TEA TALK

Do you know your tea?

In the western world, generally speaking, the folks know their wine. In the east, we should know our tea. This is especially so among the early Chinese scholars and the elite, they really know their tea. How about you, do you want to know?

There are six types of teas consumed by the Chinese :

Green unfermented green leaves that produce a pale and slightly astrigent infusion.

Red fermented, producing a strong infusion but much less popular than green tea.

Black fermented black leaves that produce a reddish infusion with a strong flavour.

Oolong semi-fermented with flavour of green tea and the strength of red.

Brick mixed teas pressed into a block and popular with Russians,Tibetans and nomadic tribes in the north of China

Flower scented good quality green tea mixed with dried fragrant flowers, such as jasmine, rose and chrysanthemum.

In a traditional tea house, “Yum Cha” is not just about having your “char siew pau” and tea. In real terms it is having tea in the traditional Chinese way. A number of factors are involved in making a good cup of Chinese tea. The blend,freshness,quality of the leaf,hardness and the temperature of the water comes into play. The initial temperature of the little tea pot, time permitted for the infusion etc. A good cup of tea should not have milk or sugar added to it. It is almost as taboo as putting ice cubes into your mug of beer!

I would like to organise a talk in a tea house if there is enough SHC members who are interested. May I have your response, please.?

Edwin Chen

40 thoughts on “TEA TALK”

  1. Hi Edwin,
    I am a tea drinker, but with a limited selection only. It would be fun to learn some more about it. Count me in but it will depend on whether I will be free at that time yes?
    Mary

  2. Hi Mary,

    Sure, I will have your name listed here for the Talk and will inform you when the details are finalised. No worries, be happy!

    Cheers, Edwin Chen

  5. Hi Edwin,

    Tks your prompt reply, look forward for the tea session. By the way when is the next meeting session, maybe this time make a point to meet up all the members.

    Tks again

  6. Hi Edwin

    I am a Chinses tea drinker too but know much less than you (because of age, heehee..no lah). Interested to know more about tea brewing but ALSO more interested to know whether any cost involved besides “yum cha” and eating the “char shiew pau”. Weekdays are OUT. No choice leh, still struggling to make a living.

  7. Hi Rene,

    I will put your name in for the interim. Sure, I shall make the needful arrangements that is comfortable to all who are interested. In my mind, we will probably have the talk at a venue somewhere along Tanjong Pagar.

    I have noted your work situation. Have a nice day, Edwin Chen.

  8. Dear Josephine Wang,

    If you are refering to the monthly SHC Meetings, it is on Tuesday 18th September 2007 and the venue has yet to be confirmed.

    Further informations are available but on a different thread.Please check and register if you are attending.

    Cheers, Edwin Chen

  9. Hi Edwin,

    I am interested to know more about Chinese Tea. I also want to know the correct way of drinking Chinese Tea. More importantly I want to know why after drinking Chinese Tea, I cannot sleep ???

    :) Ah Nee.

  10. Qn : “Chinese scholars and the elite really know their tea. How about you, do you want to know?”

    Answer from the daughter of my friend, Mohd Ali : “Why do I want to know abt Chinese tea when you also offer scholars & elites? Pls arrange for them to date me for teh tarik, not with a char siew pau but roti john, rather a noti chong…..”

  11. Hi Edwin,

    Yes we too are interested to know more so please count us in.

    Evelyn Ong
    Fong Ten Meng
    Johnny Loo
    Catherine(bbc)

    BTW Edwin,as we still working, we can only make it depending an the venue and time.

    Cheers
    Catherine – bbc

  13. Hi Edwin,
    I am interested to join you if I am in Singapore. You should choose a date and time, convenient to you.

    Look forward to meeting you.

    Terence Seah

  17. Hi Annto,

    Yes, the boss of Yixing Xuan(Vincent) is an old friend of mine. I am trying to work a deal with him for SHC members.

    Your interest is noted.

    Cheers, Edwin Chen

  19. Hi Ah Nee,

    At the talk, let my friend the tea expert tell you why you can’t sleep! Otherwise, when I reason with you, you will think that I “tembak”!

    Cheers, Edwin Chen

  20. Hi Edwin,

    I’m keen to attend the tea talk to learn more about Chinese tea. Started drinking Chinese tea and kungfu cha at the age of 13 under the influence of my late dad. According to him, Chinese tea was good for the teeth and helped in slimming. It could be true, this is what i am today. Thanks for organising! veronlee

  21. Hi Veron Lee,

    Great, sure need to thank your dad for this piece of wisdom! Your interest is noted, I will be making the necessary announcement in due course.

    Edwin Chen

  22. Hi Edwin

    Pls count me in too. I am also a tea drinker and like some of them, don’t know exactly how to brew it. Would be interested to know more if time/date permit. It will be great if it’s at Tanjong Pagar as we used to lunch there. :)

    Thanks for organising and have a nice weekend !

    Cheers,
    Susan

  26. Hi Edwin

    Is nice to hear that you are organising a T-talk. After the talk session, a cup of tea, no matter which flavour, goes very well music. Attended Japanese tea ceremony in Japan twice, it was a lovely experience, and also Korean tea preparation in Korea. Green tea is now the most popular, with the health expectations, out of drinking the tea daily.

    Alice and I will join you for the T-talk, and of course cups of tea after that……

    Ron n Alice Lai

  27. TEA TALK

    To all who have responded to my post, the boss of Yixing Xuan, an old friend of mine, is currently out of town. I am trying to get in touch with him so as to work out a good deal for our SHC Tea Talk.

