Section 12.- Color

"In tea, a pure jade-green color is considered the finest."

from Cha Sin Jeon- A Chronicle of the Spirit of Tea, a copy of Zhang Poyuan Chalu recorded by Cho Ui, translated in Korea Tea Classics

Those who do not have a copy of Korean Tea Classics do please follow along and participate by referencing a different English translation available here from The Leaf.

This tea classic will be covered one section a week which will go on for 24 weeks. Feel free to jump in with your commentary at anytime.

Peace

Section 11.- Fragrance

"When inside and outside are the same, that is pure fragrance; what is neither immature or mature, that is clear fragrance; when the heat of the fire is controlled evenly, that is orchid fragrance; what has the freshness of tea picked before Gogu, that is true fragrance."

from Cha Sin Jeon- A Chronicle of the Spirit of Tea, a copy of Zhang Poyuan Chalu recorded by Cho Ui, translated in Korea Tea Classics

Those who do not have a copy of Korean Tea Classics do please follow along and participate by referencing a different English translation available here from The Leaf.

This tea classic will be covered one section a week which will go on for 24 weeks. Feel free to jump in with your commentary at anytime.

Peace

Tea, The Perfect Hangover Remedy Part II: Types of Tea for Hangover Symptoms

It seems every tea drinker has a preference for the type of tea they use to manage a hangover. Most tea drinkers seem to choose either a green tea or puerh tea though.

Green tea has the strongest detoxification properties of any type of tea. It is the colour green- the purest manifestation of the Wood element. Even its raw leaves can be ground to a paste and used topically over burns and bug bites. This is partly because of its detoxification properties and part due to its cooling thermal nature.

The properties of flavour explain how green tea reduces toxicity. Green tea is cool, bitter, and sweet. Cool bitter flavours are especially draining. Green tea is a diuretic, its detoxification mechanism involves removing the toxin through the urine. Although it is a diuretic it also quenches thirst and rehydrates the body and mind. This regenerative property is due to its sweet flavour. Sweet flavours are especially strengthening. These properties of green tea combat hangover symptoms such as headaches, dry mouth, lethargy, and even drunkenness.

Green tea is especially good at reducing that warm, feverish hangover feeling and regulating body temperture. The sensation of heat/ fever is the body’s natural way of reacting to a toxic substance as the body mobilizes against the toxic substance (in this case a drink too many). This benefit is due to its cooling thermal nature.

The downside of using green tea as a hangover remedy is that it can irritate an already shaky stomach. To prevent this from happening you should make a lighter, more diluted green tea that isn’t as strong.

Old puerh tea also has detoxification properties but uses a different mechanism than green tea. Puerh tea’s warm thermal nature goes deep within the body and pushes out toxins by diaphoresis, by sweating. Its strong, calming chaqi is also great at soothing a headache and clearing the mind.

Old puerh tea is especially calming for the stomach and promotes digestion. Because puerh tea descends deeply and is warm and comforting, it calms nausea and regulates digestive functioning. In this way puerh tea is especially helpful for hangovers with nausea predominating.

Other aged teas such as Hunan black teas and aged oolong as well as Korean yellows (bal hyo cha) have a powerful effect at harmonizing and comforting the middle. These teas often pour a yellow colour- which connect them to the Earth element, to the digestive system, and to the middle of the body. These teas therefore have a strong regulating function especially for digestion. These teas also have much more sweet flavour than bitter. The predominance of light, sweet flavours suggest that these teas are strengthening. These aged teas and Korean yellow teas have a more mild result of balancing the body and mind after a hard night of drinking.

So whether you are a puerh drinker, a green tea drinker, or whether you are just simply a drinker, chances are there is a type of tea for your hangover.

Here is a link to Part I if you missed it.

Peace

Section 10.- On Drinking Tea

"When drinking tea, the fewer the guests are, the better... Drinking alone is said to be devine"

from Cha Sin Jeon- A Chronicle of the Spirit of Tea, a copy of Zhang Poyuan Chalu recorded by Cho Ui, translated in Korea Tea Classics

Those who do not have a copy of Korean Tea Classics do please follow along and participate by referencing a different English translation available here from The Leaf.

This tea classic will be covered one section a week which will go on for 24 weeks. Feel free to jump in with your commentary at anytime.

Peace

1996 Menghai "8582" Puerh

This tea sample comes from Nada's shop, Essence of Tea. This classic bing looks like it is currently out of stock. Nada keeps a steady flow of tea coming in, so it will likely be restocked soon. The description on his site states that it was stored the last 14 years in Taiwan.

The dry leaves of darkish red-brown smell of clean muted, woody, maple sweetness. On an cold rainy Winter day, what tea could be better?

The first infusion brings with it grassy-wood caramel sweetness. It tastes very clean in the mouth. Although predominantly wood flavours, there is a flash of smooth maple syrup before turning back to wood. The mouthfeel is light, the aftertaste very soft, shy wood. The chaqi is already showing signs of warmth in the chest, where it gathers.

The second infusion has a somewhat empty initial sweetness. This taste is short lived as it flashes into caramel notes then to a slight earthy wood note. Slowly the sweet flavour wavers into a dry aftertaste and mouthfeel. The sweetness doesn't disappear but mellows and lingers in the aftertaste which is long lasting and quite soft. The warmth now travels up to the head and flushes the cheeks.

