ISSUE
Friday, August 15, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 72
The year of the sheep was ushered in among many a sip of the famous Chinese brew at the tea-room
At an hourly workshop at the Lantern Festival at Albert Park last weekend, volunteers showcased the beautiful art of tea-making – a tradition that’s literally hundreds of years old.
Historic documents say that the oldest tea plant in China is more than 2,700 years old and is still living in the Yunnan province. In fact, experts hold that tea originated in China some 4,500 years ago. Interestingly, the herb from which tea is extracted is called ‘Cha’ in Chinese language.
The medicinal values of Chinese tea are innumerable, the most notable being its ability to improve memory, cleanse teeth and neutralise breath. But there is a certain ritual that’s followed in Chinese tea-making.
A few takeaways from the immensely informative workshop at the Lantern Festival were the fact that you should smell the tea to decide its quality and what your body yearns for at that time. There are a variety of teas to choose from – green, black, oolong, dark, white, yellow and processed tea. Each one of them attends to a special need in you.
It’s important to rinse the cups and pots in warm water, before actually making the tea. This helps to keep the tea warm and also clears the crockery of any unwanted aroma. It was interesting to learn that the first brew is best drained away, to rinse clean the tea leaves. The second brew is considered the best. Guess what, the same leaves can be re-brewed up to 20 times!
Click here for photo gallery.
# to learn more about the colourful lanterns that dazzled Albert Park last weekend, click here.
The year of the sheep was ushered in among many a sip of the famous Chinese brew at the tea-room
At an hourly workshop at the Lantern Festival at Albert Park last weekend, volunteers showcased the beautiful art of tea-making – a tradition that’s literally hundreds of years old.
Historic documents...
The year of the sheep was ushered in among many a sip of the famous Chinese brew at the tea-room
At an hourly workshop at the Lantern Festival at Albert Park last weekend, volunteers showcased the beautiful art of tea-making – a tradition that’s literally hundreds of years old.
Historic documents say that the oldest tea plant in China is more than 2,700 years old and is still living in the Yunnan province. In fact, experts hold that tea originated in China some 4,500 years ago. Interestingly, the herb from which tea is extracted is called ‘Cha’ in Chinese language.
The medicinal values of Chinese tea are innumerable, the most notable being its ability to improve memory, cleanse teeth and neutralise breath. But there is a certain ritual that’s followed in Chinese tea-making.
A few takeaways from the immensely informative workshop at the Lantern Festival were the fact that you should smell the tea to decide its quality and what your body yearns for at that time. There are a variety of teas to choose from – green, black, oolong, dark, white, yellow and processed tea. Each one of them attends to a special need in you.
It’s important to rinse the cups and pots in warm water, before actually making the tea. This helps to keep the tea warm and also clears the crockery of any unwanted aroma. It was interesting to learn that the first brew is best drained away, to rinse clean the tea leaves. The second brew is considered the best. Guess what, the same leaves can be re-brewed up to 20 times!
Click here for photo gallery.
# to learn more about the colourful lanterns that dazzled Albert Park last weekend, click here.
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