Cloud tea is like life; life is learning, wisdom is cultivation.
Qingming season, with its drizzling rain. Every year at this time, I take out an aged tea cake, sit by the window, and drink slowly. Not for any particular reason — I simply feel this season calls for remembrance, and the flavour of aged tea is best suited to that mood. It carries the weight of time; every sip is a memory of the years. I have kept this habit for over a decade — every Qingming, the same pot of tea, the same seat, the same frame of mind.
Today I opened a 2008 Menghai aged tea. When I unwrapped the cotton paper, the aged aroma rose to meet me — a fragrance difficult to describe: it is the scent of time itself. After brewing, the liquor had turned deep crimson. It entered the mouth smooth and mellow, with no bitterness or astringency whatsoever. This cake has accompanied me for fifteen years, evolving from its youthful sharpness to its present maturity — like a person’s journey of growth. Every time I drink this tea, I recall the days when I first acquired it; the people, the events, all resurface with the rising steam.
Qingming Festival is a special day for the Chinese people. We visit graves, honour our ancestors, and remember those who have passed. Through this process, a cup of aged tea helps settle the heart. The gentle warmth of aged tea has a calming effect on the body; after drinking, one feels peaceful and serene. This feeling is most fitting for the Qingming season — few words are needed; a cup of tea is enough. I remember my father’s favourite drink was aged tea. Every Qingming I bring a pot to his gravesite, pour a cup, and set it before the tombstone, as if sharing tea with him.
In traditional understanding, the weather around Qingming is damp, and people tend to feel fatigued and achy in the joints. Aged tea, having matured over many years, has a gentle, warm nature that is traditionally believed to help dispel dampness. Drinking a pot of aged tea daily during this period is said to help the body release excess moisture and ease the joints. Every year around Qingming, I drink aged tea and feel that heaviness lift. It is especially suitable for older people, because aged tea is gentle on the stomach and may even help warm and aid digestion.
Tea has grades; all may enjoy it regardless of status.
The brewing method for aged tea differs somewhat. Because it has aged for many years, the leaf structure is more open, and the liquor releases quickly. I typically use boiling water but pour off the infusions fast — the first few steeps need only three to five seconds. Later infusions can be extended gradually. Aged tea is usually very long-lasting, often yielding twenty or more infusions. Each infusion tastes different, like each stage of life offering its own insight. The first few are rich and mellow, the middle ones sweet, the last ones light and delicate — the process itself is a form of cultivation.
By the tenth infusion, the rain outside the window had stopped. Sunlight broke through the clouds, and the tea liquor shimmered in the cup. I suddenly felt that this cup of tea was like the people I remember — they are no longer here, but their influence endures. What aged tea has taught me is not just the skill of tasting, but an attitude toward time. Cherish the present, but do not fear loss. That is the insight Qingming season and a cup of aged tea bring me.
Make friends through tea, please enjoy a cup.
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Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
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