Cai Xiang's "Tea Record" details the tea products, tea utensils, and tea tasting experiences of Jian'an Beiyuan, laying a theoretical foundation for the artistic tea drinking of the Song Dynasty, and is the most famous tea monograph after Lu Yu's "Tea Classic". The Takuben of the Tea Records is now in the National Museum.
Cai Xiang's "Tea Record"
Preamble
Because of the performance of the matter, His Majesty Fu Meng's edict, the minister first served as the envoy of Fujian, and the dragon tea that he entered was the most exquisite. The subject retreats to the slightest of the grass and trees, and the first insult to His Majesty's knowledge, if he gets the land, he can do his best. Xi Luyu's "Tea Classic", not the first Jian'an product; Ding called "Tea Diagram", the basis of the exclusive collection. As for the cooking test, it has never been heard of. The number of things in the subject's articles, simple and easy to understand, into two parts, known as "Tea Record". Feasting on idleness, or giving it to guancai, the courtiers are overwhelmed with fear and honor. Sincerely.
Cai Xiang's Tea Records (Song Cicada Wing Expansion), Shanghai Library Collection, 1052 (Part 1)
The first article is about tea
Color The color of the tea is noble and white, and the cake tea is mostly used in the precious ointment oil to sound its face, so there is a difference of blue, yellow, purple and black. Those who are good at saying goodbye to tea, just as the xianggong regards the popularity of the people, secretly perceive it inside, and put the meat care and lubrication first. Since it is the end, the yellow and white are subject to the water, and the green and white are clearly affected by the water, so the Jian'an people fight and try, and the green and white are better than the yellow and white.
Fragrant tea has a real fragrance, and the tribute takes the dragon's brain and ointment to help its fragrance. Jian'an folk tea tasting, do not enter the incense, fear to take away its truth. If you cook it, and mix it with rare fruits and herbs, it is very beneficial and should not be used.
Taste The taste of tea is mainly sweet and slippery, but the Beiyuan Phoenix Mountain is even the product of the roasting. The mountains across the creek, although they are made in time, the color and taste are heavy, and they cannot be reached. There are also water springs that are not willing to damage the taste of tea, and those who talk about water in previous lives use this.
Tibetan tea Tea should be leafy and afraid of incense, like warm and dry and avoid wet and cold. Therefore, the collection house is wrapped in a leaf seal and baked, and the fire is used once every two or three days, often as the temperature of the human body temperature to resist moisture. If there is a lot of fire, the tea is not eaten.
Hot tea Tea or after years, the aroma is aged. In a purifier, boil the soup, scrape off the paste oil one or two times, use the plutonium, lightly heat it, and then crush it. If the tea was new that year, it is not necessary to say so.
Milling tea Milled tea is first wrapped in a net paper and crushed, and then cooked. Its big point, the spinning mill is white, or the color is faint.
Luo Cha Luo Detail Tea floats, thick is water floating.
Waiting for soup The soup is the most difficult, unripe is foaming, overcooked is heavy tea. In the past life, it was called "crab eyes", and the soup was also cooked. It is not recognizable when it is boiled in a bottle, so it is the most difficult to wait for soup.
Whoever wants to order tea must first make the cup hot, and if it is cold, the tea will not float.
Order tea Less tea and more soup, then the cloud foot scattered; soup less tea more, then porridge noodles gathered. Jianren called cloud foot porridge noodles. Banknote tea one dollar seven, first inject soup, adjust the order extremely evenly, and then add it, ring back blow blow. The soup is on the cup, but it can be stopped by four points, and it is excellent to see its bright face and no water marks. Jian'an Dou test to the water mark first as the negative, durable as the win, so compared to the victory and defeat, it is said that one water and two waters are separated.
Cai Xiang's Tea Records (Song Cicada Wing Extension), 1052 Shanghai Library Collection (Part 2)
The next article is about tea utensils
Tea roasting Tea roasting, weaving bamboo, wrapped in leaves. Cover it to collect the fire also; separate it, to accommodate it also. Na fire under it, go to the tea ruler, room temperature is warm, so raise tea color fragrance also.
Tea cage Tea is not into the roaster, should be sealed, wrapped in a basket, caged, placed on a high place, not near moisture.
Anvil anvil, covered with crushed tea. Anvils are made of wood, vertebrae or gold or iron, and taken for convenience.
Tea plutonium Tea plutonium, for which Qu Jin Iron is used to burn tea.
Tea mill Tea mill, made of silver or iron. Gold is soft, copper and stone can be used, not used.
Cha Luo Cha Luo is preferably fine, and Luo Di uses Shu Dongchuan Goose Creek to paint the secret of silk, and rubs it in the soup to wash it.
Tea cup Tea color white, should be black cup, Jian'an maker, black, grain like rabbit, its billet is slightly thick, hot and cold for a long time, the most important to use. Those who come from other places, either thin or purple, are not as good as they are. Its green and white cups, dou test home do not use.
Teaspoon The teaspoon should be heavy, the blow is powerful, the gold is the top, and the world is made of silver and iron. Bamboo is light, and the tea is not taken.
Soup bottle The bottle should be small, easy to wait for soup, and order tea, soup is accurate. Gold is the top, and the world is made of silver, iron, porcelain, and stone.
Portrait of Cai Zhonghui
Afterword
Emperor Yuzhong xiuju notes, played emperor Renzong, repeatedly asked the heavens to build Angong tea and so try tea. Although the subject said that although the tea is forbidden to speak Chinese, there is nothing to do with the secret, and the two articles of the "Tea Record" are progressive. Later, after knowing Fuzhou, he stole the manuscript for the secretary in charge and could no longer remember it. Knowing that Fan Ji of Huai'an County had purchased it, he published it and did good deeds. However, it is full of fallacies. The subject remembered the grace of the former emperor Gu Yu, collected the book and drooled, added the right determination, and the book was to the stone, so as to pass it on forever. On May 26 of the first year of Zhiping, the third envoy and minister Cai Xiang remembered.
Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty was a tea lover, often paying attention to tea art and Jian'an gong tea. Cai Xiang considered that "Xi Luyu's "Tea Classic" is not the first Jian'an product, Ding said that the "Tea Map" is a unique method of harvesting, as for the cooking test, it has never been heard", and the method of cooking test is particularly suitable for the court to play, so "the number of things, simple and easy to understand, le into two parts, the name of the "Tea Record"" The book is divided into two parts, with the Jian'an Beiyuan Tea District as the background, the first article on tea, mainly about the quality identification and cooking methods of Song Shu tea, the next discussion of the instrument, mainly about the color and aroma of tea leaves, the cooking steps of tea and the function of tea utensils and their use methods. Among them, the geographical location, natural conditions and characteristics of Jian'an Beiyuan, tea products, tea utensils, etc. were described in detail, laying a theoretical foundation for the artistic tea drinking of the Song Dynasty, and was the most famous tea monograph after Lu Yu's "Tea Classic".
The Tea Record was written in 1051 and is written in about 800 words, with a preamble and a back sequence. The latter order was made when it was revised in May of the first year of the Zhiping Dynasty (1064). The book is written in small letters, about 800 words, the calligraphy is strong and strict, horizontal and flowing. It is a representative work of Cai Xiang's calligraphy art, a representative work of tea culture, and an important document in the history of Chinese tea culture. This hand-scrolled extension is found in the Ming Dynasty Song Jue's "Ancient Xiang Zhai Bao Recommended Cai Ti" Volume II.
Cai Xiang's Tea Record (Song Cicada Wing Extension), 1952, Shanghai Library.