Today is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, known as Laba Festival. Also called the Laba Sacrifice, King's Sacrifice, or Buddha's Enlightenment Day, it originated as an ancient ritual to celebrate harvests and give thanks to ancestors and deities. Besides worshiping ancestors and gods, people also engage in epidemic-dispelling activities. Chinese customs include eating eight-treasure rice, eight-treasure porridge, eight-treasure duck, and eight-treasure tea... all traditional, folk delicacies that evoke memories, though the specific "eight treasures" inside may vary.

Eight-treasure tea, as the name suggests, contains eight ingredients, typically including tea leaves, red dates, wolfberries, walnut kernels, longan, sesame seeds, raisins, and chrysanthemums, though additional items can be added based on personal preference. The eight ingredients are placed in a lidded bowl, and boiling water is poured over them, causing the ingredients to swirl inside. The tea tastes sweet and delicious, with a unique flavor, and has effects such as nourishing yin, moistening the lungs, and soothing the throat.

The only requirement for drinking eight-treasure tea is to use a lidded bowl, as most ingredients are dried fruits. After pouring in boiling water, steaming with the lid helps release the flavors more effectively, making a lidded bowl most suitable. The first bowl may taste slightly light, but by the second bowl, as the dried fruits gradually steep, the flavor becomes richer. The last sip at the bottom of the bowl carries a refreshing sweetness, as the rock sugar slowly dissolves. This subtle, evolving taste in one bowl of tea is irresistibly delightful. By the third infusion, red dates, raisins, and longan expand, filling the tea with fruity aromas and a mellower sweetness, marking the golden moment for eight-treasure tea.

Generally, eight-treasure tea can be steeped multiple times. Each dried fruit releases its flavor at different rates, so every bowl offers a fresh, anticipated taste. While drinking, one can eat the softened dried fruits or add new ingredients. Some teas are enjoyed for their final flavor, but for eight-treasure tea, the process of blending and savoring is even more enjoyable—lively, fun, and full of the bustling essence of everyday life, yet also reflecting a uniquely leisurely and contented state.

Gathering with family and friends, carefully selecting and preparing tea ingredients and snacks, creates a warm and harmonious atmosphere that is deeply moving. Outside, the world may be busy and noisy, but inside, it is a tranquil and comfortable sanctuary. Watching the various tea ingredients slowly unfurl in the cup and taking a gentle sip, one feels the joy of harvest and abundance in life. Perhaps, this is the true meaning of eight-treasure tea.

This Laba Festival, have you drunk Laba tea?