2009年1月30日 星期五

松潘~中国~「バター茶」

一般茶屋的茶一碗一元 麻將四小時
松潘 ~中国~
街の「バター茶」
大通りから入った路地で、何やら黄色い食べ物が売られているのを発見。
見ていると売り 子のお姉さんがわざわざ作ってくれました。黄色の食べ物とはヤクのバター、バター茶にするそうです。もとはチベット族の飲み物だったバター茶ですが、松潘 では、多くの人々に朝食として親しまれています。高地でしか採れないザンパーという麦に、チーズに砂糖、そしてバターをお湯に溶き、あっという間にできあ がり。ヤクの牛乳から採ったバターは、とても栄養があるそうです。美味しそうに飲むお姉さんの表情がとても印象的でした。
街の「バター茶」

柚子茶 包裝科技

柚子茶 可能多種
傳統上 果醬加蜂蜜等 沖開水或加入綠茶等
柚子茶 包 如Mr. Tea 出品



日本重視包裝科技
伊藤園、キャップを開けて、振って飲む「お~いお茶 ふっておいしい抹茶玄米
日経トレンディネット
伊藤園は、振って混ぜ合わせることで、作りたての新鮮な抹茶玄米を味わえる「お~いお茶 ふっておいしい抹茶玄米」を2009年2月2日発売する。275mlペットボトルで、希望小売価格は158円。 遮光性と密封性に優れた特殊素材を使った「パウダーインキャップ」を採用。 ...

2009年1月27日 星期二

A cup of hot tea

Really?

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
A cup of hot tea is an age-old balm for sniffles, sneezing and stuffiness.



Really?

The Claim: Hot Liquids Can Ease Symptoms of a Cold or Flu


Published: January 26, 2009

THE FACTS

Like ice for a burn or a lozenge for a cough, a cup of hot tea is an age-old balm for sniffles, sneezing and stuffiness.

Hot liquids, it is said, help loosen secretions in the chest and sinuses, making them easier to expel and ultimately clearing up congestion.

The fluids are also meant to reverse dehydration.

But only recently have scientists examined whether the effect is real. In December, researchers at the Common Cold Center at Cardiff University in Britain looked at whether hot beverages relieved the symptoms of 30 people suffering from the flu or common cold any better than drinks at room temperature. They found that the contrast was marked.

“The hot drink provided immediate and sustained relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness,” they reported, “whereas the same drink at room temperature only provided relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough and sneezing.”

While this was the first study to look specifically at the effects of hot drinks on cold and flu symptoms, others have looked at hot foods like chicken soup and had similar results.

Chicken soup also contains cold-fighting compounds that help dissolve mucus in the lungs and suppress inflammation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Research confirms that a hot beverage can reduce congestion and other cold and flu symptoms.

scitimes@nytimes.com


2009年1月25日 星期日

甘減茶

廣告 日文天文觀察

甘減茶
是專為糖尿病治療而研發的飯後控制血糖上升具有奇效的茶。

ゴールド甘減茶 公式ウェブサイト 甘減茶房

- [ 翻譯此頁 ]糖尿病により、血糖値・ヘモグロビンA1c・体脂肪が気になる方に血液さらさら大評判のギムネマシルベスタが主成分の血糖値と闘うお茶「ゴールド甘減茶」の専門店です。

2009年1月24日 星期六

in favour of a cup of tea

Psychology

Motivating minds

Jan 22nd 2009
From The Economist print edition

People procrastinate when asked to think in the abstract


TO SOME there is nothing so urgent that it cannot be postponed in favour of a cup of tea. Such procrastination is a mystery to psychologists, who wonder why people would sabotage themselves in this way. A team of researchers led by Sean McCrea of the University of Konstanz, in Germany, reckon they have found a piece of the puzzle. People act in a timely way when given concrete tasks but dawdle when they view them in abstract terms.

何人可茶 當歸紅棗茶

何人可茶
"預防感冒發熱消暑解膩 薄荷乾薑之類草本進近十種...."鍾怡雯 "我和我豢養的宇宙" 頁154-55
"當歸紅棗茶" 頁155

2009年1月19日 星期一

Storming the Teacup


Storming the Teacup

loose leaf tea
LOOSE LEAF: White silver-tip tea, an ideal — if expensive — pick-me-up
BEN COWLIN

George Orwell called it a mainstay of civilization; William Gladstone praised its revitalizing powers. But to Henrietta Lovell, founder of London's Rare Tea Company, the traditional British cuppa is overrated. "People in the U.K. are used to drinking really cheap, industrially produced tea," she says.

Determined to get Brits to try new brews, Lovell's Rare Tea Company (www.rareteacompany.com) sources and sells exclusive, uncommonly tasty teas from Asia and Africa. It was on a business trip to Asia in 2000 that Lovell, a former project manager, discovered her passion for a superior sip. "In China, businesspeople would show off by buying a $120 pot of tea at lunch," she says. "I'd never tasted anything like it." Made from leaves grown and processed on small mountain gardens, those exquisite infusions were far removed from the bland British teabag — which can contain leaves from up to 60 factory farms. "I realized that Britain was drinking the equivalent of blended whiskey," recalls Lovell. "We'd never tried the single malt of the tea world."

Lovell now imports 14 hand-harvested whole-leaf teas, ranging from a delicate, grassy white silver-tip tea ($10 for 25 g) made from spring buds grown in China's Fujian mountains, to the robust, olive tones of the Satemwa Estate black tea ($15 for 50 g), cultivated on the slopes of Malawi's Mount Thyolo. Although Lovell's leaves can be found in the mugs of Hollywood royalty (Anjelica Huston's a fan), they have also captivated regular tea lovers. "I got the builders who worked on my flat addicted to jasmine and white silver tip," she laughs. "And I've even persuaded London taxi drivers to take tea instead of money."

