Cha Yi, Chinese Tea Art
VCD, Chinese
ISRC CNC050030900

From the lighter taste of non-fermented green tea to the bolder fully fermented black tea, the varieties of one of the world's oldest and most popular beverages number in the hundreds. China alone produces more than 500 types of tea. Tea is very traditional drink in China and in a lot of countries in Europe and the Western world as well. To the Chinese, tea making and drinking is an art form focused on taste. The Chinese tea ceremony is very different from the Japanese style. In Japan, it is not an art form, but more like a culture. It is more important for them to focus on how to drink tea. All the steps you have to follow are very rigid. But Chinese tea is more like an art form. It's the taste that is more important to use so it's a lot more basic and less complicated.

Chinese tea making may not be as complicated as the Japanese tea ceremony, but there are still some important steps to remember when brewing Chinese tea. Making the perfect cup of Chinese tea begins with cleansing the tea pot and the small cups which only hold about two swallows. The pot is usually made of red sand clay. Tea leaves are then placed in the pot and hot spring water from a glass kettle is poured into the pot until the water overflows. The water is then quickly drained. This process helps to enhance the flavor of the tea. More water is poured into the pot and the tea steeps for less than a minute before it is poured evenly into each cup. Then it is ready to drink.