The same cup of tea, the same pot of boiling water, brewed with the same technique, steeping the same pile of tea leaves for the same amount of time. Yet, simply changing the person brewing the tea, or even just altering the brewer’s mood and mindset, results in several cups of tea that, the moment they touch the tongue, are distinctly different: some are bitter, some are astringent, some have a hint of sweetness amidst the bitterness, some have sweetness that hits the tip of the tongue straight away, and some reveal a subtle fragrance within their sweetness.
Such a wonderful sensation is hard to believe without firsthand experience. Throughout my life, I believed that the sole deciding factors of tea’s taste were the type and quality of the tea leaves. But today, after experiencing the brewing process, I realized that tea leaves have a soul; they can resonate with the brewer’s state of mind. The flavor of the tea reflects the brewer’s level of calmness when brewing it. Brew with a quiet mind, and the tea tastes sweet as honey. If the mind is restless and irritable, the tea will be both bitter and astringent. When tasting the tea, it feels like communicating moods with a friend, or as if standing amidst nature, shedding physical fatigue and restlessness, letting go of inner pressure, anxiety, and fears of loss and gain. Every time I focus on the brewing process, it becomes a cleansing experience for my inner self.
This world is full of noise, friction, struggles, and chaos, which saturate our lives and gradually make us forget the original essence of living. When we calm down, brew a cup of tea, savor it slowly, reflect deeply, and focus on the present moment, we use our hearts to feel the warm sunshine on our face, the gentle breeze brushing our cheeks, the laughter and warmth of the world, our own breath, the sensation of controlling our bodies, and the fluctuations within our hearts. When the mind quiets, we capture the richness and sweetness of life.