A Brewer's Art
Making the perfect tea requires good leaves and a light touch

1 Place a pinch of leaves in your teapot and boil some freshly filtered water. If you're making white, green or black tea, stop the kettle just before it boils. Otherwise, the tea will taste more tannic and less sweet.

2 High-quality whole leaves can be re-infused numerous times, but lose their flavor if left soaking in hot water — so measure out the water in the required number of cups before pouring it into the teapot.

3 White silver-tip tea should be left to brew for 4-6 minutes. Green, black and oolong only need 3 minutes.

4 When serving, pour out all of the tea. The remaining leaves will be relatively dry and ready to use again. The water penetrates deeper into the leaves with each infusion, revealing new flavors.

5 Drink your cuppa neat. Don't spoil it with milk or sugar.

2009年1月18日 星期日

重遊張岱的感官之旅史景遷

史景遷
溫洽溢/譯  (20090118)




重遊張岱的感官之旅

 (20090118)




 張岱是公認的明代散文大家,其著名作品「陶庵夢憶」、「西湖夢尋」等堪稱晚明小品文的代表。出身仕宦家庭,性喜遊山玩水,深諳園林佈置之法;既懂音樂,又擅彈琴、戲曲、品茗。但清兵入關後,張岱的別墅、家園、書畫古玩收藏,悉數毀於戰火。帶著倖存的家人逸隱於紹興龍山,他開始以務農為生,餘生力修明史,八十八歲方成,是為「石匱書」,書成後不久亡故。美國耶魯大學歷史系講座教授史景遷,身為中國近現代史專家,他認為張岱不僅是史家,也是熱愛生活的文人。史景遷著作「前朝夢憶──張岱的浮華與蒼涼」,書寫張岱的一生、內心轉折及過往追憶,同時更深層探討身為知識份子,張岱是如何藉由回憶以及修史確立自己的存在價值。唯有捕捉消逝的回憶,才能坦然面對、甚或抵抗世事的變遷與生命的無常。本文即摘錄自「前朝夢憶──張岱的浮華與蒼涼」一書,該書將於二月上旬由時報文化出版。──編者

 張岱當年的居處前有廣場,入夜月出之後,燈籠也亮起,令他深覺住在此處真「無虛日」,「便寓、便交際、便淫冶。」身處如是繁華世界,也實在不值得把花費掛在心上。張岱飽覽美景,縱情弦歌,畫船往來如織,周折於南京城內,簫鼓之音悠揚遠傳。露臺精雕細琢,若是浴罷則坐在竹簾紗幔之後,身上散發出茉莉的香氣,盈溢夏日風中,但見嫵媚歌伎,執團扇、著輕紈,鬢髻緩傾。燈籠初燃,蜿蜒連蜷於河道之上,朦朧如聯珠,「士女憑欄轟笑,聲光凌亂,耳目不能自主。」一直要到夜深,火滅燈殘,才「星星自散」。



 燈籠與河道
 燈籠、河道甚教張岱神往,他所留下對年幼的追憶也與燈籠、河道有關。張岱三歲的時候,家中老僕帶他到王新的屋外去賞燈。王新是名鑑賞家、古玩蒐藏家,也認識張岱的母親。小小年紀的張岱坐在老僕肩上,於是四周景物都能盡收眼底:燈籠晶瑩剔透,綵花珠燈,羊角燈外罩纓絡,描金細畫,穗花懸掛,張燈百盞。張岱後來回憶此景,覺得雖是流光奪目,當年看來卻是覺得有所不足。燈籠不夠亮,也不夠密,燈籠之間仍有燭光不及的暗處,往來行人必須小心摸索,甚至得自己提著燈。賞燈雖是一大盛事,但總會聽到有人抱怨諸多不便。

 這類往事栩栩如生,深深烙在張岱的心中:「從巷口回視巷內,複疊堆垛,鮮妍飄灑,亦是動人。」紹興城內的十字街會搭起彩繪木棚,棚子裡頭懸掛一只大燈,燈上畫有《四書》、《千家詩》的故事,或是寫上燈謎,眾人擠在大燈之下,抬頭苦思謎底。庵堂寺觀也以木架作燈柱掛燈,門楣上寫著「慶賞元宵」、「與民同樂」。佛像前有紅紙荷花,琉璃火盞,熠燈生輝。附近村民都會著意打扮,進城東穿西走,團簇街頭,擠擠雜雜買些東西。城內的婦人女子或是挽著手同遊,或是雜坐家戶門前,嗑瓜子、吃豆糖,至夜深才散去。

 張岱對河道最早的印象也是來自幼年經驗。張岱五歲曾隨母親至紹興城東的曹山庵禮佛。曹山庵居高臨池,這處水池是三十多年前張岱外祖父為放生所鑿。那天天氣燠熱,張岱母子泛著小舟,浮於池上,四只西瓜置於竹籃內,浸在水中,使其冰涼。張岱記得,有條「大魚如舟」,突然衝撞舟底,把小舟幾乎撞翻,把舟上香客船伕嚇得魂飛魄散,那大魚將四只西瓜悉數吞去便迅速潛沒,留下水面的一道波紋。

 多年之後,當年的場景又重演,但這次更為驚心動魄。此時張岱四十一歲,到杭州城外不遠處弔祭故交,有人約他去觀海潮。張岱久聞觀潮乃當地一大盛況,值得一看,海潮自江口洶湧而來,當地文人墨客無不頌讚。但是張岱親眼見過之後,卻總是失望而歸。不過,張岱這次還是去了,兩個朋友尾隨而至,攀爬到塘上,但見濤天巨浪,奔騰而來,令張岱大開眼界。

