General Description

Tea started blooming in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. When reading <Tea classic> by Luyu and <Brief introduction on identifying tea> by Huangru, you realize that with the change of time, the tea production varies accordingly. Tea was grinded into fine powder in the Tang Dynasty, while tea took the form of a Golden Dragon Cake in the Song Dynasty.  People pursued ultimate luxury and novelty. They have tried their best to perfect the process of tea procession and sought after fame.  Tea’s real nature has been abused in that way.  If poets, literates, gentlemen and officials will hear about Ming Dynasty tea they will experience a sense of admiration. The tea production and tea making in the Ming Dynasty is very different compared with that in the Tang and Song Dynasty.  The latter valued complexity while the current one values simplicity. The latter adopted the skill of steaming and grinding while the current one adopts the skill of frying. However, tea nowadays has a fresh light colour and a long-lasting flavor. It is not that (nowadays) production methods of the Tang and Song Dynasty are not adopted but it just that they have become more refined and innovated, things not considered by people in the past.  Assuming that Luyu revived, he would have been delighted to witness the delicate production methods and would have been delighted to taste the clear essence of the tea infusion. Hereupon I present ten-chapters <On tea> as a supplement to <Tea record> by Huangru in the Song Dynasty.