Chapter II · The Implements: Commentary — The guan skewer is cut from bamboo, two and a…
"The guan skewer is cut from bamboo, two and a half feet long, for stringing tea cakes to roast."
Chapter I · The Origin: Practice today — Picked out of season, made carelessly, adulterated with wild weeds…
"Picked out of season, made carelessly, adulterated with wild weeds, drinking it brings illness. The harm of tea, too, is like that of ginseng."
Chapter X · The Illustration: Terroir — Write it out on silk, in four or six panels…
"Write it out on silk, in four or six panels, and place them by your seat — then the Origin, the Implements, the Making, the Vessels, the Brewing, the Drinking, the History, the Pr
Chapter VIII · The Producing Regions: Plain reading — In Shannan Circuit, Xiazhou is best, Xiangzhou and Jingzhou next…
"In Shannan Circuit, Xiazhou is best, Xiangzhou and Jingzhou next, and Hengzhou lowest."
Chapter VI · The Drinking: History — Gathering in shade and roasting by night is not true…
"Gathering in shade and roasting by night is not true making; tasting and sniffing is not true judging; rank-smelling vessels are not true utensils; greasy fuel and kitchen charcoa
Chapter V · The Brewing: Commentary — When roasting the tea, beware of roasting over a windy…
"When roasting the tea, beware of roasting over a windy ash-fire, where leaping flames make the heat uneven. Hold it near the fire and turn it again and again, until bumps rise lik
Chapter IV · The Vessels: Practice today — For tea bowls, those of Yuezhou are best, Dingzhou and…
"For tea bowls, those of Yuezhou are best, Dingzhou and Wuzhou next; of the Yuezhou type, Yue is finest, then Shouzhou and Hongzhou."
Chapter III · The Making: Terroir — The bamboo-shoot-like buds, growing in rich rocky soil, reach four…
"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."
Chapter II · The Implements: Close reading — The zeng steamer is made of wood or earthenware, narrowed…
"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
Chapter I · The Origin: Vessels and fire — As for the ground: the finest tea grows in shattered…
"As for the ground: the finest tea grows in shattered rock, the middling in gravelly loam, and the inferior in yellow clay."