Family Friendly Chinese Tea Ceremony At Guilin Tea Research Institute

Your experience in China will not be full if you don’t take a peek at the Chinese Tea ceremony.

At the Guilin Tea Research Institute we not only could see and wander through tea plantations but also celebrate the taste of the plants that produce this green gold.

We enter a cozy room where everything is ready for the demonstration: tea pots, lots of tiny tea cups and the Tea Master in a traditional dress. 

The ceremony starts with heating the cups with the first tea.

There’s a Chinese saying – Give the first tea to your enemy. The first tea is used to clean the and warm up the cup. You can use the same tea leaves 4-8 times.

Every tea has its own temperature. White and green tea – about 80 degrees. Black and oolong – about 90.

Tea is brewed 2-3 minutes, no more.

We get to try 3 different sorts of tea in tiny cups, which should be finished in 3 sips.

The tea ceremony etiquette, ladies point the pinky finger and men should hide it.

In Chinese culture, tea ceremonies are still present, but it’s mostly an activity for a family or friends gathering at the weekend or on a special occasion. 

More commonly, a ‘lazy’ tea cup is used nowadays, made of porcelain or clay.

How to store tea.

Any tea should be stored tightly sealed in a dark and cool place, preferably in a fridge. Best in a porcelain jar.

Why drink tea?

In addition to the wonderful taste, tea has huge health benefits, among them lower risk of kidney cancer, memory and heart health improvement, and just lifting your spirits.

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