what does it all mean?





"Brain Chain" by Willem den Broeder, 2001



so what does it indeed all mean? "it" being tea, the object of our interest here.
we could look at this topic from several angles.

from the technical standpoint it is quite simple. tea is a product made from the leaves of camellia sinensis plant. at a closer look it's not that simple anymore. there are things often called tea that are not tea. herbal infusions for example or non standard camellia varietals produced in a similar way than tea. however i am of the opinion that if its not camellia sinensis or its variatals (e.g. camellia sinensis var. assamica) ...
 
                            ...  it
                                        just
                                                    is
                                                            not
                                                                       tea.

from a poetic standpoint tea provides inspiration (as shown in this post). its fragrance, its versatility, its subtleness and richness brings forth all kinds of associations and ideas. in the hands of a great master - true art can arise.

from a psychological standpoint its a drug. a quite multifaceted one if i might add. it can soothe the mind, it can make it panic. it can stop you from sleeping or calm you down. it can make you happy, insightful or focused. pay attention to how your cup changes your experience! however it should not be underestimated. caffeine is a powerful stimulant and can lead to health issues if used carelessly.

some might also have the economic standpoint in mind. tea is a luxury. it can be expensive. some teas sell for thousands and thousands of dollars. some might double in price only within a year. this also makes it an object of speculation. speculation in the tea industry has brought forth quite some abominations. fakes, diminishing quality, price hikes - only to name some of them. one driving factor of the price increases is also, that good tea is a very limited product. coming from old trees - well - there is just a limited amount of 200-300 year old tee trees and thanks to climate change and the exploitation of growing areas they are becoming ever more scarce. this coupled with an increase in consumerism explains some of the economic changes over the last decades. 

closely related to that is the status standpoint. some teas have made quite some name for themselves and possessing an item of such rarity can be quite a status symbol. this is not much of a problem in the west where it is not as much part of the culture (yet) and people are less prone to spend an insane amount of money like that. i definately heard of some people just wanting to possess a tea to add to their collection while not being able to appreciate it or even drink it. a waste of good tea.

for most of its history and tradition tea when viewed from a social standpoint acted as a social lubricant, a cling film of social interactions. something that stimulates conversations and brings together different types of people. an important instrument in important - and sometimes not so important - conversations, gatherings and meetings. at such events - quite carelessly drank - it provided the necessary casual atmosphere for people to feel comfortable in. from china to england it has become quite a social institution, very similar to coffee or wine.

some might take this social standpoint a bit further. while not forgetting about the social aspect of tea - it means something more than just that. lin yutang wrote in his essay on tea and friendship: 
"For it is only with men gifted with the sense of comradeship, extremely select in the matter of forming friends and endowed with a natural love of the leisurely life, that the full enjoyment of [...] tea becomes possible. [...]
Thus chastened in spirit, quiet in mind and surrounded by proper company, one is fit to enjoy tea. For tea is invented for quiet company as wine is invented for a noisy party. There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life. It would be as disastrous to drink tea with babies crying around, or with loud-voiced women or politics-talking men, as to pick tea on a rainy or cloudy day."
this is what i call the in-depth standpoint. it's almost as tea is the third companion in an intimate reunion of two good friends. it's not just an instrument - it is substance. so quite in opposition of how tea is generally used, the hobbyist elevates the tea and finds it intrinsic value. something of value - something only to be shared with the best kinds of people.







_______
Image: Willem den Broeder, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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