It it not the first time I have tried matcha, but it is going to be the first time I write about it. Last year, in late Summer, I received some instructions from my teacher, Sayama, on how to prepare matcha in the most basic way taught in tea schools in Japan. Since then, I have been practicing almost every day.
As you can see in the photos, I still do not have all the necessary accessories. I do have the chasen whisk, the chashaku spoon, the fukusa cloth (the violet one, which you can see in some other photo) and, of course, the chawan bowl. I bought the chawan from Sayama, who said it was made by a Korean pottery master.
To replace the still missing chakin hemp cloth, I use a piece of gauze cut to the required size. And I still do not have a proper natsume tea container, so I am using the original package in which the tea is sold.
At the beginning of my Way of Tea, I did not want to start making matcha by myself, knowing that it is a sophisticated and elaborate art. I just did not want to make mistakes or acquire a wrong attitude so I just waited for the right time to come. Fortunately, Sayama shared some if his knowledge with me.
Just as I had supposed, it turned out to be a demanding practice requiring lots of concentration and discipline. It would be hard if it did not appeal to me as much as it does.
Somewhere deep inside me I felt learning how to prepare matcha would eventually affect all my life. The tranquility and quietness is something I have always liked. The concentration and discipline help me cope with everyday chores better. As they say: "how you do one thing is how you do everything". In other words, if you learn to prepare tea attentively and with a sincere heart, focusing on tea, clearing your mind of the unnecessary clutter, you soon realise you want the same in all other aspects of your life. The tea aestetics soon became my favorite and finally led me to minimalism, which, so to speak, saved my chaotic and overburdened life from a disaster. I found that to be very true even before learning matcha. Preparing leaf tea in an attentive way has the same effect, only that matcha, with all its philosophical and cultural background, seems to have a stronger effect.
My favourite time to prepare and drink my matcha is early in the morning, when the whole world around me is still sleeping and all is quiet. Starting the morning with silent practice sets the whole day. Almost impercebtibly I have become an early morning person.
Brak komentarzy:
Prześlij komentarz