 潮水從海寧的方向過來,遠則有如受到驚動而振翅飛起的千百小鵝,近則如百萬白獅奔騰。潮水再接近,則颳起大風,看的人都趕緊走避。等到潮水以雷霆之勢打到堤岸,濺起數丈水花,在半空飛舞,看得張岱心驚目眩,坐了半天,心神才稍定。

 雪蘭茶飲法
 凡有往事襲上心頭,無論大小,總能教張岱逸神,琢磨箇中況味。他隨筆記下:「甲寅夏,過斑竹庵,取水啜之,磷磷有圭角,異之。走看其色,如秋月霜空,噀天為白。又如輕嵐出岫,繚松迷石,淡淡欲散。」張岱心想,不知以此水煮茶,滋味如何?於是試了幾回,發覺泉水若置放三宿,待石腥味散去,而後用來煮茶,更能烘托茶香。若是取水入口渦捲,以舌舐顎,泉水特有的味道更為明顯。

 張岱總是想嘗試各種新奇口味,還鑽研各種蘭雪茶的飲法。張岱曾養過一頭牛,研製做乳酪的方法。張岱取乳之後,靜置一夜,等到乳脂分離。以乳汁一斤、蘭雪茶四甌,攙和置於銅壺,久煮至既黏且稠,如「玉液珠膠」。待其涼後,張岱認為其吹氣勝蘭如「雪腴」,沁入肺腑似「霜膩」。張岱還拿它做更多的嘗試:以當地佳釀同入陶甑蒸之,或攙入豆粉發酵,或煎酥,或縛餅,或酒凝,或鹽醃。也可用蔗漿霜溫火熬之、濾之、鑽之、掇之、印模成帶骨鮑螺狀。無論何種料理妙方,張岱都將烹調祕訣鎖密房,以紙封固,雖父子不輕傳之。」

 不出五年,也就是約當萬曆四十八年(一六二○年),張岱和三叔命名的蘭雪茶已經甚受名家青睞。但是卻有不肖商賈以蘭雪之名,在市場上哄售劣質茶,而飲者似乎並不知道。後來,就連斑竹庵禊泉的水源也不保。前有紹興商人以此泉釀酒,或在泉水旁開茶館,後又有地方貪官一度封泉,想將泉水據為私有。這反倒讓斑竹庵禊泉的聲名更大,引來無賴之徒,向庵內僧人討食物、柴薪,若是不從便咆哮動粗。最後,僧人為了恢復昔日寧靜,就把芻穢、腐竹投入泉水,決庵內溝渠以毀泉水。張岱三度攜家僕淘洗,僧人也三度在張岱離去又毀泉。張岱最後只好作罷,但說來諷刺,一般人還是難擋「禊泉」的昔日名氣,繼續以斑竹庵不潔的水來煮茶,還盛讚水質甘冽。

 但是,這種事情張岱也看開了,而且他也深諳水源流通之理。他寫到另一處清泉時說:「惠水涓涓,繇井之澗,繇澗之谿,繇谿之池、之廚、之湢,以滌、以濯、以灌園、以沐浴、以淨溺器,無不惠山泉者。」所以,張岱認為,「福德與罪孽正等。」

 尋燈匠
 張岱越是發展某種感官,品味也愈是因而改變。張岱既然求好燈,自然也會尋訪造燈的巧匠。張岱找到一位福建的雕佛師傅。這位師傅雕工極細,撫台曾請他造燈十架,耗時兩年才完成。可惜燈還沒造成,撫台就已辭世;當地一名李姓官員也是紹興人,將燈藏在木櫝中,帶回紹興。李某知張岱好燈,便把燈送給張岱。張岱不願無端受禮,當場就以五十兩白銀酬謝李某。五十兩不是個小數目,但是張岱認為這還不及真正價值的十分之一。在張岱心中,這十座燈成為他蒐藏的壓箱寶。

 其他巧匠的作品也充實了張岱的收藏。紹興匠人夏耳金擅長剪綵為花,再罩以冰紗;張岱大嘆巧奪天工,「有煙籠芍藥之致」。夏耳金還會用粗鐵絲界畫規矩,畫出各種奇絕圖案,再罩以四川錦幔。每年酬神,夏耳金一定會造燈一盞,等到慶典結束之後,常常以張岱所出的「善價」賣給他。張岱還辦了龍山燈展,為此向南京巧匠趙士元購燈。趙士元精於造夾紗屏與燈帶,當地匠人無人能及。張岱的蒐藏品日豐,他也發現家中有一小廝很會保養燈,「雖紙燈亦十年不得壞,故燈日富。」

 迷琴
 張岱的癖好常常變來變去,難以持久,但是他寫到這些癖好時,卻彷彿是入迷極深,足以為安身立命的依託。張岱開始嘗試各種泡製蘭雪茶之後過了兩年,他又迷上了琴。萬曆四十四年(一六一六年),時年十九的張岱說動了六個心性相投、年紀相近的親友跟他一同學琴。張岱的說法是,紹興難求好琴師,如果不常練琴的話,琴藝就無法精進。張岱寫了一篇雅致的小檄文,說締結「絲社」的目的是要社員立約每月三會,這比他們「寧虛芳月」要好得多。若能定期操琴,便能兼顧紹興琴歌、澗響、松風三者;一旦操練得法,「自令眾山皆響」。這些念頭常放在心裡,便能「斜暢風神」,而「雅羨心生於手」。

