Tea-A-O Workshop (11/18/2010@UCI)

Since TAO established in the campus of UCI, we have been part of this big family. This is the second time we are invited back to TAO-UCI' activity. Good leadership can be felt and seen easily before and after this event. Josephine and I enjoyed this evening very much and we love these kids and touched by reading their thank-you cards.

Tea Philosophy in Japanese

On our recent trip back to Taiwan, my father gave this hand written memo to Josephine for her to show me. I posted it on facebook with my translation as:
"Drink water when you're thirsty and have some tea while you're lonely..."
but, Jospehine might be right...not only when you're lonely...it could have much broader meaning with your soul... and tea could heal it all.

We have received great response from our facebook friends on this one.
last week, I thought of writing and forward this note to my sensei, brother CS Lou.

Look what I got in return. Amazingly stated....

" 無茶（mucha）不合理　unreasonable、absurd

無茶苦茶（mucha kucha） 亂七八糟 in confusion，extremely

滅茶苦茶（mecha kucha）一團糟　topsy-turvy

お茶を濁す（ocha o nigosu）敷衍了事 temporize, give an evasive reply

茶化す（chakasu）滑稽化 瞞天過海 mock at　make fun of

鬼も十八番茶も出花　（oni mo jyuhachi bancha　mo debana）
　　剛泡好的三番茶，或初成長的十八歲姑娘，都一樣可口可人。

茶腹も一時（chabara mo ittoki）
A cup of tea may stay hunger for a time.

茶目な　（cha me na）playful，mischievous

日本茶人很理性，記得我第一次到九州，訪問一位當地大茶商時，該社長問
我結婚了沒，那時我已三十多歲，我說有孩子了，他說 “よかった” 好極了。
我好奇地問他，為什麼? 他說一個人結婚了以後，算是 ‘一人前’
ichi nin mae意思就是一個完整的人，否則就是半人分，比較不完整，比較不可靠。"

Baked Pouchong 70439

This morning, I can't wait to taste this tea that Norman and I had worked on during this trip back to Taiwan. (*We found 4 bags, 200 plus lbs old Pouchong tea (1997) sat in Sha Keng Tea Manufactory's warehouse. I suggested Norman to give this tea a trial to bake it with the way we had learned in Yuchih during TOST 2010.)
I use my "Harmony Tea Pot" to make this tea, measure 5 grams with 200 degree heated water infused for about 3 minutes.
I called Norman right away that I will take them all.
This one is just amazingly good. Not like most Tie-Kuan-Yin, this Pouchong is made of Chinsin Dah-Pan, very soothing and a pleasant finish... I believe there are a few tea friends of mine will share the same enjoyment I am experiencing. Plus, this tea is very economical compared with most aged oolongs available on the market.
Good job, my brother.