In the quick third infusion, the taste seems to stabilize. The initial sweetness is more pronounced, in it is a quick flash of complexity. This infusion is smoother in the mouth turning it dry in the end. The forehead is clammy and moist with a cloud of heat warming the chest and lungs. This tea induces calm, quite a relaxing puerh.

The fourth infusion sees the thin wood flavour drag out into dryness. Deeper flavours of earth notes have dissipated. Some malty coco notes are faint but recognizable. A slight camphor flavour pushes its way in. The initial sweetness at the start of the flavour profile has a flash of maple syrup.

The fifth has a richer sweetness to it that now mingles with lighter grassy wood notes. The finish is dry but has a slight velvet feel to it.

The sixth infusion is defined by a juicy wood flavour with soft, sweet high notes that bounce up at the end of the flavour profile. There is a more subtle spiciness to this infusion with subtleties such as floral rose peeking out.

The seventh infusion contains a bland earthiness that seems to be stuck in the throat. There is just a touch of spices amongst its primarily wood taste. The chaqi keeps one feeling warm chested and relaxed as one continues to enjoy this tea.

The eighth is smooth and woody with sweet, very light, almost fruity nuances. There is a soft, slight dry, camphor finish.

The ninth and tenth infusions contain dry woody-grass notes that sedate ones mind. There is a juicy sweetness to these infusions with plum notes in the cup. The mouthfeel has weakened considerably here.

A handful of overnight infusions bring light woody tastes with a sweet finish.

Link to Bret's (Tea Goober) Tasting Notes

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Link to Zero The Hero's (Something Smuggled In) Tasting Notes

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Peace

Section 9.- Putting Tea into the Teapot

"Putting tea into the teapot has an order, do not neglect this principle"

from Cha Sin Jeon- A Chronicle of the Spirit of Tea, a copy of Zhang Poyuan Chalu recorded by Cho Ui, translated in Korea Tea Classics

Those who do not have a copy of Korean Tea Classics do please follow along and participate by referencing a different English translation available here from The Leaf.

This tea classic will be covered one section a week which will go on for 24 weeks. Feel free to jump in with your commentary at anytime.

Peace

Tea, The Perfect Hangover Remedy Part I: General Properties and Effects of Tea

Since its discovery thousands of years ago, tea has been used as a medicine. Perhaps only alcoholic beverages have played a more influential role throughout history. Ever since alcohol has been consumed and people have partied, tea has played an crucial role in easing the effects of alcohol, drunkenness, and, to the joy of partiers now and throughout the ages, the effects of that terrible hangover. Today on New Years Day, the official day of the hangover, lets examine how and why tea is used as a hangover remedy by looking at tea’s general properties, the properties that all tea have in common. Part two that will follow in the coming week will look at which types of tea are best for hangovers and which hangover symptoms these types help to alleviate.

The properties of flavour have a therapeutic effect. Tea is said to have two main tastes, bitter and sweet. A balance of these flavours (along with the three or four other flavours) is a major factor in determining the quality of tea. The bitter flavour is said to be draining while the sweet flavour is said to be strengthening. After a night of drinking, the bitter flavour of tea acts to drain or flush out the alcohol accumulated in the body. The sweet flavour of tea is said to strengthen and rejuvenate our body and our mind. Both bitter and sweet flavours offer a therapeutic benefit for those seeking to rid themselves of a hangover.

Tea has detoxifying properties. Alcohol is a toxic substance. It is tea's nature signal that gives it this property. Tea is a leaf and is the element Wood. It is the colour green and gains its strength in the spring. All these characteristics direct tea to the Liver. The Liver is the organ of detoxification. Therefore tea has detoxification properties, properties that no doubt help relieve a hangover.

Tea is a mild diuretic and also hydrates the body. Alcohol dehydrates the body fluids. We must remember that tea is mainly composed of water. Unlike other beverages such as coffee and alcohol, tea does not dehydrate. In fact, it does the very opposite and hydrates the body. Tea promotes the circulation of body fluid throughout the body because although it hydrates the body, its bitter flavour acts as a diuretic. Because tea is both a diuretic and can hydrate the body, it is beneficial in riding the body of alcohol’s toxic effects and regulating fluid levels in the body.

Tea directs energy upward, allows for the free flow of qi, and is a stimulant. Alcohol directs energy downward, restricts qi, and is a depressant. Actually, taken in small amounts alcohol can promote the movement of blood and qi in most people. Only when alcohol is consumed in large amounts does it result in restricting the healthful movement of qi. The qi of tea rises like the morning sun from East to West. Alcohol thins the blood and prevents it from nourishing the body, it clouds the mind. Tea strengthens the blood and nourishes the body, sharpening the mind. The effects of tea therefore work to balance and regulate the effects of alcohol. When someone is hungover, tea can pull them out of the sluggish, depressing, and hungover stupour that a night of drinking is sure to create.

So when crawling out of bed completely hungover, why not put that kettle on and have some tea. Surely it can help you get the spring back in your step.

Happy New Year!

Peace

This is the last day to enter the contest below, Petr Novak has offered this wonderful prize to the closest guess. Why not just put in a guess for fun?

Double Peace