Why We Love Tea
Eluding even the mystic within, the Great Way revealed itself to us, through the unfolding of lineages of those sitting in silence over a cup of leaves. Every movement circular, every circle, an inhale, and exhale. Connecting the Five Taoist Elements (fire-earth-water-metal-wood) in a living and dynamic meditation, the practice of pouring tea can help align ones soul with ones body, by means of aligning the two, through the circular movements, and the breath.
The tea plant, namely Camellia Sinensis, is also full of wonderful benefits for clarity and mindfulness due to the content of caffeine, and L-theanine, which work synergistically to produce a clear yet calming effect. Combine a mindfulness practice that is over 4,000 years old, with a plant that has remarkable benefits of its own in the same regard, and the effect on an individual, or even community, can have tremendous potential for peace and clarity.
We carry only hand picked, master crafted tea, from ancient and original tea regions in high altitude terroir of China, Japan, and Taiwan. Our priority is to find the best quality possible for our community of tea lovers. Combine this with wonderfully crafted pottery, by masters throughout ancient regions such as Jingdezhen, and Yixing, China, and the experience is the epitome of self care, through cultivation and refinement of self, by means of refinement of ones practice with these lineages. We at Wuji Tea Company have searched far and wide, from different lineages of meditation and pilgrimaged to ancient Taoist Temples, to faring the Great River Crossing itself in search for Truth— and our search for peace and stillness, now begins, and ends, in a cup of tea.
Furthermore, from a less esoteric point of view— the notion that all true tea is derived from four variations of the same plant genome (Camellia Sinensis, Camellia Taliensis, Assamica, and Camellia Formosensis), each with hundreds of sub cultivars and or varietals— is extremely intriguing to us.
Many peoples experience with “tea” in the Western world is commonly confused with herbal teas, such as chamomile, or what have you. This was our common understanding, until learning about true tea in the SF Bay Area, and under certain Tea Masters throughout the West, and the far East during our travels. We said goodbye to old brewing techniques as well — enjoying the practice and discipline of gongfu cha (mastery of tea through self discipline) — as it is a far more tangible and interactive experience — not to mention one that offers an always fresh, and every changing brew — as opposed to a large mug of something that gets stale toward the bottom.
We were shocked to learn that whether it be green, white, yellow, oolong, black, or puerh tea — that it is not a different species entirely that produces essence and flavor — however instead the terroir (sunlight, soil, region, altitude), plucking style, and/or time of year, and ultimately the withering, oxidation, and or fermentation styles that the leaves undergo after harvesting. This fascination from an academic and historical standpoint, combined with the relaxing, and even esoteric properties of tea pouring, make it something irresistible for us here at Wuji Tea Company — our goal is to share this passion and path with you.