Tea Art and Tea Masters: Brewing Tea Is a Craft Too
Brewing a good cup of tea looks like just boiling water, adding tea, and pouring it out, but doing it well involves many details: water temperature, leaf amount, the rhythm of pouring, the choice of teaware, and the etiquette of serving. Practice these details until they're second nature, add knowledge of tea and a sense of beauty, and you have "tea art" (茶藝, chayi). Those who make it their profession are tea masters (茶藝師, chayishi).
What Is Tea Art?
Tea art refers broadly to the skill and art of brewing and tasting tea, including:
- Technique: Adjusting leaf amount, water temperature, and time to the type of tea, to bring out each tea's character.
- Teaware: Choosing and pairing teapots, cups, gaiwans, fairness pitchers, and other teaware.
- Tea setting: Arranging the space for drinking tea, including the table cloth, vases, decor, and flow of movement; see Tea Trays, Pot Stands, Dry Brewing, and Setting a Tea Table.
- Etiquette: The order of serving and how to host guests; see Tea Etiquette.
- Knowledge: Tea's origins, processing, history, and culture.
The term "tea art" came into wide use in Taiwan in the late 1970s, and Taiwan's teahouse culture has also shaped how people on both sides of the Strait understand tea art.
What Is a Tea Art Performance About?
A tea art performance presents the process of brewing tea to an audience in an elegant, flowing way. Common elements:
- Setting the table: Arranging the teaware and tea setting.
- Warming the teaware: Scalding the pot and cups with hot water.
- Presenting the tea: Letting guests see the dry leaf.
- Adding and rinsing the tea: Adding the leaves and rinsing them quickly once.
- Brewing and pouring: Controlling the flow of water and the timing.
- Dividing and serving: Using a pitcher to divide the tea among cups and serving them in order.
- Tasting and clearing the teaware.
Performances come with music, costumes, and narration, sometimes incorporating local culture or a themed story. Their purpose is to show the beauty of tea culture and help the audience understand the meaning of each step. Everyday brewing doesn't need to be so elaborate, but understanding each step of a performance helps your own brewing a lot; basic brewing is in Brewing Pu'er in a Gaiwan.
What Certification Is a Tea Master?
The systems on the two sides of the Strait differ, so here they are separately:
Mainland China
"Tea master" (茶藝師) and "tea evaluator" (評茶員) are both occupations in China's national occupational classification, with national occupational skill standards divided into five levels: Level 5 (entry-level worker), Level 4 (intermediate worker), Level 3 (senior worker), Level 2 (technician), and Level 1 (senior technician). Certificates used to be issued under government leadership; in recent years this has changed to "vocational skill level recognition," in which registered enterprises and social training and evaluation organizations conduct assessments according to the standards and issue certificates. Eligibility, exam content, and the requirements for each level are as announced by local human resources and social security departments.
Taiwan
In Taiwan, tea art certificates are mostly issued by private tea art associations, tea industry groups, community colleges, and university extension programs, each with different courses and levels. Within the official system, the Ministry of Agriculture's Tea and Beverage Research Station (TBRS) administers the "Tea Sensory Evaluation Proficiency Certification," with beginner and intermediate levels, focusing on the ability to evaluate tea quality; there are also authorized organizations that run training courses. Eligibility and schedules are as announced by the TBRS.
So in Taiwan, if you want to learn "brewing and tea settings," private associations and extension courses are the main routes; if you want to learn "tea evaluation and quality judgment," the TBRS's sensory evaluation proficiency certification is a great place to start.
Where to Learn to Brew Tea
- Extension courses from the TBRS and farmers' associations: Leaning toward tea knowledge and evaluation.
- Private tea art associations and tea culture groups: Brewing technique, tea settings, and etiquette, often with graded courses.
- Community colleges and university extension programs: Tea art and tea culture courses with flexible schedules.
- Tasting events at tea shops and teahouses: Drinking and brewing hands-on, learning as you go and trading notes.
- Self-study: Reading books, watching videos, practicing repeatedly at home, and comparing notes with fellow tea lovers.
What matters most is brewing more, drinking more, and comparing more. You can start practicing with Tasting Pu'er and Comparative Tasting.
How Do Tea Evaluators Differ from Tea Masters?
| Tea master | Tea evaluator | |
|---|---|---|
| Core work | Brewing and serving tea, tea settings, promoting tea culture | Evaluating tea quality, grading, reference for pricing |
| Who they work with | Guests, audiences, students | Tea factories, buyers, testing bodies, competitions |
| Main skills | Brewing technique, etiquette, aesthetics, explanation | Sensory evaluation, terminology, standards, and defect judgment |
| How they brew | Brewing each type of tea in its best way | Using standardized evaluation cups and bowls, with fixed leaf amounts and times |
| Where they work | Teahouses, tea art houses, cultural events | Tea factories, tea companies, testing bodies |
Simply put: a tea master aims to brew a tea at its most delicious so people can enjoy it; a tea evaluator uses uniform conditions to find a tea's strengths and flaws. Both need good sensory skills; only their goals differ. Evaluation methods are covered in Drinking Pu'er Like a Tea Evaluator.
FAQ
What certification is a tea master? In mainland China, it's one of the national occupations, with five levels, recently shifted to vocational skill level recognition; in Taiwan, certificates are mostly issued by private associations and extension programs.
What is a tea art performance about? It presents the brewing process, setting the table, warming teaware, presenting the tea, brewing, dividing, and serving, in an elegant, flowing way to show the beauty of tea culture.
Where can I learn to brew tea? Extension courses from the TBRS and farmers' associations, private tea art associations, community colleges, events at tea shops and teahouses, plus plenty of brewing and comparing at home.
How do tea evaluators differ from tea masters? Tea masters brew and serve tea well and promote tea culture; tea evaluators assess tea quality and grade it using standardized methods.