MANDARIN TEA

Hokitika Guardian, 16 August 1930, Page 3

MANDARIN TEA

• HIT UAL OF KETTLE AND POT,

in two parts of the world, in England and in China, is. tea drinking taken seriously. But although Epglish people, pride themselves ,and. rightly, on the; excellence of the tea they make, they have not quite the fe.spect for it that the Chinese have: AfChinese of high, .birth or of moderate wealth will no,t grudge money spent on-good China' tea, and will spend far more it than a corresponding- Englishman -will; He would not consider 10s a /pound, for iristance, an excessive price. (f'hina tea,' and the best of all is man-darin-tea, the tea which was originally prepared for the mandarins, to be taken at the end of the evening meal, as a defight to the palate and an aid to the digestion. The growing and preparing ofmandarin. tea is still carried on as a little, .industry, in certain villages where the climate and soil, are just right, and where the villagers who grow it sell it direct to the families Avho use it.

The* .tea is. grown, and tended carefully, until,-on, a certain day in the year and,at a certain hour of that-day, it is ready for picking. Then it has to ifejdried: for a, while, and. afterwards Infixed with jasmine, so that the perfume of the flowers may, mingle with the*flavour of the delicate tea leaves. Later, on every scrap of jasmine has to be; picked out againy and the tea is stored in chests made in three layers, with a partition between,,.each, until it is taken away.

But only in watching a Chinese person- making mandarin tea can an Englishman begin to realise the deep reverence the Chinese have for their national 'beverage, for tlie making of it is a. ritual, ip., itself, declare? a, writer in aiij English paper) In the first place, every' , thing must be well prepared before- ' hand; Cups must be got ready, the kettle full, of water, set on the fire, and

the, .teapot must be warmed; But tlie

tepipot must not be warmed in .the way ' itWs..often done, by being filled with, p liqf water and.then emptied of.jt, for it hjj'i.to be .absolutely . : dr.y : inside.; Therew" fotie,. it-m.ufitf.stand-jn a .warm;place so ns.jto bp-Warmed from theroutside, and just before the,kettle- bojk the tea cant bejput 4n;* -. Only a’ vkr [y. little tea, iperhfi|)S;oji:ersmall .spbriptulfpr half aidozpeople,'as; the .subtle; flavour . will be »lost if, it is too' strong. , : S , jfThen, • as' the Lettle'* begins to boil, this/critical guiiofneht approaches. It must bail neither tep; much nor too little asisoo^vas/the; steam' comes out in a fierce stragiht line the, ~ moment . has.

coime for pouring quickly; into the pot.

At,once the lid must-be put 6% and on np. account must the . tea be stirred or ■ ‘ e'ypn,. looked, at until it is ready' for drjnking. Even then, if second cups - afip .wanted the. pot must, not be filled ujl with > hot water,. though water maybe/ added, in the cups. tea;;,df course, must be drunk’ AjifitjiQut, milk or sugar or lemon, or any, o|jjusr additions, but no one tasting it Would..wish to adcl anything, the smell' as£(ne is so sweet and so satisfying. The tggj.te, too, is subtle, and beautiful enough but perhaps one should be Chinese fully ,-toi appreciate it.