Theme - Tea infusion

„Touch:
You, the person brewing the tea is entitled to touch the tea leaves with (clean) hands. What does this contact tell you about the tea? (For me, a 'heavy', compact leave is a sign for a good quality tea.)
Then there is the pleasure of touching the porcelain and to feel it in your mouth. Do you notice how a cup with a different shape will change the taste and pleasure of the tea? And can you find which cup is best for your tea (I tend to prefer old and thin cups).“

„Green tea steeping time and temperature varies with different tea. The hottest steeping temperatures are 81 to 87 °C (178 to 189 °F) water and the longest steeping times two to three minutes. The coolest brewing temperatures are 61 to 69 °C (142 to 156 °F) and the shortest times about 30 seconds.“

„Most of the meditation techniques are using the very same principles we need to perform a good gongfu cha: calm, concentration and a ritual. No wonder we can achieve a very similar outcome! Under good conditions, what emerges is our real Me, speaking from the bottom of our heart. We become the Chinese ideal, a zhen ren, a true man (or woman). We have no needs, no desire. We are fulfilled with the simple happiness of a cup of tea.“