Instructions: Passage to Chinese Tea is an introduction to the art of Chinese tea-drinking for beginners and covers interesting aspects of tea culture. This bilingual book (English and Chinese) on the fundamentals of drinking Chinese tea is the first of its kind in Malaysia.

The Chinese have perfected the art of tea-drinking over time, ever since Emperor Shen Nong of China discovered tea, quite by accident, over 5,000 years ago.

According to legend, he found that tea leaves possess healing powers and could be eaten or brewed for tea.

Fascinated with his discovery, the emperor tasted many varieties of herbs and shrubs, noted their healing properties and recorded his findings for posterity. The irony of it all was that he tasted some poisonous weed and died as a result.

Yum char is a common Chinese term for having tea. Theres a Chinese saying that tea is one of the seven basic daily necessities of life - besides fuel, rice, oil, salt, soya sauce and vinegar.

In the opening chapter, The Discovery of Tea - Early Uses, we learn that tea is offered both to the dead and the living. It is served to show respect, goodwill, acceptance, blessing and friendship, at weddings, births and burial ceremonies. In Chinese culture, serving tea to guests is common courtesy.

The book cites Lu Yu, who lived during the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 A.D.) and his written work, The Tea Classic, in a picture caption but but gives no details on who he is: "Before Lu Yu, tea was brewed with other ingredients, thus losing its original flavour. Later, upon his advice, compressed leaves were crushed before brewing which resulted in obtaining its true essence.

I discovered that Lu Yu entered monkhood early in life but later returned to secular life. He was best known for summarising the knowledge and experience of his predecessors and contemporaries in the first compendium in the world on tea - The Tea Classic.

Im glad the book explains why the Chinese refer to tea as both char and tey in different parts of the world.

Apparently, when tea was exported using the land route, the Mandarin word for tea, char, was used. Via the sea route, Western seafarers adopted tey for tea, following the Fujian dialect.

Tea leaves are derived from the young, tender shoots of the tea plant and different processing methods are used

(e.g. roasting and fermentation) to make different types of tea. Through fermentation, the green leaves turn reddish-brown. The longer tea leaves are fermented the darker they get.

The Classification of Tea chapter tells of six types of Chinese tea: green tea, yellow tea, red tea, white tea, Qing tea or oolong tea and black tea. Oolong tea is said to be the most refined. Within each group are varieties based on origin, quality, curing and processing techniques.

Photographs of tea leaves and tea infusions along with descriptions of the different varieties of tea - including flavour and fragrance - are useful for identifying tea types. Indeed, theres much a novice in tea-drinking can learn. The colour photographs on how to tell the quality of a brew - normal, good or excellent - are very helpful.

Tips on tea-tasting and storage (preservation) of tea leaves are also given. However, there is nothing like going to a teahouse to obtain first-hand knowledge.

To further savour the art of tea drinking, a chapter is devoted to tea-making accessories. Produced in Yixing, China, the Purple Clay Yixing Teapot is said to be "elegant, classic, yet functionally practical.

When using a new teapot, avoid washing with soap or detergents; instead, soak teapot in a strong tea infusion.

The step-by-step procedure of enjoying Chinese tea is not about pouring boiling water onto tea leaves and drinking the infusion. For connoisseurs, tea-drinking is a discipline requiring patience. The chapter Art of Tea-Making illustrates how to make Chinese tea the proper way and how to tell good tea from an inferior one.

Tea Talk tells readers how to differentiate between the strainer mug and the linden cup.

For those who enjoy ice tea, there are five recipes to try, as well as four tea cuisine recipes. There are also tips on the use of tea infusion and tea sediments.

At the bottom of each page is a picture of a teapot, 121 in all. The index on purple clay teapots reveal their design theme: Buffalo, Elephant Leg, Young Peach or Heavenly Bamboo. Teapot collectors should find this interesting, though its a pity the pictures are small, making it hard to see the finer details.

The fact that this hardcover book is selling well shows that it provides fascinating insights and knowledge on the immensely pleasurable art of tea-drinking

Review by MAJORIE CHIEW

A PASSAGE TO CHINESE TEA

Publisher: Purple Cane Enterprise

Price: RM99

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