Tea Ceremony at a Hidden Attic

What To Expect

In this 90-minute journey of exploration, you will visit a secluded teahouse near Jing'an Temple, where the tea master will guide you to savor the subtle yet enchanting bouquet that rises from the tea soup, a fragrant symphony of nature's essence, as you immerse yourself in the tranquil ritual of tea appreciation and the philosophical mysteries within. YOUR CAPTAIN: Min Zhang Min has an extraordinary sensitivity to aroma and a profound knowledge of Chinese tea varieties and flavors. As a northerner living in Shanghai, she exudes the essence of traditional Chinese culture—quiet and perceptive. At her tea ceremony, people often feel as if time has stood still. "I don't use a stopwatch," said Min, "timing and heat control are a matter of feeling." LANGUAGES: Min speaks Chinese with an English translator present on-site. GROUP SIZE: 4-10 guests PLACE TYPE: Teahouse EXPERIENCE DETAILS On a pleasant afternoon, you will turn into an alley enveloped by plane trees and push open a wooden door, quietly watching the tea master bring out the best flavor of Chinese black tea for you. You will taste three different flavors of superior Chinese black tea, with three courses for each. The "good tea" has strict evaluation standards. The origin, variety, vintage, fermentation method of the tea, as well as the tea master's brewing technique and the temperature and humidity of the weather on the day of brewing, all matter. You can carefully smell the aroma on the surface of the tea soup, and take a sip when the flavor is at its best. The tea master will guide you to feel the floral and fruity fragrance, freshness, or the texture of the tea soup in your mouth, distinguish the variety, vintage, and production method of the tea, and feel the warmth in your body after drinking the tea soup with your body. This experience is like a teacher leading you to open an encyclopedia of tea culture, the more you explore, the more it will arouse your curiosity. The process is very quiet, usually with little conversation with others. In ancient China, many literati and gentlemen pursued "the great recluse within the bustling (大隐隐于市)" as the ultimate ideal of life. Sitting in the tea courtyard, you look down at the quiet spreading of the maple trees and moss in the yard, and look up at the clothes drying from the neighboring households. A peaceful haven to hear your inner voice, a rare find in a metropolis of nearly thirty million people.