"For water, mountain spring is best, river next, well lowest. Of mountain springs, choose the milky fountains that seep from rocky pools; avoid rushing, churning torrents."
"The buds that sprout from dense thickets, with three, four, or five shoots, are picked by selecting those that rise most boldly."
"The cheng base, also called tai or zhen, is made of stone; otherwise of locust or mulberry wood, half-buried in the ground so that it will not rock."
"The good and ill of tea rest in the transmitted oral formula."
"The chuan string is made in Jiangdong and Huainan from split bamboo, and in Bashan and the gorges from twisted mulberry-bark. In Jiangdong one jin is a large string, half a jin a
"For one sheng of boiling water, use one fangcun-spoon of tea powder. If you like it thin, reduce it; if you crave strength, increase it."
"On rainy days do not pick; on clear days with clouds do not pick; only on perfectly clear days pick."
"The zeng steamer is made of wood or earthenware, narrowed at the waist and sealed with clay. A bamboo tray serves as the grate, tied with bamboo strips. When steaming begins, the
"Ladle it with a gourd into the bowls, so that the foam is evenly divided. The foam — the froth — is the flower of the soup."
"From picking to sealing there are seven processes; from barbarian boots to frosted lotus there are eight grades."