Song in a cup

Song in a cup

“点茶”:茶杯里的水墨丹青

It's common to see a barista create coffee art, but it's a whole different ballgame doing same thing with tea. Han Zheming has managed to perfect the skill, creating tea art in cups, or dian cha in Chinese, which used to be a ritual during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

咖啡师拉花不是什么新鲜事，但在茶汤上作画完全是另一回事。韩喆明成功地掌握了这项技艺，复活了“点茶”艺术，这在宋代曾是一种茶道仪式。

It's his intention to bring the old ritual back to modern life and have more people appreciate its charm. Dian cha in modern brewing enhances the taste of tea, Han says. " It is similar to the foam on top of a cup of coffee, except that it is made of tea rather than milk. "

韩喆明想要把这种古老的仪式在现代复兴，让更多人学会欣赏这份雅趣。他说，如今的“点茶”能增加品茶的趣味。“这类似于咖啡上的奶盖，只不过它是茶而不是牛奶做的。”

Different from the method of brewing tea during the Tang period, in the Song Dynasty, the prevalent way of having tea was through dian cha. The process begins with hot water being poured over fine powdered tea creating a paste, then more hot water is slowly added as the tea is constantly whisked by hand with a bamboo stick. It is believed that this method later spread to other parts of East Asia, including Japan, where similarities can be seen in the way matcha is prepared today.

与唐朝时期的泡茶法不同，宋朝流行的喝茶方式是点茶。首先把热水倒在磨成细粉的茶叶上，调成糊，然后一边慢慢加入更多的热水，一边手持茶筅不断击打。据称，这种方法后来传播到东亚其他地区，包括日本。如今，抹茶的制备方式也有类似之处。

This action of pouring hot water is called dian, hence the name dian cha. " It is sort of like how you mix baby formula with water, " Han says about tea-whisking, adding that the key is to practice coordination between the wrist and the arm. " It usually requires whisking the mixture between 180 and 200 times before the water and the tea are fully blended and the froth appears. " Then, one can take the liberty of making artistic designs in the froth with the concocted tea paste.

倒热水的动作被称为“点”，因此得名“点茶”。“这有点像你冲泡配方奶”，韩喆明说到用茶筅搅拌时补充道，要领在于练习手腕和手臂的协调性。“一盏茶大约要击打180-200下,这样水和茶才能完全融合,泡沫才会出现。”之后，人们可以自行用调制好的茶膏在泡沫上创作。

" I was amazed by this exquisite way of drinking tea, which was also loved by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, " Han says. The emperor's book, Treatise on Tea, exposed Han to the details of tea-whisking.

“这种精致的饮茶方式让我很惊喜，宋徽宗也很喜欢这种方式，”韩喆明说徽宗的《大观茶论》让他了解了点茶的细节。