My mother was not a tea specialist, actually she has many health problems, that’s why she paid a lot of attention of what we eat and drink. She always has the right and wise answers to my wacky questions. Mom was a champion of using different Chinese medicinal herbs in daily cooking according to the change of season. From Mom I learned the wisdom of wok in Chinese kitchen, it further helped me to understand the importance of choose the right quality tea and steeping it correctly to the person I serve the tea according to their conditions. The Confucius teachings from Dad then helped me to realise the importance of keeping a good balance by following the Zhong Yong (中庸) not only in tea steeping but also handling problems in life.
When I was very young, my mother helped me to establish a clear understanding about what is tea. Tea is more than many different kind of tea that we normally know that made from Camellia sinensis, but also include other beverages (which are normally warm) that are good for health and we drink in a cup. It does not matter what kind of tea, the important to bear the following things in mind:
- Authentic quality
- Pure & natural flavor and taste
- Brewing or steeping correctly
- Consume based on understanding own health at the time
- Never to stick to one all the time, adjust with care
The above principle can and should be applied not only for tea made from Camellia sinensis or blended infusion or blending medicinal herbs. After all health is more important to each individual than to compete and to prove who is right or now, which one is better or bad or what much do one have.
The preference in flavor and taste is very subjective which we need to learn to listen and to respect. The attitude towards to tea is same as to life.
Tea is more than a cup of tea, it is a reflection of attitude towards life. It quietly opens a door of life-time learning for us.