    We could obviously have the Talk at other tea houses but this is the only one I know of where the Talk is conducted in standard English(the speaker is a MBA) where others are generally conducted in mandarin.

    By the way, no food is served during the talk, only four blends of tea available for tasting. So, if you have a restrictive religious related diet, rest assured there shouldn’t be any infringement in any way.

    Do check out for further announcements.

    Edwin Chen

  28. Hi Ron & Alice Lai, Konichi-wa!

    Noted, thank you very much.

    I was stationed and worked for a brief spell in Tokyo. My office was then at Kyobashi. Home stayed with a Japanese family at Saitama. Practically went through their normal daily routine. Raw eggs and green tea for breakfast. Yakitori, soba for lunch/dinner etc. “Basin” full noodles!

    Travelled and sanwiched daily in their “sardine” trains, collided with almost everyone during the morning and evening rush hours.Their pedestrian traffic is really out of this world!

    Bath at public baths, observed every two legged creature that our good creator created. Studying every specimen and their differing aspiring assets and oddly artistic protrusions!

    All time, trying real hard to find the true meaning in Kabuki theatre, Zen, the Japanese tea ceremony and hoping to draw an understanding to the varied clash of modern and traditional Japanese culture.

    Arigato gozai masu! Have fun! Edwin Chen

  29. Hi Edwin,

    Been introduced to difference type of tea whenever i visit China. But learnt from a ‘scientist’ that the stimulant contained in chinese tea is much higher than caffeine found in coffee. (That’s why you cannot sleep after dinking it Ah Nee).

    Still confused…
    Like to find out more but my office is far from town, the main reason why i missed so many fun activities.

    Time and place permit, i will be there.
    Thanks for organising.

    Cheers, Joyce

  30. Hi Joyce Tan,

    As in most things, especially so in the area of knowledge, a little more is better than less. Western scientists have been proven wrong many times over in various fields of human endeavour. As with others, what they learnt is through repeated experimentation and what they see from their microscopes. Also, western medicine has a very short history.

    Till today, western scientists are still scratching their heads over the mysterious potency of the chinese herbs “ginseng” and “tienchi”. And still equally amazed with the art of acupuncture and what it does to our bodies. The truth is, over 5000 years of chinese history and countless trials and errors cannot be wrong!

    Many factors contribute to sleepness nights, not just tea. There again, what tea?

    I will try to fit everyone interested for the Talk. Cheers, Edwin Chen

  31. “Tienchi” can mean 2 things – the rice field chicken which the angmohs call frogs, and the herb Edwin referred to……….much depends on whether it’s the “first sound” or the “4th sound”.

    Be prepared for surprise if the invitation is to sample “tienchi” with nothing else said.

  32. Hi Joyce,

    Your explanation sounds interesting….shall we and a few SHC members meet for High Tea. he…he..he….tis time I guarantee I am able to sleep zzzzzzzz ..after high tea…high…high…zzzzzzzz :)

    Ah Nee

  34. Hi Edwin,

    Interestingly, the scientist i mentioned is a chinese who migrated to U.S. for further research into how technology and chinese herbs can cure/improved cancer and general health. I experienced difficulty in sleep myself everytime after a dinner with chinese tea.

    I guess we are talking about ‘tie guang ying’ or ‘pu er’- what we normally get from restaurants here. Of course there is many other tea like those u’ve highlighted above which i’m yet to compare how it might affect my sleep.

    I totally agree with you on the ‘number of factors involved in making a good cup of tea’ and also believe that these factor can make difference effect on difference person depending on the ‘ying’ and ‘yang’ type of body one have.

    Yes, i want to know more. Count me in please, will make time for the talk… and high tea!?

    Cheers

  35. Hi Joyce Tan,

    Yes, it is interesting isn’t it to have a chinese immigrant scientist with, perhaps, western persuasion initiating a study into this field of research in the USA. As no name is mentioned, and I have not had the priviledge to read his research papers, I guess, I will have to abstain from commenting for now.

    Notwithstanding, I know that as a simple rule of thumb, roasted tea leaves is “heaty” and steamed tea leaves is “cold”. However, when a concoction is consumed, you are right, the drinker’s
    “ying yang” body situation takes over.

    Do keep a look out for further announcements.

    Edwin Chen

  36. Hi Ah Nee,

    It is very normal, most casual tea drinkers don’t really know what they are drinking!
    Whether they are actually drinking a blend of tea dust(in bags)or full rolled tea leaves(perfect leaf). But,of course, unless you brew it yourself!

    Just as you walk casually into a “kopi tiam” and ask for “kopi O”, will you ask for a particular type of coffee seeds? It doesn’t happen. Unless, you are in a boutique cafe or specialist joint. Still?

    A common feature these days, the beverages served from a dispenser! For sheer “gulping only type” blend!!

    Cheers, Edwin Chen

  39. TEA TALK

    This message is meant for those who are TERRIBLY IMPATIENT.

    Tea Talk is available at S$15 per person(without food)and $25 per person(with food).
    You can contact Yixing Xuan directly and do your own booking arrangements.

    Now, for those who are still with me, please wait for my further announcement.

    Thank you.
    Edwin Chen

  40. Edwin @ 39

    Don’t worry. No rush.

    All Sporeans are trained in the Temple of Infinite Patience.

    If we can wait for CPF, we can wait for your tea tasting event. The journey is the end.

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