Two Takes on Tea

Now on to two more aspects of liquid refreshment – with pictures!

While in China we had many opportunities to drink tea (or cha), but two experiences stand out. I am a big tea lover (I write as I stare longingly into the bottom of a giant mug of tea I just emptied), so I was particularly thrilled by both of these experiences.

The first has to do with traditional tea. We were graciously invited into the home of a student my mom taught last year to drink tea with his family. Upon arriving we noticed a beautiful table of carved wood with different platforms that ran down to a discreet little drain. There were matching stools around the table. When we complimented it, the father of the family explained that he and his friends drink tea at that table on the weekends out on their balcony. This guy was the real deal. We went into their apartment and were seated at the dining room table. Tiny tea cups sat atop a porcelain platform along with a correspondingly little tea pot and pitcher. The father opened a vacuum sealed packet of tea and dropped a few pinchfuls into the pot. He poured water into it, and proceeded to pour the tea into each of our cups. The first cup, he explained, is not for drinking, but rather for washing out the cups. We swirled the tea around and poured it into the pitcher. He discarded the liquid. Then he poured more water into the pot, which he then poured into the pitcher, and then poured into each of our cups. We were invited to drink the tea out of the delicate little cups. It was amazing. Everything I had ever dreamt of a green tea being – not too bitter, not too bold. Light, aromatic, and tasting ever so slightly of sea-weed. Three is considered a good number in Chinese, and tea is to be consumed in three sips – which given the size of the tea-cups works out quite well.

Traditional Tea

We discussed the importance and the tradition of tea. In the incredibly hectic world of China, tea – when done traditionally – is an opportunity to slow down, to sit and spend time with friends or family and enjoy something of ancient and elegant quality. Our host told us that you can tell, based on the name, where a tea is from. And depending on where the tea is from – if you are a connoisseur – you will know what the soil and climate conditions in the area are and what effect this has on the flavor of the tea. Really this is quite like wine. If a wine label says Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Champagne you know where the wine is from, some of its characteristics, and that it has been made to a certain standard of quality. The same is true of tea in China.

Our second experience with tea takes us from tradition to youth culture. Tea, for all its historical and traditional significance (or perhaps because of it), has not escaped the fast food craze. You may have heard of bubble tea, tea with pearls, boba tea, etc. This is tea – green or “milk”(black tea with milk) – that has little, gelatinous balls of tapioca added to it – “pearls.” It can be found some places in the U.S., but the quality in China is world beyond what I have tried, with perhaps one or two exceptions, state-side. And in China it comes with EVERYTHING in it. Okay, that is probably an exaggeration, but let’s just forget the “pearls” for a minute. What about pudding and coconut jellies and bits of aloe and grass jelly – all drunk through wide straws. If you want a new experience try drinking peppermint tea with Jell-O through a straw

Green Tea with Tapioca Pearls and Coconut Jellies

You can buy these kinds of drinks at many restaurants and street-side food vendors, and many, many young people stop by on their way to class, work, or home for a quick refresher. CoCo was our favorite stop for tea, and we were frequent visitors on our way home from work. As in, the people who worked there knew what we liked to order and would try to make suggestions. Regulars in China. Did I mention that this was an incredibly affordable habit? We usually spent no more than $2 each for what would probably have cost us at least $6 in the U.S.

CoCo

My personal favorite was the green tea with pearls and coconut jellies – it’s something to drink, something to eat, cool and refreshing. My mom was a fan of their kumquat and lemon juice, also delicious. I would venture as far as to say that their milk tea is better than a milkshake. You may have just decided to never read my blog again, but I stand by my opinion! Milk tea for a healthier world!!! Or perhaps milk tea milkshakes? Hmmm….

Tapioca Pearls and Coconut Jellies

One of my personal victories in China was using my linguistic skills (from that one intro to linguistics course I took in college), to order kumquat and lemon juice with tapioca pearls and coconut jellies – an item that is not on the menu. Basically I figured out, based on the menu items and which symbols occurred in which combinations, which Chinese characters represented what I wanted in my drink. That was a nice little piece of investigative linguistics if I may say so, and it will always be one of my proudest moments of fending for myself in China.

All of this is to say that, in my opinion, drinking tea is one of the best ways to spend your time in China. Tea is such a great example of how ancient traditions are both preserved in China and caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle of youth culture in the big city – a great symbol of what makes China so fascinating.