Record of Tea facts for kids

This picture shows Cai Xiang, who wrote "The Record of Tea" around 1049–1053 CE.

The Record of Tea (which means Chá Lù in Chinese) is a famous old Chinese book about tea. It was written by a smart scholar named Cai Xiang between the years 1049 and 1053. People sometimes call it the Tea Note too. This book is considered a very important "tea classic" because it shares so much about tea from that time.

Who Was Cai Xiang?

Cai Xiang was a very talented person during China's Song dynasty. He was known as one of the best writers of beautiful Chinese letters, called a calligrapher. But he wasn't just good at writing; he was also a huge fan and expert of tea.

From 1041 to 1048, during the time of the Renzong Emperor, Cai Xiang worked as an important officer in a place called Fujian. He was in charge of transportation there. While in Fujian, he helped create a special kind of tea. It was a small, high-quality tea cake called the "Dragon Tribute Tea Cake." This tea was so good that it was given as a gift to the emperor!

What Is The Record of Tea About?

The Record of Tea was the first book about tea written during the Song dynasty. In this book, Cai Xiang wrote down everything he knew about tea. He explained how tea was made and used, and even how the tools for tea were used. He also shared his own thoughts and sometimes even criticized how people prepared tea.

The book has two main parts. Cai Xiang was from Fujian, and he was the first person to write about a fun game called "tea spotting" that was popular in a place called Jian'an (which is now Shuiji county in Fujian).

Part 1: All About Tea

This part of the book talks about tea itself. It covers:

• The special qualities of tea.
• How to store tea properly so it stays fresh.
• How to bake tea.
• How to press tea into cakes.
• How to sieve tea to make it fine.
• How to boil water perfectly for tea.
• How to preheat your tea cups and pots.
• The game of "tea spotting," where people would guess the quality of tea.

Part 2: Tea Tools

The second part of the book focuses on all the different tools people used for tea. It describes:

• The tea warmer, which kept tea hot.
• The tea canister, for storing tea.
• The tea hammer, used to break tea cakes.
• Tea clamps, for holding tea.
• The tea grinder, to grind tea into powder.
• The tea sieve, for sifting tea.
• The tea vessel, where tea was prepared.
• The tea spoon, for serving.
• The tea kettle, for boiling water.

Cai Xiang also wrote some of the earliest notes about a type of pottery called Jian ware, which was often used for tea bowls.

See also

• Treatise on Tea by the Huizong Emperor, written in 1107 CE
• Pictorial of Tea Ware by Shenan, written in 1269 CE