A Tea Reader (24 page)

In the nineteenth century, there was probably no tea growing on the island. Today, the Amore-Pacific group's vast Sulloc tea fields with their tea museum and research institute have made Cheju Island the main center of Korean tea production. Cho
Å­
i and Ch'usa would have been amazed. It is surely fitting that the same company has established a museum just outside Seoul which houses some of Korea's most precious tea relics, including the oldest copies of Cho
Å­
i's texts, his formal memorial portrait, and some relics of his tea drinking.

Cho
Å­
i remained vigorous and healthy to the end, all the time practicing meditation at Ilch'i-am hermitage. Early in the morning of the second day of the seventh month of 1866 he called his attendant to help him get up, sat in the lotus position and entered Nirvana. At the entrance to Taeh
Å­
ng-sa temple, among a large group of stone urns and memorial stones, tea pilgrims can pay their respects to the urn containing the ashes of Cho
Å­
i, the greatest master of Korean tea.

It was moving to stand there, recalling his life story, with crowds of Korean families visiting the temple for an autumn outing rushing past. Few of them will have heard of Cho
Å­
i. Few of them ever drink tea. Very few stopped to think even for a moment of the many monks whose remains rest there. But perhaps Cho
Å­
i would have been surprised to think that after so many years he would still be remembered, admired and celebrated by people who still drink tea in a world so different to his own. He would have been even more surprised at the idea that the texts he wrote more than 150 years ago might be translated into English (a language he probably never heard of) and read across the world. His life story offers a vivid illustration of two main dimensions of the Way of Tea. It nourishes meditative inwardness, that is the Zen of Tea; and it nourishes quiet friendship, that is the Heart of Tea. Our pilgrimage constantly reminded me that our life itself is a pilgrimage, full of moments in which we experience what a Korean poet called “the Mystery of Meeting.” That is the Joy of Tea.

The Tea Lands of Sri Lanka
and India

BY
D
ANIELLE
B
EAUDETTE

It's no surprise that they call Sri Lanka the “Island of Delight,” with its tropical island weather and warm, friendly greetings. We heard “
ayubowan
” (hello and long life) everywhere we went. Our stay here was during their New Year holiday, giving us the opportunity to see many of their holiday celebrations. In traveling through the tropical landscape to the different tea estates, we stopped at roadside fresh fruit stands, an old British-built Anglican Church, and a batik workshop where we saw the beautiful batik artwork being created by hand.

At the New Vithanakende Tea Estate, owner Navaratna Pilapitiya showed us how their tea is manufactured under the most hygienic and modern conditions. This tea estate is situated next to a tropical rain forest in the beautiful mountains of Ratnapura. Their teas were exquisite; my favorite being the extra special grade.

My most tranquil experience in Sri Lanka was when we stayed at the Strathdon Tea Estate Bungalow. We awoke early to catch the magnificent sunrise on the veranda. The bungalow was beautiful, surrounded by rolling hills of tea and a plethora of flowers. When the sun peaked from behind the hills, time stood still for a moment and all the elements of nature created a peace you could feel deeply within you.

After leaving Strathdon, we traveled to the Kirkoswald Tea Estate where Mr. Venmathirajah provided us with an in-depth tour of his factory and a unique visit to the nursery. Here, we learned the process of producing different varietals of tea, as well as how to grow new bushes from seed or a grafted mature plant. This was followed by a visit with Anil Cooke, President and CEO of the Asia Siyaka Commodities. It was enlightening as he explained the “ins and outs” of how the brokerage firm works.

All of our accommodations in Sri Lanka were fabulous, including our one-night stay in the glorious Mahaweli Reach Hotel in Kandy. We were surrounded by endless amounts of brightly colored tropical flowers and trees, had a choice of multiple pools to lounge by off the veranda, and were treated to buffets of exquisite food!

We then traveled to India, where our stay was equally spectacular. Our gracious hosts, Mr. Udayakumar, Owner of the Glendale Tea Estate, and Mr. Vinod Shenai, Group Manager, made sure that our trip was exceptional from the moment we landed. We stayed the entire time in the Adderley Tea Estate Bungalow, situated high in the Nilgiri Mountains, surrounded by tea fields wherever you looked. The grounds were impeccably kept with hundreds of varieties of plants and flowers, each labeled with their Latin and English name, and the staff was outstanding.

Our first stop was at the Glendale Tea Estate in the spectacular Nilgiri Mountains. The Glendale Estate is a leader in the industry for their ethical trade practices and their high standards earned certification from the Rainforest Alliance and from ISO. They provide schooling for the children on their estates as well as education for the workers through their Tea Research Institute. And now, Mr. Udaya-kumar's commitment to education will continue internationally. I'm incredibly grateful to him for the opportunity to share writings from our fifth grade class in Brookline, NH with the fifth grade class on the Glendale Tea Estate, and to begin international communications between the two schools. While visiting with Mr. Udayakumar, we enjoyed an SFTGOP white tea which was exceptionally smooth, along with fried tea leaves that were
Naladiku
—
very good! It was interesting to learn that they've broadened their agricultural production not only with tea, but with a variety of tree farms: cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon to name a few. From there, we enjoyed a tour of one of the only green tea producing tea estates in the Nilgiris, the Glenmorgan Tea Estate with owner Rasik Vadera. Here, they produce a shiny gunpowder tea, along with other types of primary grade green tea.