 張岱的陳義高蹈,並不是人人能及,張岱的姪子燕客曾參加絲社,但仍是不通音律。范與蘭雖然有興趣,但是進步仍然有限。范與蘭有一陣跟某琴師學琴甚勤,努力得其神韻,後來改投另一琴師門下。沒過多久,范與蘭盡棄所學,又拜師從頭學起,如此復始數次。張岱寫道:「舊所學又銳意去之,不復能記憶,究竟終無一字,終日撫琴,但和弦而已。」張岱認為自己比較高明,拜各家名師學藝,勤加練習而至「練熟還生」,能刻意奏出古拙之音。張岱有時會同琴師一位、琴藝最精的同學兩位,四人常在眾人前合奏,「如出一手,聽者皆服。」

 鬥雞
 到了天啟二年(一六二二年),二十五歲的張岱又迷上鬥雞,與一干同好創鬥雞社。鬥雞的風氣在中國至少盛行兩千年,早有一套磨練鬥狠的祕技。鬥雞通常進行三回合,鬥到雞死方休。據說鬥雞名師能把鬥雞調教得靜如處子、動如脫兔,對聲響、陰影無動於衷,臨陣對敵不露情緒。上品鬥雞應如機械,教對手望之喪膽卻走。文獻記載,訓練有素的鬥雞「羽豎、翼鼓、嘴尖、爪利、沉著、冷靜克敵」。
 張岱創絲社寫檄文,創鬥雞社也是如此;不過張岱此舉已有先例,八世紀的唐代詩人王勃寫過《鬥雞檄》。張岱的二叔張聯芳在古玩、藝術品的蒐藏很有名,他也是鬥雞社的基本成員。叔姪兩人下重注鬥雞,賭金有「骨董、書畫、文錦、川扇」。根據張岱的記述,二叔十賭九輸,愈輸愈惱。最後,二叔竟然把鐵刺綁在鬥雞的爪上,還在翅膀下灑芥末粉──這是自古以來就有的訓練方法,也為鬥雞所容許。後來,張岱知道自己與唐玄宗命盤相同,而唐玄宗好鬥雞又亡其國,於是張岱便以鬥雞不祥為由,結束了鬥雞社,叔姪倆才又和好。
 蹴踘
 天啟三年初,張岱才剛戒了鬥雞,又與弟弟、友人迷上看「蹴踘」(類似足球)。所謂的蹴踘並不是一般的運動比賽,而是一種動作靈巧、身形優雅的技藝形式,玩蹴踘的人必須盡可能讓球近身。蹴踘這門技藝也是歷史悠久,男女、廷臣、常民都可參與,有時還結合了其他的運動與賭博。張岱這麼描寫一位善蹴踘的人,「球著足,渾身旋滾,一似黏涕有膠,提掇有線,穿插有孔者。」有些技藝非凡的蹴踘玩家,本身也是梨園弟子,張岱家中戲班裡就有幾個人是如此,因為張岱也迷上看戲,精研唱腔、身段、扮相。

 結社
 張岱與親友結成的詩社歷時最長。他們定期聚會,就題吟詩,共賞購得的珍稀古玩,想出有典故又妥切的名稱。等到這群人對吟詩失了興味之後,便碰面「合采牌」,但用的不是一般骨牌,而是張岱自己設計的紙牌。紙牌各有名目,是明人生活不可或缺的娛樂,文人武將都很熱中。張岱的侄子燕客學琴雖然不成,但這人卻很有想像力,很會設計新牌戲,取類似之牌,從中推陳出各種色彩名目的牌子。

 張岱還提到親友的其他結社:祖父張汝霖立「讀史社」,有個叔叔成立「噱社」,張岱的父親喜歡和三五好友,考據舊地名辭源,以地名來想謎題。而張岱自己最喜歡的是「蟹會」,不過他沒說是什麼時候創會的。陰曆十月正是河蟹當令,蟹螯色紫且肥,蟹會只在十月的午後聚會。蟹會吃蟹,不加鹽醋,只嘗其原味。每個人分到六只蟹,迭番煮之,使蟹的每個部位皆獨具風味:膏膩堆積如玉脂珀屑,紫螯巨如拳,小腳油油且肉出。但是為了不使烹煮過度而傷了風味,所以每只蟹都是個別蒸煮,再依序分食。

花茶農藥超過標準

消保會抽查12件菊花茶,發現有11件不合格,產地包含台灣、大陸、德國,其中更有連產地都沒標明的產品。最誇張的就是其中一件來自大陸的菊花茶,農藥殘留超過標準兩百倍。 可怕的是,這些含農藥的花草茶,有些還是來自知名大賣場,目前消保會已經要求通通下架,未來還會進行複查,如果還是不合格,依法可處3到15萬元罰鍰。

2009年1月16日 星期五

Pu’er Bubble Bursts

A County in China Sees Its Fortunes in Tea Leaves Until a Bubble Bursts

Justin Mott for The New York Times

Workers at a tea factory in Menghai county in Yunnan Province.


Published: January 16, 2009

MENGHAI, China — Saudi Arabia has its oil. South Africa has its diamonds. And here in China’s temperate southwest, prosperity has come from the scrubby green tea trees that blanket the mountains of fabled Menghai County.

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Menghai is in a lush, mountainous tea-growing region.

Over the past decade, as the nation went wild for the region’s brand of tea, known as Pu’er, farmers bought minivans, manufacturers became millionaires and Chinese citizens plowed their savings into black bricks of compacted Pu’er.

But that was before the collapse of the tea market turned thousands of farmers and dealers into paupers and provided the nation with a very pungent lesson about gullibility, greed and the perils of the speculative bubble. “Most of us are ruined,” said Fu Wei, 43, one of the few tea traders to survive the implosion of the Pu’er market. “A lot of people behaved like idiots.”

