Tea 4: Dongting’s Jun Mountain Tea

The tea produced in Dongting's Jun Mountain has the colour and flavours similar to Longjing, however the leaves are slightly broader, much greener, and the quantities plucked are very low. Military console Fang Yuzhou once conferred me two jars of it, and indeed it was incredibly good. Afterwards, others have given me this tea as …

Tea 3: Changzhou’s Yangxian Tea

Yangxian tea has the deep colour of green jade, the shape of sparrow tongues, and look like large grains of rice. Its flavour is similar to Longjing but slightly stronger. 常州陽羨茶 陽羨茶，深碧色，形如雀舌，又如巨米。味較龍井略濃。 Note: I think this is yet another green Longjing-like tea. Yuan Mei prefers this class of teas, an we shall see.

Tea 2: Longjing Tea

The mountain teas of Hangzhou are all delicate and refreshing, but the ones from Longjing is the most well known. Each time I return to my place of birth to visit the family tombs, upon meeting the grave keeper he would served me a cup of tea that is clear as water with the greenness …

Tea 1: Wuyi Tea

I used to dislike tea from Wuyi, and found it thick and bitter as if one was drinking medicine. However in the autumn on the year of Bingwu1, I was vacationing at Wuyi and touring Manting peak to visit several temples. The monks and Taoists there fought to offer me tea. Their cups were as …

Tea

If one wants to make good tea, one must first store good water. Specifically, one should insist on storing water from Zhongleng spring or Hui spring.1 But how is a typical household suppose to do this? In any case, rain and snow water can be collected and stored. Newly collected water has a harsh flavour, …

Tea and Wine

After seven bowls, a person turns manic like the wind. Even after just one cup they would not have a care in the world. One cannot avoid mentioning the “six clear”1 items. As such, I wrote the “List of tea and wine”. 茶酒單 七碗生風，一杯忘世，非飲用六清不可。作《茶酒單》。 Note: 1 Important drinks from the Zhou dynasty included: plain water, …