After visiting the auction house where we watched the tea buyers purchasing at raging speed, we met with Mr. Indrajit Chatterjee of Container Tea Commodities, who refers to his organization as the “voice for the planters.” He explained to us the flow process of the tea from estate to the broker house and how important it is to them that the workers on the estates are well cared for.

Throughout our stay in India, we had the opportunity to have lunch with the owners of the tea estates in their homes. Their wives were incredibly gracious, preparing elaborate eight to ten-course meals, and sharing with us stories of their work in India. In addition to a stop in Coonoor to have spectacular hand-sewn saris made for us, we had the opportunity to ride in the old-fashioned steam train. We started in Coonoor and exited the train with a special stop in the middle of the Glendale Tea Estate. The cramped ride and the fever of excitement on the train conjures up a memory I will long remember!

The last estate we visited in India was the Warwick Tea Estate, now part of the Havukal Tea Estate. We met with the manager, Mr. Surrendra Mohan. This Tea Estate looks like a scene from an Irish countryside—impeccably built rock walls that outline the crossroads of the tea fields with built-in staircases for the tea pickers to climb to get to the bushes. At this estate, they produce a very unusual tea, called Frost Tea. It was absolutely magnificent—slightly dry with hints of honey and a lightly scented aroma of sweet flowers—almost like a very lightly oxidized
oolong
.
As we drove through the estate, we were surprised to find that we had to share the thin, winding road with an enormous water buffalo grazing on the grass on the side of the road! Also grown on this estate are coffee and cardamom plants, where we witnessed a “monkey watchman” chasing the monkeys away with his sling shot. I was very pleased to hear that the Havukal Estate sponsored a school for the mentally-challenged students, which the Havukal owner's wife set up. It was indeed a pleasure to learn that the estates in this region are all well aware of sustainability, the importance of fair trade, and helping those less fortunate in the community.

In closing, take a moment…picture yourself with a steaming cup of freshly brewed tea from yesterday's harvest—seven-thousand feet high in the mountains, surrounded by hundreds of rows of tea bushes glistening in the warmth of the hot sun, and the soft song of Buddhist prayer heard off in the distance. This connectedness with nature, and the beautiful people who labor in the fields each day, reminds me to thank them with each perfect cup of tea I sip.

Drinking Tea in a Back Room
in China

BY
J
OHN
M
ILLSTEAD

There are many perks to being a foreigner teaching in China. The tasty food with its exotic aromas, artistically displayed on round tables with cups of steamy tea on the side ranks high on the list. Another perk is enjoying the magnificent scenery and varied terrain across the ancient lands. I've always enjoyed going on long walks and hiking mountain trails, so it wasn't long before I paid a visit to one of the local outfitters to purchase new gear. I desperately wanted to get back on the trail and start exploring the Hulan Mountains not far from my new home in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Zone in northwest China.

One day, Emily, a Chinese English Teacher and fellow hiker, took me to a living room-sized hiking store. Although it was small, it was packed with all the clothing, gear, gadgets, and equipment needed for a Himalayan-sized expedition. I was amazed at what was available in this part of the world. I soon found myself walking down a short hallway and heard voices coming from an adjacent room. Not wanting to miss out on the latest widget, I stepped into the smoke filled room; I quickly looked around and almost stepped out just as fast.

The dimly lit room had a large table in the middle, old tents and backpacks leaning against the walls, pictures of past escapades tacked here and there, and the skull of a bull nailed in the middle of the mustard colored back wall. Surrounding the table were four Chinese men smoking, chatting, and drinking tea.

Emily quickly grabbed my arm, encouraging me to leave. The men around the table looked up at the strange sight and quickly encouraged me to stay. I was intrigued and talked my way into the room. I quickly found myself sitting next to an elderly gentleman with long gray hair and an even longer matching beard—not typical in this part of China. I didn't (and still don't) speak Chinese very well so I had to depend on Emily to translate. She told me that the man with the beard was a famous explorer and author in China. She said he had hiked the entire length of the Great Wall several times, and scaled many mountains. She also explained that the men were drinking a special kind of tea called
pu-erh
.

I was mesmerized by the way the men sat around the little tea table, sipping the dark tea out of dainty little cups. Although the tea pouring seemed very complicated, the shopkeeper appeared nonchalant as he carefully poured the hot water into the pot, over the tea, into the sharing pitcher and then into the cups. I also took pleasure in watching the shopkeeper as he pried small pieces of the compressed tea from the disk that was wrapped in delicate rice paper.

Four hours later I was dizzy from all the tea, the smoke filled room, and the chatter I didn't comprehend, but I was also hooked on this new discovery. My bladder was begging me to leave, Emily needed to get home, my eyes were burning from all the smoke, and yet my palette was alive and I wanted more. As I stood up to bid farewell to my new friends, I was elated when they invited me to return the next day.

The man with the beard asked me to write down how I became a Christian. He said he wanted to include it in his next book. He also said I could bring a friend. And this I did. I typed up my testimony and used software to translate it. I called an American friend who was fluent in Chinese. He and I returned to the small room in the small shop. We quickly found our seats around the table and started drinking tea—but not for four hours. No, that wasn't enough. This time we stayed for five hours, interrupted with a short break for Chinese noodle soup with steamy chunks of vegetables and fatty mutton.

When we returned from lunch, the man with the beard laid out a long piece of rice paper, picked up a calligraphy brush and dabbed it in a bottle of ink. He then gracefully penned a special word for the shopkeeper to hang in the tea drinking room, near the bull's skull on the mustard-colored wall. A very satisfying day and a nice complement to the
pu-erh
tea, new friendship, and a cool spring day in a foreign land.