2007 Taiwan Coffee, Tea & Wine Expo »

Why I Drink Tea (Part I)

I’ve been drinking tea for about 18 years now, and would have to say that picking up the habit has been one of the cornerstones of my sanity these past two decades. Even at US$10 – 20 per ounce, tea drinking is one of the cheapest forms of therapy around. The best part is, with tea, even if you drink yourself into a stupor, you can legally drive yourself home (and you’ll still be less wired than the rest of the Starbuck’s addicts on the highway)! While ‘non-believers’ often say that the preparation is too complicated, too time consuming, or too expensive, I find the preparation ritual for ‘Gong Fu’ tea very calming, and it helps me de-stress after a bad day or a lousy commute (that’s pretty much every day in Taiwan!). For me, the act of boiling the water, choosing a tea & pot, setting out the cups and utensils, and selecting a Van Morrison album (more on him later J), help me focus and relax. The stress and anxiety of life get pushed into the background, and I get to spend a little time just living in the moment. When it’s time to actually make the tea, I’m in a good frame of mind to a) prepare the tea well, and b) enjoy it more fully. Meditation, yoga, painting, walking the dog, golfing, playing a musical instrument, etc. are all just variations of this same theme. Tea isn’t just something to drink – it’s a hobby, a lifestyle, a state of mind. I don’t mean to get all Zen about it (not right off the bat anyway), or freak out anyone reading this who knows me (hi Idaho!!), but tea has become a big part of my life, and I love it, and I’m really excited to finally get this project off the ground, and thinking about this first post has put me in a very philosophical mood. Besides which, it’s 2:16 am, and I’ve been hammering shots of Tieh Kuan Yin for the past 4 hours!!In addition to enhancing introspection and quiet contemplation when flying solo, tea also makes a great conversation and cultural bridge when people get together. Whether chatting with old friends after dinner, or meeting the future in-laws for the first time (been there, done that!), having tea sets a different mood than wine, beer or soda does. Not necessarily better, mind you, just different. I also spent several years in management at a language school in Taiwan, and discovered that there wasn’t a problem or issue that couldn’t be resolved over a pot of tea (and a tray of Costco muffins). Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this initial posting. If you’re a tea drinker, you already get it, and know where I’m coming from. If you’re a tea newbie, welcome! Hopefully you’ve read something here that has caught your interest, and encourages you to explore the absolutely fantabulous world of tea. I’m looking forward to sharing stories and ‘talking tea’ with all of you.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 2:29 pm and is filed under My Tea Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Why I Drink Tea (Part I)”

  1. March 2nd, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    Mike Says:

    Hi Teaguy,

    Don’t you have to understand Chinese to be able to buy tea?

  2. March 2nd, 2008 at 11:49 pm

    teaguy Says:

    Not really. It’s more important to understand tea! It’s standard practice in Taiwan to taste teas before buying, and most reputable shops will list prices on the shelf (a general rule is, the higher the shelf, the higher the price). If you have a good idea what you’re looking for, you can judge the tea and decide if it’s reasonable for your price range. Just smile and nod a lot, and you should be ok. Also, it’s fine to barter prices down a bit, but don’t insult the shop owner by offering half the listed price. If you’re purchasing more than 1 kind of tea or other tea wares, you’re likely to get 10 - 15% markdown, or at least a free storage can!

  3. April 4th, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    rodcon Says:

    Mr. Taiwan Teaguy,

    Hello, I’ve started reading your postings on your website. As well as on the forum where we occasionally chat and I get off topic, my mind has a hard time slowing down outside of tai chi and tea..there again, see? Anyway, you seem very knowledgeable on the topic and the concept of a studio intrigues and makes sense to me. How would one get a studio started, what is required? I completely understand and know the experience of relaxing in the forest with my tea and nothing but nature to provide company; but how can that be transferred to the home?

    Rod

  4. April 4th, 2008 at 11:37 pm

    teaguy Says:

    Thanks for visiting the site. I’ve finally sorted out the photo problem, and now have pictures of my tea room posted (see, “My Tea Studio”).

    I guess you could call me a kind of expert on tatami rooms by now - I’ve done 7 of them over the past 10 years! Each time I move, the first thing I set up is a space for drinking tea. It’s kind of a long story, so I’ll put it in a post in the next day or two.

    Basically, you just need a room or small area to set up in, a table of some kind, and a bit of imagination. I’ve always been hooked on asian (especially Chinese) culture, and have a large assortment of paintings, teaware, etc. to decorate with. From being in Taiwan, I check out different tea rooms when I can, and steal ideas for decor that I can incorporate into my room.

    Give me a day or two to write up what I’ve done & some suggestions, and we can continue to discuss it there. Hopefully other people who have set up dedicated spaces will offer ideas as well. Who knows? We might start a trend!

    Again, I appreciate your comments, and look forward to more discussions with you here and on the tea forum (www.teaforums.com if anyone reading is interested in joining us)

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