A pleasantly aromatic beverage that promoters claim reduces cholesterol and cures hangovers, Pu’er became the darling of the sipping classes in recent years as this nation’s nouveaux riches embraced a distinctly Chinese way to display their wealth, and invest their savings. From 1999 to 2007, the price of Pu’er, a fermented brew invented by Tang Dynasty traders, increased tenfold, to a high of $150 a pound for the finest aged Pu’er, before tumbling far below its preboom levels.

For tens of thousands of wholesalers, farmers and other Chinese citizens who poured their money into compressed disks of tea leaves, the crash of the Pu’er market has been nothing short of disastrous. Many investors were led to believe that Pu’er prices could only go up.

“The saying around here was ‘It’s better to save Pu’er than to save money,’ ” said Wang Ruoyu, a longtime dealer in Xishuangbanna, the lush, tea-growing region of Yunnan Province that abuts the Burmese border. “Everyone thought they were going to get rich.”

Fermented tea was hardly the only caffeinated investment frenzy that swept China during its boom years. The urban middle class speculated mainly in stock and real estate, pushing prices to stratospheric levels before exports slumped, growth slowed and hundreds of billions of dollars in paper profits disappeared over the past year.

In the mountainous Pu’er belt of Yunnan, a cabal of manipulative buyers cornered the tea market and drove prices to record levels, giving some farmers and county traders a taste of the country’s bubble — and its bitter aftermath.

At least a third of the 3,000 tea manufacturers and merchants have called it quits in recent months. Farmers have begun replacing newly planted tea trees with more nourishing — and now, more lucrative — staples like corn and rice. Here in Menghai, the newly opened six-story emporium built to house hundreds of buyers and bundlers is a very lonely place.

“Very few of us survived,” said Mr. Fu, 43, among the few tea traders brave enough to open a business in the complex, which is nearly empty. He sat in the concrete hull of his shop, which he cannot afford to complete, and cobwebs covered his shelf of treasured Pu’er cakes.

All around him, sitting on unsold sacks of tea, were idled farmers and merchants who bided their time playing cards, chain smoking and, of course, drinking endless cups of tea.

The rise and fall of Pu’er partly reflects the lack of investment opportunities and government oversight in rural Yunnan, as well as the abundance of cash among connoisseurs in the big cities.

Wu Xiduan, secretary general of the China Tea Marketing Association, said many naïve investors had been taken in by the frenzied atmosphere, largely whipped up by out-of-town wholesalers who promoted Pu’er as drinkable gold and then bought up as much as they could, sometimes paying up to 30 percent more than in the previous year.

He said that as farmers planted more tea, production doubled from 2006 to 2007, to 100,000 tons. In the final free-for-all months, some producers shipped their tea to Yunnan from other provinces, labeled it Pu’er, and then enjoyed huge markups.

When values hit absurd levels last spring, the buyers unloaded their stocks and disappeared.

“The market was sensationalized on purpose,” Mr. Wu said, speaking in a telephone interview from Beijing.

With its near-mythic aura, Pu’er is well suited for hucksterism. A favorite of emperors and imbued with vague medicinal powers, Pu’er was supposedly invented by eighth-century horseback traders who compressed the tea leaves into cakes for easier transport. Unlike other types of tea, which are consumed not long after harvest, Pu’er tastes better with age. Prized vintages from the 19th century have sold for thousands of dollars a wedge.

Over the past decade, the industry has been shaped in ways that mirror the Western fetishization of wine. Sellers charge a premium for batches picked from older plants or, even better, from “wild tea” trees that have survived the deforestation that scars much of the region. Enthusiasts talk about oxidation levels, loose-leaf versus compacted and whether the tea was harvested in the spring or the summer. (Spring tea, many believe, is more flavorful.)

But with no empirical way to establish a tea’s provenance, many buyers are easily duped.

“If you study Pu’er your whole life, you still can’t recognize the differences in the teas,” said Mr. Wang, the tea buyer. “I tell people to just buy what tastes good and don’t worry about anything else.”

Among those most bruised by the crash are the farmers of Menghai County. Many had never experienced the kind of prosperity common in China’s cities. Villagers built two-story brick homes, equipped them with televisions and refrigerators and sent their children to schools in the district capital. Flush with cash, scores of elderly residents made their first trips to Beijing.

“Everyone was wearing designer labels,” said Zhelu, 22, a farmer who is a member of the region’s Hani minority and uses only one name. “A lot of people bought cars, but now we can’t afford gas so we just park them.”

Last week, dozens of vibrantly dressed women from Xinlu sat on the side of the highway hawking their excess tea. There were few takers. The going rate, about $3 a pound for medium-grade Pu’er, was less than a tenth of the peak price. The women said that during the boom years, tea traders from Guangdong Province would come to their village and buy up everyone’s harvest. But last year, they simply stopped showing up.

Back at Menghai’s forlorn “tea city,” Chen Li was surrounded by what he said was $580,000 worth of product he bought before the crash. As he served an amber-hued seven-year-old variety, he described the manic days before Pu’er went bust. Out-of-towners packed hotels and restaurants. Local banks, besieged by customers, were forced to halve the maximum withdrawal limit.

“People had to stand in line for four or five hours to get the money from the bank, and you could often see people quarreling,” he said. “Even pedicab drivers were carrying tea samples and looking for clients on the street.”

A trader who jumped into the business three years ago, Mr. Chen survives by offsetting his losses with profits from a restaurant his family owns in Alabama. He also happens to be one of the few optimists in town. Now that so many farmers have stopped picking tea, he is confident that prices will eventually rebound. As for the mounds of unsold tea that nearly enveloped him?

