When in Rome, Drink Tea as the Locals Do

Technically this title is misleading since I will make no reference to the Roman consumption of tea in this article but I’m sure the idea is clear.

Another aspect where this title doesn’t quite encapsulate the theme I’m trying to make is that, ‘drink tea as the locals do’ would be more applicable for tea producing nations where tea is predominantly consumed locally.

This is as teas that are produced in nations where it is predominantly for export and traceable to colonial heritage tend to be produced with the target market’s palates in mind. Hence, for India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and the ilk, it could rightly be said that the ‘recommended way’ would be the British way as opposed to the local way.

Tea is one of the most traveled drinks and wherever it goes, it takes on a local identity. The British are known for their love of tea as a nation, as are the Chinese. But short of the commonality of it being leaves processed from the Camellia sinensis plant based fundamentally on the production method that originated from China, the teas in question are very different.

‘English tea’ (though technically it is the same tea since apart from Assam, all these plants can be traced to northern Fujian) is generally consumed with milk and sugar and served in a cup and saucer. More often than not, the

tea would be prepared in a huge china teapot with boiling water and based on the ‘golden rule’ of “one teaspoon for each person and one for the pot”.

Since until recent years, tea has always been black tea in much of the world that formula would probably suffice. That is until you begin to venture deeper into the world of tea, more specifically what is oft known as ‘Chinese tea’.

*Note that I personally don’t like the distinction between Chinese and English tea since the basis of differentiation is blurred- see here*

If you use that ‘golden rule’ on other teas you would have

i)   Green teas that are over-stewed and bitter instead of being brisk and sweet

ii)   Oolong teas that taste insipid and weak instead of being the connoisseur’s choice

How then to prepare and drink the teas?

The way the locals do of course!

Though I am a gaiwan-evangelist, when I am making sencha I don’t insist that it’s a matter of ethnic pride (or what not) that I brew sencha the ‘Chinese way’.  Generally I would use a kyusu pot for this purpose and cover the lid completely. The water temperature is generally lower and steeping time is shorter than I would for Chinese green teas.

As mentioned, for nations that produce tea predominantly for internal consumption, it is always recommended that you follow the local way first before adjusting for individual palates.

For example as a South East Asia born Chinese, I tend to enjoy belanchan and chilli with everything. But I would invite ridicule if I march into a French restaurant and demand belanchan and chilli to be served with my poulet.

Similarly when I am dining in Michaelangelo’s (my favorite Italian restaurant), I would not ask for a pair of chopsticks to partake of my spaghetti aglio.

Why then do we insist on brewing green tea the ‘English way’?

It gets worse for oolong tea.

Until recent decades, oolong tea is fairly sectarian, enjoyed by southern Chinese- Fujian and Guangdong specifically- as well as migrant communities of the above 2 provinces such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and South East Asia.

Oolong tea has always been enjoyed gongfu style, unsurprising since gongfu brewing originated in Guangdong and spread to Fujian and beyond. In fact, there’s the common argument that oolong tea and gongfu brewing is virtually synonymous as you can read about it here.

What is certain is this- it was produced to be brewed and enjoyed gongfu style. That’s why if you drink a Phoenix Dancong in a huge pot with a teaspoon each and one for the pot, you will inadvertently ruin perfectly good Dancong or any type of genuine oolong as shown in this experiment.

Among other reasons, look at the huge leaves of the Dancong, how many leaves can you fit on a teaspoon as opposed to those tiny ‘English black tea’ leaves?

It’s not a matter of ethnic or nationalist pride but simple common sense that you should try gongfu brewing oolong tea. It opens a whole new dimension to it altogether.

If you go to Guangdong, everyone from the producer to the vendor and the farmer uses either a gaiwan or a Chaozhou or Yixing pot to brew the Dancong. Purchasers- at least qualified purchasers- would test the same way before assessing if the quality was worthy of their brand name.

Naturally you ought to try it in the same manner otherwise you would be short-changing yourself.

That is not to say there is no element for personal preference, certainly I don’t brew Dancong in the exact same manner my Chaozhou friends do- it’s too bitter for my liking.

That is also not to say that you MUST drink like a local- a point that I brought up here when talking about Puer is that I feel it thrives best when consumed in a non-local style.

Ultimately it’s a matter of personal preference but bearing in mind how differently each category of tea is produced and appreciated, it would be a good starting point to try it the way the locals do.

See more articles on Tea Appreciation here