The first is to know the tea.
Chinese teas are diverse in categories, each with its own characteristics. The quality of tea varies greatly and in very fine details. Among green teas, Longjing differs from Biluochun; among Longjing itself, special grade differs from first grade; among oolong teas, rock tea differs from Tieguanyin; and among rock teas, those from the original mountain differ from those grown elsewhere.
With the foundation of knowing tea, one can enter a higher realm: first, knowing water.
Since tea is a beverage, the quality of water used for brewing is crucial. Ancient scholars have many insightful remarks on this, the classic saying being: "Mountain spring is best, well water second, river water third." For urban drinkers, real spring or well water is hard to find. High-quality mineral water is relatively easy to obtain.
With good tea and good water, one also needs good teaware.
Chinese teaware is vast and magnificent. The best is, of course, the Yixing purple clay teapot from Jiangsu, with famous pots priced higher than gold. Besides these, there are many beautiful teaware pieces, such as those from Dehua and Jingdezhen porcelain.
For ordinary drinkers, it is important to appreciate, but most importantly, to understand the principle of matching tea, water, and vessels. Oolong tea requires the "Mansheng pot and Ruochen cups"; the tea must be poured from the pot into small cups, and for connoisseurs, a thumb-sized aroma cup is also provided to first smell and then drink—hence the name Kung Fu tea.
Green tea is best enjoyed in a glass cup, watching the tea leaves bloom like flowers in the crystal-clear cup, intoxicating even before drinking—naturally a unique experience.
Having known water and vessels, one should know the people.
Nowadays, drinking tea is not just to quench thirst or relieve fatigue; it has become a means of socializing and leisure. This is the fundamental reason for the boom in tea houses in modern cities. Drinking tea differs from drinking alcohol: alcohol brings excitement and liveliness, while tea brings clarity and tranquility. The number of drinkers should not be too large, and their character should be refined.
The highest realm of tea drinking is to know the Way.
Drinking tea has its Way—where is it found? There is "tea and Zen are one flavor," and "harmony, respect, purity, tranquility." If tea is to be a spiritual material carrier, then the Way of tea is the drinker's pursuit of some life insight through the activity of drinking. The deeper the insight, the higher the realm. This process is difficult to confine within any single framework of Confucianism, Buddhism, or Daoism. Sometimes, even a single spark of enlightenment is enough to open the heart—and that is the joy of tea drinking.
