Myths and Falsehoods About Tea
Despite the fact that we have more and more knowledge about tea, much of the information that circulates about this drink is often wrong or inaccurate. Let’s review some of the most widespread myths.
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Tea and Zen are of one taste.
Sen Sotan
Tea is the beberage prepared from the leaves of a specific plant: the Camellia sinensis, also called “tea plant”. All varieties of tea (black tea, green tea, red tea, wūlóng 烏龍 tea, etc.) come from this plant, and differ only in their way of production.
An infusion is a way to prepare a drink from leaves, stems, roots or other parts of a plant, leaving them in hot water for a certain time. In this way the flavour and the properties of the plant are extracted in the hot water. Thus, to prepare tea it is necessary to make an infusion of its leaves, but not all the infusions are made of tea.
From the moment the tea leaves are collected from the plant, an oxidation process begins naturally in the leaves by contact with the air. This process alters the components and properties of the tea, and can be stopped by application of heat. In this way the different types of tea are the result of a longer or shorter oxidation time. In addition, weather conditions (sun, rain, etc.), soil quality, altitude, age of the plant, etc. play an important role in the flavour of the tea. Bearing this in mind, it is not so surprising, then, that there are countless different varieties.
The Chinese have been consuming and producing tea for more than two thousand years, and have developed a whole culture of their own around this drink, to the point that tea preparation is an art in itself, known as gōng fū chá 功夫茶. As we already know, gōng fū means “mastery”, “skill”; and chá 茶 means “tea.” This expression indicates that a certain degree of gōng fū, of skill, is necessary in the preparation of tea. Gōng fū chá is, then, an art in itself, with an important meditative component, and takes place in an almost sacred space and time: here and now.
This section is therefore dedicated to everything related to the world of tea, from its production to its preparation, as well as all the cultural elements built around it.
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