions should avoid green tea—if tasting spring tea, they can eat ginger as remedy.
Second, through the tea brewing process. Brewing tea requires a leisurely mindset. When deciding to drink tea, one must boil water, clean cups, pour water, wait for brewing, and some prepare snacks—this process takes time. This duration cultivates character; waiting for boiling water and steeping tea inherently brings composure and tranquility.
Elevated to tea ceremony, its ritualistic nature allows people to experience life's serene beauty. Using tea for self-cultivation and as medium for etiquette—brewing, appreciating, smelling, and drinking tea quietly becomes spiritual practice when done with focused mindfulness. This inward concentration facilitates deep reflection and introspection, where the clarity brought by tea ceremony may cleanse the mind more profoundly than the tea itself.
If you are interested in tea, please visit Tea Drop Bus