The Biggest Obstacle to Having Good Tea is

“Dans ses écrits, un sage Italien

Dit que le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.

(In his writings, a wise Italian
says that the best is the enemy of the good)”- Voltaire

A relentless pursuit of perfection looks great on a T-shirt but as the old adage goes, the perfect is the enemy of the good.

Possibly the greatest obstacle to having good tea is an unwavering and uncompromising stance to settle for less than perfection.

Here we are talking about ‘perfect tea’ as we understand perfection- flawless. This is to be differentiated from the ‘make the perfect cup of tea every time’ generic ‘advice’ that set the bar too low.

Let us look at some of the factors that contribute to a truly perfect cup:

i) Equipment

Seasoned Zisha (aka Yixing) pots are just part of the story. Tetsubin kettle, olive charcoal, cups that match with the tea.

The list goes on and on.

ii) Water

Spring water and different springs for different teas.

iii) Technique

‘Nuff said- read here for more on this subject.

iv) Environment

Tranquil, quiet environment free from distracting fragrances or odours.

v) Time

Time to brew and appreciate tea in an unhurried manner.

vi) Quality Tea

80% is still a distinction

The list above shouldn’t be daunting; it merely provides a proper perspective on perfection.

Here is the thing- even if every aspect is held constant the same brewer may not hit the sweet spot every single time. Even Babe Ruth doesn’t hit the ball out of the park every time.

But less than perfect tea- depending how ‘less’- is still better than most (if not all) of the alternatives out there.

A Longjing brewed with filtered water may not be as sweet as one brewed with Hupao Spring water but I would take it any time over the best soda in the world.

Times when imperfection is expected

Learning Curve

This can be two-fold, the inexperience of a tea drinker or unfamiliarity with the tea or instruments on hand.

The first is pretty much self-explanatory- everyone starts out as a novice.

Exploring the tea takes time. The ‘golden rule’ that works well for a particular type of tea may not translate perfectly to another version, even if they are both Tieguanyin for example.

Elevation, soil, harvest season, production technique, storage and other factors could have a bearing on the taste of the tea and how best to harness it.

Instruments such as tea wares, kettles are also quite straightforward though arguably the learning curve is generally not as steep.

Time Constraints

Gongfu (工夫) means time, effort or leisure and that is a rare commodity in an urban environment. There are days when we rush from one appointment to another but that doesn’t mean we need to go without tea for the day.

Often I would make tea and pour into a thermos flask to sip from throughout the day. Naturally being an amalgamation of 2-3 infusions (usually I will pick green tea for this) means the taste is not ideal but it sure beats most of the alternatives.

Away from our Tea Set

In the sanctuary of our home (or workplace if you sell tea :p), we can have all our toys at our disposal. Not so if we are in the office or traveling.

Considering we spend the bulk of our working hours in the office, it would make the entire day more palatable (literally) if we have our favorite drink with us, albeit an imperfect version of it.

Drawing the Line

Of course that is not to say there is no floor for it. If so, we wouldn’t denounce the limitations of a CTC tea bag or a pyramid tea bag.

In fact I make no secret of the fact that I usually drink coffee outside because bulk of the tea served outside is not enjoyable.

For instance, last week- against my better sense- I ordered tea in a café. Of the selection available, I picked the most innocuous one a jasmine pearl but it turned out it was devoid of hui gan and tainted with essential oils that gave me a headache.

Somewhat strange considering it was supposedly scented with jasmine (perhaps it was too faint) and the rose scent obscured it completely.

Everyone draws the line somewhere, for me I expect the tea to be drinkable without the addition of milk and/or sugar, which is really harder than it ought to be outside, but that is a story for another post.

A Personal Note

I first fell in love with tea almost 15 years ago but it was only about 8 years ago that the relationship blossomed.

It was the discovery of an infuser mug which allowed me to enjoy tea every day in the office.

Is it perfect? No.

But it was (relatively) close to the tea experience and that afforded me the opportunity to learn a lot more about tea than I otherwise would have if it was restricted to an odd foray during the weekends.

The perfect is the enemy of the good, sometimes it is okay to settle for imperfections.

See more articles on Tea Appreciation here