“The best thing about Pu’er,” he said with a showman’s smile, “is that the longer you keep it, the more valuable it gets.”

teapot stand, tea bowl

teapot stand
圖片集


bowl1


━━ n. はち, ボール, 茶わん(のひと盛り); 大杯; (the ~) 酒宴; 天びん皿, (さじの)くぼみ, (パイプの)火皿; 円形競技場; 〔米〕 (シーズンオフに各地区の選抜チームで行われる)フットボールの試合 (bowl game).



<– Back to results

stand (FRAME) Show phonetics
noun [C]
a frame or piece of furniture for supporting or putting things on:
a music stand
a hatstand


━━ n. 起立; 停止; 立場, 位置, 防御, 抵抗; (時にpl.) 観覧席, スタンド; 台; …立て, …入れ; 売店; 〔米〕 (法廷の)証人席; (タクシーの)駐車場; 興行, (巡業中の)興行地; (ある地域の)立木, 作物.

tea tray

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tea tray noun [C]
a small tray (= flat surface for carrying especially food and drink)

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2009年1月14日 星期三

下午茶  ■周艾

下午茶  ■周艾
《中華 2009/01/06 15:36》

 秋天的午后,欒樹開花了,黃燦燦的一大片,心也隨之悠閒起來。走在天母的林蔭大道上,選了可以看樹喝茶的角落,窗外的藍天,有白雲輕輕的飄過。
 女侍將英式午茶鋪展在蕾絲花邊的桌布上,接著遞來講究的杯、匙、碟、盤,可愛的糖罐、奶盅,還有三層盤內的精緻點心,再加上一副煮咖啡的器具。所有的鋪陳,令人充滿了期待。
 下午茶,原是英國貴族間的社交聚會,所有的講究都是一種禮儀,例如:需於一星期前寄出邀請函,著正式服飾參加,主人精心準備花束、桌面,選擇適合的音樂作陪襯,當然更要有好茶來待客,使得賓主盡歡,這是既優雅又浪漫的一種社交了,也是廣結善緣的好方法。
 在台灣,喝下午茶,早已成了時尚,也是都會區新興的生活方式之一。經濟繁榮的年代,開了許多茶樓、茶館,食客也絡繹不絕,幾乎成了平民文化,沒有了古典的細節與講究,多的是吵雜的聲浪和自由自在的進出。不同的民族性與文化涵養,形成不同的風格與風情,也只能各取所需了。
 近日,朋友送來一份問候的禮物,打開來,不禁會心一笑,一盒飄香茶、一包餅乾加上濃濃的心意,讓人走入思念的長河。......

2009年1月13日 星期二

6千年前古樹茶 根

6千年前古樹根 改寫中國種茶史

  • 2009-01-14
  • 中國時報
  • 【朱建陵/綜合報導】

 根據陸羽在《茶經》中所說:「茶之為飲,發乎神農氏,聞於魯周公。」許多茶研究者推論,中國發現茶樹和利用茶葉迄今已有四千七百多年的歷史。但位於浙江寧波餘姚市三七市鎮的田螺山遺址在距今六千年的地層,日前卻出土被鑒定為山茶屬的樹根,且人工種植的可能性很大。如果該古樹根被證明為茶葉樹,中國茶葉史將再往前推至少一千年。

 上海《東方早報》報導,日本金澤大學日前舉行「餘姚田螺山遺址自然遺存綜合研究成果報告會」,中、日兩國專家在會上共同宣布,該遺址距今六千年前地層出土的六個根鬚樣品,經鑒定屬山茶屬樹根,但目前還難以明確一定是我們現在飲用的茶葉。

 據指出,山茶屬樹包括油茶樹、茶花樹等一百多種,而我們現在用於採摘、飲用的只是其中的幾種,因此必須經過茶葉研究所最終的確定,其中最主要的指標就是茶氨酸檢測,這是飲用茶樹種獨有的,是區分其他山茶樹種的最明顯指標。

 田螺山遺址考古隊負責人孫國平表示,如果古樹根鑑定的結果確定為茶葉樹,這將表明六千年前田螺山村的人們很可能已經開始人工栽培茶樹,並使用陶器煮茶、喝茶,這將使茶葉史提前至少一千年。

2009年1月10日 星期六

Eighteenth-century Britain (tea)

Eighteenth-century Britain: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
by Paul Langford

. on Page 40:
"The fearful problems arising from the Londoner's thirst for gin - and the less damaging but at the time equally criticized liking of the poorer sort for tea - suggest that at least there was no shortage of disposable income at that time "
2. on Page 61:
"Assemblies, providing dancing, cards, tea-drinking, and general social mixing, were commonplace by the middle of the century"
3. from Back Matter:
" ... Thoughts on the Present Discontents published; Falkland Islands crisis 1773 Boston Tea Party"

2009年1月7日 星期三

Wenshan Bauzhong Tea ( Taipei County )

Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA) Green tea grown and produced on the mist-shrouded hills in Taipei County -- Wenshan Bauzhong Tea -- beat 99 other Taiwanese products as the best tourist souvenir in an unprecedented competition of the "Taiwan Best 100" special products for tourists.

Wenshan Bauzhong Tea refers to a special variety produced in Taipei City's Wengshan and Nangang districts and several townships in neighboring Taipei County, including Pinglin and Sindian.

