Get immersed into the world of Chinese tea art
The Chinese tea ceremony is ideal for a calm interaction with friends. A leisurely ritual gives one an opportunity to get immersed into one's inner world or have a leisurely conversation with loved ones. Unravelling of the aroma and the taste of tea is at focus. Being at peace is an indispensable condition for tea drinking.
To hold a Chinese-style tea party, it is reasonable to decorate the interior of the room appropriately: pastel colours are preferable in interior design, one should dim the lights, prepare a low table and soft pillows for guests. All this is required to avoid any distractions from the taste and aroma of the tea.
A traditional tea ceremony involves use of many special elegant accessories, and the tea set in each province of China has its own characteristics.
The water temperature and brewing time depends on the degree of fermentation of the tea. Many types of Chinese tea are brewed at a temperature of +85 °C. To get the right temperature, it is enough to cool the boiling water for a few minutes.
Tea is brewed in a special container called "gaiwan". This is a tea cup consisting of a lid, saucer and a cup, which symbolize heaven, earth and a man. It is believed that a person, being between heaven and earth, finds harmony during tea drinking.
An alternative way is to brew tea in a special teapot made of a special kind of clay – Yixing clay, owing to which the infusion acquires a deep taste and cools down very slowly.
