國際茶亭 Global TeaTea Hut& Tao Magazine April 2016 Classics of Tea Emperor Huizong's Treatise on Tea Moonlight White Tea GL BAL TEA HUT Tea & Tao Magazine ContentsIssue 51 / April 2016 Moonlight White This is our second issue in the Classics of Tea series, following the Cha Jing we trans- lated last September. The emperor Huizong’s Love is Treatise on Tea offers a window into Song Dynasty tea, and the lives of some of the ear- changing the world liest Global Tea Hut members. The emperor loved white tea above all else. Moonlight White is a great white tea from the forests of Yunnan. bowl by bowl Features 15 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EMPEROR 19 THE EMPEROR & THE ART OF TEA By Steven D. Owyoung 29 SONG HUIZONG 15 19 THE ARTIST By Michelle Huang 35 TREATISE ON TEA By Song Huizong 35 Regulars 03 TEA OF THE MONTH “Moonlight White,” White Tea Daqing, Jinggu, Yunnan 11 TEA EXPERIMENTS Song Dynasty-esque Whisked Tea 49 TEAWAYFARER Dalal al Sayer, Kuwait © 2016 by Global Tea Hut All rights reserved. 月 No part of this publication may be re- produced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, 光 electronic, mechanical, photocopying, re- cording, or otherwise, without prior writ- 白 ten permission from the copyright owner. From the Editor n April, we move into the heart of spring. Tea buds genres of tea in one book or the many classics we hope are opening to another year’s rain and weather. to translate over the years. And, with the upcoming This flush will never happen again. Though some annual Global Tea Hut Trip, we have of course been dis- of the teas come to our door again, we’re meeting cussing future gatherings and tea tours. These and many Ifor the first time. This is our one chance to meet—our more exciting landmarks are just around the corner for one encounter. For a tea lover, this is the season when the us all. emperor sips the first flush, heralding the official begin- Speaking of the great Global Tea Hut milestones, ning of a year. The teas that are harvested now will define this issue is surely a huge triumph of our story! Hui- many of the sessions we’ll share this year. zong is one of the most important emperors of the Song At the Center, we’re seeing the sprouts of many Dynasty, and one that all Chinese remember from mid- newly planted endeavors begin to arise. We have ren- dle school classes. He tragically lost China to the north- ovated the Center itself to include another tea room ern “barbarians,” ending his life in seclusion. Most his- and an office to create this magazine. Also, we rented a torians suggest that his love of the arts was the country’s quite large garden right next door to the Tea Sage Hut downfall. He neglected the throne to pursue painting, and have begun to plant what will hopefully turn into calligraphy, poetry and tea—brewing his elixir with his a large and abundant source of food. Some of you who own august hands. Critics throughout the ages found haven’t been here in a while will be happy to find out his calligraphy and painting peculiar and surrounded that we have, for some months now, incorporated a his legend with controversy, often suggesting that he put daily, one-hour service period into the schedule. And a his name to paintings that weren’t his own… I hope this few of these hours will, each and every week, be devoted introduction has sparked your interest, and your passion to the cultivation of our new garden. Like the farmers for tea is fueled by the pages to come. who are praying for grace, we also hope that with some The emperor’s Treatise on Tea is one of the most love and hard work, we can improve the diet and expe- important tea texts in history. Adding to the Western rience of the Center by growing as much of our own understanding of tea with the translation of another food as possible. classic swells our hearts! For my part, there is a tremen- As this community grows, all the many and new dous joy in imagining this brightest of characters sneak- ways that this experience is growing from the humble ing off to brew tea in some hidden corner of the palace. roots of a simple Center and magazine, with each of Forbidden from such mundane tasks, he would have you a blossom on the many branches around the world, hidden his tea set away—stealing there to find the same renders us awestruck before the spring fragrance of a solace we seek. You could constellate the tea skies with truly global tree. Some of you continue to ask us how such a scene. Let’s raise a cup of his favorite kind, white you can support. The most important service we need tea. We bow to you, old brother. Be at peace. now is to spread awareness. We would never ask you to speak on our behalf unless you truly felt called to. But if you do love this Global Tea Hut, please let the world know—sing about it through whatever social media you use! Now is our time to grow! Wu De We have begun to look further into the future, when there are many more Global Tea Hut members, and to ask ourselves what other meaningful projects, beyond just building Light Meets Life, we can initiate to change the tea world and to improve the lives of our members. Further Reading We have discussed hiring journalists and photographers Each month, we are also adding the Further Reading arti- to explore tea stories across Asia and find new organic cles to the blog on our site (www.globalteahut.org/blog). This teas, and about ways of contributing more towards month, the best supplemental resource is the Cha Jing from environmental awareness and communication between September 2015, which is now up on the Past Issues page! The organic farmers. We’ve also talked about hardbound blog also has a story of Wu De’s, which present an alternate anthologies of Global Tea Hut articles, like all the seven ending to the emperor's story; one born of spirit! of the here is no greater sentiment sacred—in ourselves, our friends be to boil it, which no one does for a tea lover than to imag- and even Nature. We no longer con- these days. Instead, we steep this T ine the emperor, lord of nect very deeply, not even with our tea at lower temperatures. This pro- the Dragon Throne, and forbidden own families. Tea like this month’s duces a light yellow, golden to clear by the laws of Heaven and Man to is good medicine for that. There liquor that is often floral and fra- partake in any mundane task, him- is not much by way of the intel- grant. The Qi often enters the body self sneaking off to some hidden lect to understand about this tea. through the aroma and/or mouth. nook or alcove of the great palace to It doesn’t fit neatly into any genre As we have so often discussed make tea with his own hands. And of tea, and all you need to know in these magazines, Yunnan is the this month we’re all raising our bowls about it is found in the bowl. It is source of all tea on Earth, and home to our elder tea brother—one of the a “white tea,” but very different than to a tremendous number of tea vari- first members of Global tea Hut! He any other you’ve ever had. Still, we’ll etals, mutations and natural distinc- loved white tea above all else, saying, tell you some details about where it tions. The wild tea trees that grow “White tea is unique amongst all comes from, too. But first, more on in the different mountains often the tea under Heaven.” He devoted white tea. have their own distinct character- a whole section to it in his treatise, White tea is the simplest/least istics. Seed-propagated tea, grown as you’ll soon read, so we knew we’d processed of all tea. White tea is in biodiverse forests with room to have to find a very special white tea picked, withered and dried. It is grow, is what we call “living tea.” to celebrate this month. most often dried in a controlled And every tea seed is unique, result- Of course, tea is processed very way, though traditional white tea ing in a great variety of trees even differently nowadays than it was in was sun dried in the province of on a single mountain. Over these the emperor’s time. They steamed Fujian, where they say white tea last years of Global Tea Hut, we’ve the tea, pressed it and then ground began. It is withered more than explored several mutations from the leaves into powder before com- other teas, often for 24-48 hours. Yunnan, including the famed pur- pressing the powder into cakes. The Like green tea, the highest quality ple-red tea we all love. This month’s terroir, the world and the processing white teas are often all buds, while tea is a similar mutation. We have were all so different that we can- lower grades contain a mixture of also often discussed what living not replicate the lost Song Dynasty buds and leaves.