Green energy.
Every morning is the same right? You wake up, shower, open the laptop and the game begins. But first, you need the fuel to get going. The dark matter that makes the world spin and the human mind tick. I am of course talking about coffee. The daily fix for millions if not billions. But lately, I have been cutting down on my daily grind.
I noticed that it was doing me more harm than good by leaving me easily distracted and overly jittery. However I did want to have the benefits of the active brainwaves that caffeine provides.
Meet L-Theanine, the cousin of caffeine.
I discovered this miraclous stimulant after drinking a vivid green cup of matcha tea. I felt ever present, focused and relaxed.
This sensation got me curious and I started investing
L-Theanine gives you everything that caffeine gives but more gently not to forget it's stress reducing capabalities. L-Theanine is present in green, black and white teas. L-Theanine can be increased by growing a plant deliberately in the shade. For an optimal boost of L-Theanine look for Japanese teas such as Gyokuro, Sencha, Kabuse and Matcha.
Matcha being the highest in concentration likewise the most expensive of them all.
The world of Japanese Green Tea
In this week's edit we will dive a bit deeper into the history and cultural importance of the drink of Japan: Green Tea.
One of the first drinkers of green tea were the Chinese monks. With the important monograph on the tea by Lu Yu in 760 CE. He saw tea as the harmony and mysterious unity of the universe. A Chinese poet wrote about Lu Yu's activities and life.
A Thousand mountains will greet my departing friend,
When the spring teas blossom again.
With such breadth and wisdom,
Serenely picking tea—
Through morning mists
Or crimson evening clouds—
His solitary journey is my envy.
We rendezvous at a remote mountain temple,
Where we enjoy tea by a clear pebble fountain.
In that silent night,
Lit only by candlelight,
I struck a marble bell—
Its chime carrying me
A hidden man
Deep into thoughts of ages past.
Early Techniques
One of the earlier techniques for the perseveration of green tea was to steam the tea and preserve it in bricks. The tea was then roasted, pulverised and boiled in hot water with added salt. A few centuries later, in the Song Dynasty, A more innovative technique grew in popularity namely the grinding of steam dried tea leaves. The results was powdered tea. The powdered form maintained the colour and freshness of the tea.
The neighbouring Japan took notice like a school boy peeking over its shoulder to get answers.
Eisai
Eisai, a Japanese buddhist priest was dissatisfied with the current state of Buddhism in Japan so he took regular trips to China to l Hier
After staying in China for four years, he earned his certification as a Zen teacher and returned to Japan in 1191. He brought several artefacts with him such as Zen sculptures and some obscure seeds. Those seeds grew to be foundation of his teachings, because what he brought back were tea seeds.
Upon his return to mainland Japan, he founded a temple and planted the seeds in Toganoo and Uji to grow tea. Nowadays the highest of quality teas come from Uji
Tea and Health
He wrote a book devoted to the green elixir called Kissa Yōjōki or "Drinking Tea for Health". It describes how drinking tea can have a positive effect on the five vital organs, especially the heart. "Tea is the ultimate mental and medical remedy and has the ability to make one’s life more full and complete. Tea is the most wonderful medicine for nourishing one's health; it is the secret of long life"
I may have said "green elixir" which you could see as an overstatement. But through the eyes of Eisai, he saw it as a product that cured diseases and improve life.
Curing a Warlord
Thus he used green tea to improve the life of others and even curing them, like he cured the Shogun (Japanese Warlord): "Sanetomo". As described in one of the legendary chronicles about Shoguns, the Azuma Kagami
"The shōgun was taken a bit ill, and various attendants attempted to treat him. This was not so serious but was from overindulgence in wine the previous evening. The priest Yojo, who had come to perform incantations and learned the situation, brought a bowl of tea from his temple, saying it was good medicine. He also asked the attendants to give the shōgun a scroll of writings about the virtues of tea, and the shōgun was said to have been greatly pleased. Priest Yojo indicated he had written it recently during his breaks from meditation."
But why did Eisai believe so strongly in the curing properties of tea? The science during that time surely couldn't provide an answer that was objectively based on microscopic samples. For that answer we need to dive deeper into his book, Kissa Yōjōki.
The Five Elements
There he states that Chinese science had five elements to it;
Water, fire, earth, wood and metal
He points out that we have five major organs
liver, lungs, heart, spleen and kidneys
Lastly he says, we have five flavours that each of the organs prefers
acidic, pungent, bitter, sweet, and salty
He believes that the Japanese diet of that time offered everything except the bitter taste. He believed that the absence of bitterness caused many of the heart attacks that the Japanese were suffering at that time. He asserted that his green tea was essential for providing the bitter flavour, and thereby keeping the heart healthy
Unity through Tea
It was a nervous and bloody time in Japan. Warlords were fighting left and right, with bloodshed at its forefront. Eisai believed with many others that Zen Buddhism could string the war torn country together. At the heart of these beliefs were a set of rules (Rules of Purity for Chan Monasteries). One of those rules is the etiquette of serving tea in Buddhist rituals.
The preaching of tea consumption by Zen Priests caused a grow in popularity. Soon enough it was the staple for the ''cultured'' in Japan like the Shogun's and the Samurai.
Quite quickly the rituals and Buddhist beliefs were taken out of the quotation, as with any art form it got commercialised. People started betting in tea competitions called Tōcha. A game where competitors have to distinguish between "real" Japanese teas which are the teas of Uji and Toganoo. The common setting for Tōcha is an extravagant decor, Chinese ceramics, paintings and calligraphy. The prizes for Tōcha were silks, weapons and gold so the winner was bathing in excess and extravagance. It was common to drink a lot of tea during Tōcha. When I say a lot, I mean ten to fifty cups!
Critics
This competition however went not completely unnoticed. Many Japanese writers criticised this activity for its flashy nature. For the Japanese shogun the tea competition didn't satisfy his thirst for showing off, he wanted more. So he took it to the next level...
You will read what the Shogun did in Part 2.
See you in 2 weeks!