"Tea takes a thousand forms. To speak roughly: some are like barbarian boots, puckered and shriveled; some like the chest of a wild ox, ribbed and draped; some like clouds rising f
"The chan cloth, also called yi, is made of oiled silk or worn rainwear. It is laid on the cheng base, and the gui mold set upon it to form the tea; when a cake is done, it is lift
"The use of tea: its nature is extremely cold, and as a beverage it is most suited to men of disciplined conduct and frugal virtue."
"As for the making tools: if at early spring, during the cold-food days, one gathers with many hands in a wild temple or mountain garden, steaming and pounding on the spot, then dr
"Zuo Si's poem The Doting Daughters reads: 'Their hearts race for the tea, they puff and blow upon the tripod.'"
"Those who cultivate tea may grow several hundred clumps; the tree like gualu, leaves like gardenia, flowers like white rose, fruit like palm."
"Beyond this, the water is old and cannot be drunk."
"The wind stove is cast of copper or iron, shaped like an ancient tripod."
"The yu storage cabinet is made of wood, woven of bamboo, and pasted with paper. It has a shelf inside, a cover above, a base below, and a door at the side, with one panel shut. Wi
"If one takes qini in place of ginseng, none of the six ailments will be cured. Understand how ginseng may mislead, and the pitfalls of tea become clear."