蘇軾的一生茶緣

蘇軾的一生茶緣

作者﹕金伽桐


蘇軾(1037~1101年),字子瞻,號東坡居士,眉山(今四川眉山縣)人。我國宋代傑出的文學家。在北宋文壇上,與茶葉結緣的人不可悉數,但是沒有一位能像蘇軾那樣於品茶、烹茶、種茶均在行,對茶史、茶功頗有研究,又創作出眾多的詠茶詩詞的。   

蘇軾十分嗜茶。茶,助詩思,戰睡魔,是他生活中不可或缺之物。元豐元年(公元1078年)蘇軾任徐州太守。這年春旱,入夏得喜雨,蘇軾去城東20里的石潭 謝神降雨,作為《浣溪沙》五首紀行。詞云:「酒困路長睢欲睡,日高人渴漫思茶,敲門試問野人家。」形象地記述了他討茶解渴的情景。他夜晚辦事要喝茶:「簿 書鞭撲晝填委,煮茗燒栗宜宵征」(《次韻僧潛見贈》);創作詩文要喝茶:「皓色生甌面,堪稱雪見羞;東坡調詩腹,今夜睡應休」(《贈包靜安先生茶二 首》);睡前睡起也要喝茶:「沐罷巾冠快晚涼,睡余齒頰帶茶香」(《留別金山寶覺圓通二長老》)「春濃睡足午窗明,想見新茶如潑乳」(《越州張中捨壽樂 堂》)。更有一首《水調歌頭》,記詠了採茶、制茶、點茶、品茶,繪聲繪色,情趣盎然。詞云:   

已過幾番雨,前夜一聲雷。旗槍爭戰建溪,春色佔先魁。採取枝頭雀舌,帶露和煙搗碎,結就紫雲堆。輕動黃金碾,飛起綠塵埃。老龍團,真鳳髓,點將來。兔毫盞裡,霎時滋味舌頭回。喚醒青州從事,戰退睡魔百萬,夢不到陽台。兩腋清風起,我欲上蓬萊。   

長期的地方官和貶謫生活,使蘇拭足跡遍及各地,從蛾眉之巔到錢塘之濱,從宋遼邊境到嶺南、海南,為他品嚐各地的名茶提供了機會。誠如他在《和錢安道寄惠建 茶》詩中所云:「我官於南今幾時,嚐盡溪茶與山茗。」其中:「白雲峰下兩旗新,膩綠長鮮谷雨春」,是杭州所產的「白雲茶」;「千金買斷顧渚春,似與越人降 日注」,是湖州產的「顧渚紫筍茶」和紹興產的「日鑄雪芽」;「未辦報君青玉案,建溪新餅截雲腴」,這種似雲腴美的「新餅」產自南劍州(今福建南平),「浮 石已干霜後水,焦坑閒試雨前茶」,這谷雨前的「焦坑茶」產自粵贛邊的大瘐嶺下;還有四川涪州(今彭水)的月兔茶。江西分寧(今修水)的雙井茶,湖北興國 (今陽新)的桃花茶,等等。蘇軾愛茶至深,在《次韻曹輔寄壑源試烙新茶》詩裡,將茶比作「佳人」。詩云:   

仙山靈草濕行雲,洗溫香肌粉末勻。明月來投玉川子,清風吹破武林春。要知冰雪心腸好,不是膏油首面新。戲作小詩君勿笑,從來佳茗似佳人。   

蘇軾對烹茶十分精到。「精品厭凡泉」。他認為好茶必須配以好水。熙寧五年在杭州任通判時,有《求焦千之惠山泉詩》:「故人憐我病,蒻籠寄新馥。欠伸北窗 下,晝睡美方熟。精品厭凡泉,願子致一斛。」蘇軾以詩向當時知無錫的焦千之索惠山泉水。另一首《汲江煎茶》有句:「活水還須活火烹,自臨釣石取深清。」詩 人烹茶的水,還是親自在釣石邊(不是在泥土旁)從深處汲來的,並用活火(有焰方熾的炭火)煮沸的。

南宋胡仔讚歎《汲江煎茶》詩說;「此詩奇甚,道盡烹茶之要。」烹茶之勞,詩人又常常親自操作,不放心托付於僮僕:「磨成不敢付僮僕,自看雪湯生幾 珠」(《魯直以詩饋雙井茶次韻為謝》)。蘇軾對烹茶煮水時的水溫掌握十分講究,不能有些許差池。他在《試院煎茶》詩中說:「蟹眼已過魚眼生,颼颼欲作松風 鳴。

蒙茸出磨細珠落,眩轉繞甌飛雪輕。銀瓶瀉湯誇第二,未識古人煎水意。君不見,昔時李生好客手自煎,貴從活火發新泉。」他的經驗是煮水以初沸時泛起如蟹眼魚 目狀小氣泡,發出似松濤之聲時為適度,最能發新泉引茶香。煮沸過度則謂「老」,失去鮮馥。所以煮時須靜候水的消息。宋人曾有「候湯最難」之說。   

對煮水的器具和飲茶用具,蘇軾也有講究。「銅腥鐵澀不宜泉」,「定州花瓷琢紅玉」。用銅器鐵壺煮水有腥氣澀味,石兆(原字左有「石」旁)燒水味最正;喝茶 最好用定窯兔毛花瓷(又稱「兔毫盞」)。蘇軾在宜興時,還設計了一種提梁式紫砂壺。後人為紀念他,把此種壺式命名為「東坡壺」。「松風竹爐,提壺相呼」, 即是蘇軾用此壺烹茗獨飲時的生動寫照。   

