泡好茶的涵義

■蔡榮章

泡好茶的涵義

■蔡榮章

What we mean by Brewing a Good Pot

蔡榮章， 1948年2月生，天福茶學院茶文化系主任、臺灣陸羽茶學研究所所長、陸羽茶藝中心總監、無我茶會創辦人，中國國際茶文化研究會榮譽副會長主編臺灣《茶藝月刊》，出版：《無我茶會》、《現代茶藝》、《無我茶會 180條》、《現代茶思想集》、《茶道教室》、《茶學概論》、《茶道基礎篇》、《茶道入門三篇》、《說茶之陸羽茶道》等多部著作，特別值得一提的是 ,蔡先生創辦的無我茶會，已成為世界主要喝茶地區通行的茶會形式，目前正在各地愛茶人群中流行開來。

喝好的茶比較有益、聽好的音樂比較有益、穿好的衣服比較有益，這樣的觀念不知道大家能不能接受？有人說好茶與差一點的茶，其所含的成分不會差太多，名牌衣服與雜牌衣服的蔽體與保暖功能也不會差太多，但是我們有不同的看法。

If I say, to get the most out of life you’ve got to drink good tea, listen to good music and wear good clothes, what do you think? Is this your cup of tea? To some, a little difference in the tea leaves will not make or break a cup, and clothes being branded or not does not affect its fundamental function of providing protection and warmth. We look at this differently, though.

我們曾經談過「泡茶師①箴言」，提到「泡好茶」②的重要，相信有人會質疑「泡好茶」作如何解釋，是「泡好」茶？還是泡「好茶」？我們認為兩個說法都沒有錯，當然以「泡茶師箴言」的角度看，應該是前者的意思：「泡好」茶是茶人體能的訓練，「泡好」茶是茶道追求的途徑，「泡好」茶是茶境感悟的本體。但若單獨來看，泡「好茶」也有其道理。

In the last chapter, the Tea Brewer’s① Motto, we brought up the idea of brewing a good pot②. You may wonder what that exactly means. Would it mean brewing tea with masterful (good)technique, or brewing tea of premium (good) quality? We think both apply; and yet, in the context of the Tea Brewer’s Motto, it may be more of the former – brewing a good pot is the physical training of a Tea Brewer, the pursuit of the Way of Tea, and the essence to experiencing the World of Tea. However, when taking it out form this particular context, the understanding of it as‘brewing tea of premium quality’ is also relevant.

所謂「好茶」，一定是色香味俱佳，甚至有其獨特的風格，這樣的茶湯③，喝來一定讓人神清氣爽，這精神的愉悅就有益身體健康，比起普普通通的茶、喝來沒有什么特殊喜悅的茶要「補」得多，再說得科技一點，所謂的好茶一定是含有品質較佳的成分、一定是含有較為人喜歡的成分，而且這些成分的組合是令人高興的、含量是豐富的。這樣美好的成分喝到肚子里一定比喝那些品質不佳的茶有益得多。這種現象不只發生在茶，即使穿衣服也如此，穿件質料好、設計優美、制作精良的衣服，一定比穿質料不好、樣式不美、制作粗劣的衣服要有益健康，也是包含精神的愉快與肉體的舒適在內。

Good tea, in general, refers to tea that is appealing in terms of colour, aroma and taste. Its tea liquor③has a certain character that makes it a delight to drink. Tea drinker will be delighted by the pleasant feeling of satisfaction when they put their cups down.This is translated into health-enhancing benefits, an edge over mediocre tea that promises very little other than being a thirst-quencher. On the scientific ground, the so-called good tea is rich in compounds which are simply better and more appreciated.The combination of these compounds makes it a delight and adds to its rich flavor and content. As such, the impact is so much more enjoyable both physically and psychologically. This is similar to clothes – a fabulously-designed and well-tailored dress made of premium materials will work wonders on our physical well-being because of the feel-good elements it brings, as compared to a poorly-made dress of sub-standard fabric and sloppy tailoring.

以上這個說法可能遭受的反對有兩方面：一是「好」的定義何在？一是會不會造成奢糜的風氣？茶葉的好、衣服的好，我們要尊重專家，消費者的好惡、個人的偏見應設法排除。真正的「好」，價格一定較高，這會與個人的收入與認知程度取得協調，只要不造成好高騖遠的風氣，自然不會造成奢糜。

The above proposition is a possible subject of ridicule on two grounds. First, what is the definition of ‘good’? Second,will this lead to extravagance? To begin with, we must listen to experts as to how good the tea leaves or clothes are – this requires us to put aside our personal preference and prejudices.For things that are ‘good’, they are usually higher-priced, and this calls for a balance between one’s own income and level of awareness. It will not lead to extravagance as long as we do not go beyond our means.