In Jet Li’s movie Fearless (霍元甲) there is a scene where the protagonist Huo enjoys a cup of tea with his Japanese opponent a few days before they are slated to square off in the ring:
“It’s not that I don’t understand, it is that I do not wish to. I don’t want to assess the tea, as long as it is tea.”
“But there is superior and inferior tea and difference in taste.”
“What is superior? What is inferior? They grow naturally; there is no superiority or inferiority.”
“It looks like you really don’t understand (tea) else you would naturally be able to tell the difference.”
“To me the quality of tea isn’t dependent on the tea but decided by men, different men make different choices, I don’t wish to make this choice.”
“Why?”
“Drinking tea depends on the mood, if you’re in the right mood, does the quality of tea really matter?”
*Translation by author*
Obviously as a tea vendor and someone who regularly blogs about assessment of tea quality, I don’t agree completely with Huo Yuanjia in the movie. However, he does make a pertinent point- the mood does make a difference.
The same tea, under different circumstances can yield differing levels of enjoyment.
There is a saying:
喝酒喝气氛，图热闹；品茶品文化，重境界
This can be translated as
“[In] drinking alcohol the atmosphere matter, [it] thrives on liveliness;
Appreciate tea is appreciating culture, [it] emphasizes the realm”
Or the setting for tea.
Environment
Ambience matters.
Who remembers anything about the food?
Very often it works the same way for tea.
If you ask people what was the best tea they ever had, very often it was the time they had Dahongpao at Wuyishan or Xihu Longjing in Hangzhou or Alishan Oolong at Alishan, in a tranquil, serene environment where time stood still for that moment as they enjoyed their tea.
In the same way, if you brought your tea to a holiday resort- assuming you brought basic equipment plus water is decent- your tea almost invariably tastes better.
Hearing the waves lap against the shore in a gently lulling rhapsody perfectly complements the soothing comforts of your tea.
Complementary Sensory Pleasures
Some people like to light incense when they drink tea. In fact in certain tea ceremonies, it is one of the steps.
The incense helps one to relax and puts one into the state for enjoying tea.
It is a matter of personal preference.
Same thing with music.
The right music can set the guests at ease and enhance the environment.
Just a note of caution, even if you love hip-hop or other beat heavy music, it might not be so advisable. Personally I find heavy rhythm messes with my own brewing rhythm and internal metronome, even if I pick some music, “unobtrusive” is the operative word.
State of Mind
Ultimately this matter the most, the first 2 are merely to lead one into the ideal state of mind for tea.
Tao Yuan Ming said it best in this few verses:
结庐在人境，而无车马喧。
问君何能尔？心远地自偏。
采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。
Roughly translated it means:
“Though the city is crowded, the noise doesn’t faze me.
If you ask me how this is possible, my heart is in a distant place.
As I bend down to pick the chrysanthemum, I see Mt Nan in the distance.”
Do you see the construction site or the tranquility of tea?
The author is describing though there may be distractions, his heart is tranquil. He sees not what is before him but ahead to a relaxing, calming place (Mt. Nan).
This is what author Zhuo Zuo Ren meant when he said:
“茶道的意思，用平凡的话来说，可以称作为忙里偷闲，苦中作乐，在不完全现实中享受一点美与和谐，在刹那间体会永久。”
-周作人
“Expressed in simple terms, the meaning of Cha Dao can be summed up as stealing a moment of leisure, finding joy amid tribulations; savoring a bit of beauty and harmony in an imperfect reality, experiencing eternity in that flash”
Putting one in the ‘right’ state of mind helps one to savor the tea for what it is and enjoy the moment better.
That is part of the beauty of tea.
See here for more articles related to tea appreciation.