Song in a cup

Song in a cup

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).

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. "

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.

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.

" 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.