1 No Tea: Refers to not drinking tea at all. Tea is now honored as one of the world's three major beverages and is considered a national drink with health benefits. It is a pity for those who do not drink it (except those unable to due to objective conditions).

2 Dislike Tea: Can drink tea but do not like it. Many who dislike tea are young people accustomed to soft drinks like cola. To them, tea lacks a stimulating taste and requires time to brew, making it naturally unappealing.

3 Lazy Tea: Can drink and do not dislike it, but are too lazy to spend time sitting down to brew a pot. Tea can calm the mind, but if the mind is not calm, where would one find time to drink such a troublesome thing?

4 Hidden Tea: Can drink and love tea, but are stingy, preferring to enjoy it alone in secret. As the saying goes: Happiness alone is not as good as happiness shared; the greatest joy comes from sharing good things with others.

5 Commercial Tea: Can drink and love tea, but only bring out good tea to share with others when there is profit to be gained. Attending such a tea gathering is no less than attending a Hongmen Banquet.

6 Beauty Tea: Here "beauty" does not mean "good tea" but refers to beautiful people. Tea consumed solely for the sake of the attractive tea ceremony master before the flowing-water tea tray. Note: not drinking tea, but consuming tea as a commodity.

7 Awakening Tea: Using tea to refresh and clear the mind.

8 Meal Tea: Drinking tea to aid digestion and stimulate appetite.

9 Learning Tea: Called a tea novice, learning the true essence of tea. Some have said that in the face of tea, one is always a student, not because tea is profoundly difficult to understand, but because drinking tea is "drinking beyond the tea itself," much like the Buddhist koan "go drink tea."

10 Loving Tea: Called a tea apprentice, focusing on pursuing the charm of tea. Able to explain the tea soup color, aroma, taste, origin, vintage, and characteristics of the tea.

11 Addicted to Tea: Called a tea enthusiast, obsessed with the true flavor of tea. Not seeking the tea's origin, source, or age, only seeking to drink the tea that truly resonates in their heart.

12 Indulging in Tea: Also called a tea devotee, experiencing the true state of tea through practical action.

13 Violent Tea: Called a tea fanatic, seeking only to cultivate the Way of Tea. This stage has a hint of going overboard; one might easily fall into "obsession and greed."

14 Mastery of Tea: Called a tea immortal, one who is thoroughly familiar with the Way of Tea and has grasped its essence. As stated in "The Ultimate Meaning of the Tea Way": Tea lies in the heart, not in technique; in technique, not in the heart. When both heart and technique are absent, the true flavor is revealed—this is the wonderful Way of Tea.

15 Cherishing Tea: Called a tea sage, one who cherishes both tea and human connections. In a lifetime, one gains and loses; cherishing human connections means cherishing the present.

16 Joyful Tea: Called a tea saint, one who has reached a state where drinking tea or not, facing tea, they are content and at ease.

17 Observing Tea: Called a tea patriarch, one who finds joy merely in seeing tea, without needing to drink it.

18 Transcendent Tea: Called Nirvana Tea, a state where one can reach another realm through tea.