蘇軾親自栽種過茶。貶誦黃州時,他經濟拮据,生活困頓。黃州一位書生馬正卿替他向官府請來一塊荒地,他親自耕種,以地上收穫稍濟「因匱」和「乏食」之急。 在這塊取名「東坡」的荒地上,他種了茶樹。《問大冶長者乞桃花茶栽東坡》云:「磋我五畝園,桑麥苦蒙翳。不令寸地閒,更乞茶子藝。」在另一首《種茶》詩中 說;「松間旅生茶,已與松俱瘦」「移栽白鶴嶺,土軟春雨後。彌旬得連陰,似許晚遂茂。」是說茶種在松樹間,生長瘦小但不易衰老。移植於土壤肥沃的白鶴嶺, 連日春雨滋潤,便恢復生長,枝繁葉茂。可見詩人於躬耕間深諳茶樹習性。   

蘇軾喝茶、愛茶,還基於他深知茶的功用。熙寧六年(公元l073年)他在杭州任通判時,一日,以病告假,獨遊湖上淨慈、南屏、惠昭、小昭慶諸寺,是晚又到 孤山去謁惠勤禪師。這天他先後品飲了七碗茶,頗覺身輕體爽,病已不治而癒,便作了一首《游諸佛捨,一日飲釅茶七盞,戲書勤師壁》:   

示病維摩元不病,在家靈運已忘家。何須魏帝一丸藥,且盡盧仝七碗茶。   

詩人得茶真味,誇讚飲茶的樂趣和妙用。昔魏文帝曾有詩:「與我一丸朗,光耀有五色,服之四五日,身體生羽翼。」蘇軾卻認為盧仝的「七碗茶」更神於這「一丸藥」。在詩作中他還多次提到茶能洗「瘴氣」:「若將西庵茶,勸我洗江瘴」,「同烹貢茗雪,一洗瘴茅秋」。   

蘇軾《仇池筆記》中有《論茶》一則,介紹茶可除煩去膩,用茶漱口,能使牙齒堅密。他說:「除煩去膩,不可缺茶,然暗中損人不少。吾有一法,每食已,以濃茶 漱口,煩膩既出,而脾胃不知。肉在齒間,消縮脫去,不煩挑刺,而齒性便若緣此堅密。率皆用中下茶,其上者亦不常有,數日一啜不為害也。此大有理。」茶與蘇 軾生活之密切,蘇軾對茶功之運用,由此可見。   

蘇軾在飲茶品茗之際,常把茶農之苦辛懸於心頭,「悲歌為黎元」。《荔枝吧》指斥了貴族官僚們,昔日貢荔枝,今日又貢茶、貢花,爭新買寵的可恥行徑:「君不 見武夷溪邊粟粒芽,前丁後蔡相籠加,爭新買寵各出意,今年斗品充官茶。」並直言:「我願天公憐赤子,莫生尤物為瘡有(原字有「病」字頭)」。充分表現出他 同情茶農,抨擊對茶農的苛征重斂。   

蘇軾還借詠茶來抒發人生感慨,這其實也是他自己精神面貌的寫照。《寄周安孺茶》這首長達120句的蘇拭第一長篇,正是詠茶之作。詩篇先是記述了宋以前的茶 文化歷史:「大哉天宇內,植物知幾族。靈品獨標奇,迥超凡草木。名從姬旦始,漸播《桐君錄》。賦詠誰最先?厥傳惟杜育。唐人未知好,論著始於陸。常、李亦 清流,當年慕高躅。遂使天下士,嗜此偶於格。豈但中土珍,兼之異邦鬻。鹿門有佳士,博覽無不矚。邂逅天隨翁,篇章互賡續。開園頤山下,屏跡松江曲。有興即 揮毫,燦然存簡牘。」繼而邊詠邊歎:「乳甌十分滿,人世真侷促」。

名茶既能給人充分的享受:「清風擊兩腋,去欲凌鴻鵠」,「意爽飄欲仙,頭輕快如沐」,又不免悲歎名茶辱沒:「團風與葵花,賦(原字左為「石」旁)砆雜魚 目」,「未數日注卑,定知雙井辱」。在《和錢安道寄惠建茶》詩裡,詩人用歷史人物的性格來比擬不同的茶味:「雪花雨腳何足道,啜過始知真味永。縱復苦硬終 可錄,汲黯少戇寬饒猛。草茶無賴空有名,高者妖邪次頑擴。體輕雖復強浮沉,性滯偏工嘔酸冷。其間絕品豈不佳,張禹縱賢非骨鯁。」

借茶味而褒揚「戇」「猛」之士,貶斥「妖「頑」之輩,嬉笑怒駕,皆成妙句。詩最後雲;「收藏愛恆待佳客,不敢包裹鑽權倖。此詩有味君勿傳,空使時人怒生癭。」譏之以好茶鑽營權門的小人。   

蘇軾之多才多藝,於我國茶藝的貢獻亦是「一多」。 【中國食療網】


蘇軾——啜茶帖

2009年1月3日 星期六

北苑茶色香俱絕品

“嫩白半甌嘗日鑄﹐硬黃一卷學蘭亭”──此言紹興的貢茶日鑄茶﹔. “春殘猶看小城花﹐雪裏來嘗北苑茶”──說的也是貢茶北苑茶


祖無擇袁州慶豐堂十閒詠

曉桉三杯后,閒烹北苑茶。 色香俱絕品,雪泛滿甌花。

宋詩紀事 卷十八 四五六頁

陳 (言先)

和祖擇之袁州慶豐堂十詠

年長身多病,閒鈔已試方。未甘先犬馬,畢命報恩光。
曉桉三杯后,閒烹北苑茶。 色香俱絕品,雪放滿甌花。
雨霽輕埃息,閒吟面曲池。游鱗時對擲,雙破碧漣漪。
朝來因試筆,閒答故交書。莫怪音塵絕,吾心與世疏。