Air
The Breath of Tea
Good tea requires growth on hillsides and mountains because the variations in temperature that affect the air—cool at night, warm during the day—and the corresponding variability in rainfall and dew, affect the growth rates of the leaves— this in turn affects flavor. Microclimates and seasonal variabilities allow tea from each region to develop unique flavor characteristics. In addition, air is required for fermentation and oxidation, critical parts of the tea making process.
Water
The Life of Tea
Water gives tea its life—it courses down the hill sides where tea grows and forms the ecosystem that affects the terroir of the soil—it carries minerals from the rocks and other plants and delivers them to the root of tea, shaping its final form. In your cup, water revives the dormant tea and creates the dance of flavor and aroma.
Fire
The Heart of Tea
Virtually all tea leaves encounters fire in several ways—some through the lightest kisses of fire (greens) and some through several levels of roasting. Fire is a critical component in the tea-making process: it stops fermentation and kills bacterial but also brings out the flavors of teas such as oolongs. Control of fire is a critical test of the tea-maker’s skills— in the right hands, fire gives tea a beating heart that is revealed infusion after infusion.
Earth / Wood
The Body of Tea
The concept of terroir—literally the earth— is the root of tea. Many cultivars are uniquely suited to their terroir. Asian tea trees are long-lived, some trees over a hundred years; their long roots mean they are absorbing nutrients from deep within the earth, which is reflected in their flavor. Over the course of multiple infusions, a good tea displays its complex taste. Great tea, like great red wine, changes with age, revealing different aspects of the terroir at each moment in its life.
People
The Spirit of Tea
Tea requires people to transform it from a simple Camelia plant to tea. Without the careful attendance of tea farmers, the knowledge and hands of tea pickers, the craftsmanship of tea making, the mindful preparations of tea masters, and finally, the appreciation of the tea drinker— we would not have this amazing thing called Tea. It is people which gives tea its spirit.
Earth / Wood
The Body of Tea
The concept of terroir—literally the earth— is the root of tea. Many cultivars are uniquely suited to their terroir. Asian tea trees are long-lived, some trees over a hundred years; their long roots mean they are absorbing nutrients from deep within the earth, which is reflected in their flavor. Over the course of multiple infusions, a good tea displays its complex taste. Great tea, like great red wine, changes with age, revealing different aspects of the terroir at each moment in its life.
People
The Spirit of Tea
Tea requires people to transform it from a simple Camelia plant to tea. Without the careful attendance of tea farmers, the knowledge and hands of tea pickers, the craftsmanship of tea making, the mindful preparations of tea masters, and finally, the appreciation of the tea drinker— we would not have this amazing thing called Tea. It is people which gives tea its spirit.