"The bamboo-shoot-like buds, growing in rich rocky soil, reach four or five inches, like young ferns just unfolding; they are picked while the morning dew is still on them."
"The stove should have no chimney; the cauldron should have a lipped rim."
"As for the ground: the finest tea grows in shattered rock, the middling in gravelly loam, and the inferior in yellow clay."
"In Jiannan Circuit, Pengzhou is best, Mianzhou and Shuzhou next, Qiongzhou next, and Yazhou and Luzhou lower."
"Yan Ying, when minister to Duke Jing of Qi, ate only husked-rice meals, with three roast game birds, five eggs, and tea-leaf vegetable."
"Winged creatures fly, furred creatures run, and those with mouths speak — all three dwell between heaven and earth and live by drinking and eating. How far-reaching is the meaning
"When the water first boils, skim off the film that rises on the surface, like black mica; drinking it spoils the flavor."
"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."