On Tea Monographs
1. The Classics on Tea
“The Tea Classic” is the first monograph that introduces tea in China and even in the world. It is known as the "Encyclopedia of Tea" and was written by Lu Yu, the founder of Chinese tea ceremony. This book is a comprehensive treatise on the history, origin, current situation, production technology, and tea drinking techniques of tea production, as well as the principles of tea ceremony. It is an epoch-making monograph on tea science. It is not only a brilliant agricultural work, but also a book on Tea culture. It elevates ordinary tea to a wonderful cultural and artistic skill. It is an important work on tea in ancient China and has promoted the development of Chinese tea culture.
2. The Record of Tea
“The Tea Record ", written by Cai Xiang (1012-1067) of the Song Dynasty, was an important monograph on tea studies during the Song Dynasty's Huangyou period (1049-1053). The book is divided into two parts. The "Tea Record" is a work of tribute tea from Beiyuan that Cai Xiang specifically recommended to the emperor based on Lu Yu's sentiment and the "Tea Classic", which was not considered a product of Jian'an. There are two chapters in total. The first chapter discusses tea, including color, aroma, taste, Tibetan tea, roasted tea, milled tea, Luocha, Houcha, Zhuzhan, and Diancha. It mainly discusses the quality of tea soup and cooking methods. The second part discusses the utensil, which includes nine items: tea roasting, tea cage, anvil, tea bell, tea roller, tea luo, tea cup, tea spoon, and soup bottle. It is the most influential monograph on tea after Lu Yu's "Tea Classic".
