''The Record of Tea'' (), also known as the ''Tea Note'' is a Chinese tea classic by Cai Xiang written in 1049–1053 CE. Reputed as one of the greatest calligraphers of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

, Cai Xiang was also a great

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

connoisseur. During the Qingli (慶曆)

era An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

of the Renzong Emperor (1041–1048), Cai Xiang was the Officer of Transportation in

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

. He pioneered the manufacture of a small "Dragon Tribute Tea Cake" (大小龙团 daxiao longtuan) of superlative quality. He wrote the first tea treatise of the Song dynasty, ''The Record of Tea''. In this book, he documents, explains in detail, comments and also criticizes the preparation and usage of tea and its vessels. He also made one of the first documented comments on

Jian ware Jian ware or Chien ware () is a type of Chinese pottery originally made in Jianyang, Fujian province. It, and local imitations of it, are known in Japan as ''Tenmoku'' (). It consists of simple shapes in stoneware, with a strong emphasis on sub ...

. The work consists of two volumes. He was a native of Fujian; he was the first writer to report the tea spotting game of Jian'an (now Shuiji county in Fujian).

* Part I: About Tea ** Properties of Tea ** On Storage ** On Baking ** On Pressing ** On Sieving ** On Boiling Water ** On Preheating ** On Tea Spotting * Part II: Tea Utensils ** Tea Warmer ** Tea Canister ** Tea Hammer ** Tea Clamps ** Tea Grinder ** Tea Sieve ** Tea Vessel ** Tea Spoon ** Tea Kettle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Record Of Tea Chinese tea classic texts Song dynasty literature 1040s books 11th-century Chinese books

Table of contents

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References