Cha if by land, Tea if by sea. “Characteas” is about unity, to celebrate the beautiful connection between nature and humans.
Roaming to settling down
Tea leaves made by the plant Camellia Sinensis started the long long journey thousands of years ago, being traveled from the deep forest from ancient Yunnan/Myanmar area and bloomed in Fujian and Guangdong province in China, where the silk roads started. The word “cha” spread across the land, along the silk road. The “tea” like phrasings(Minnan dialect) were spread over water, by Dutch traders bringing the novel leaves back to Europe. In this sense, tea finds its own way to travel and settle.
Diverse to collective
You might have heard that there are 6 types of tea, green, white, yellow, black, wulong, and dark. They are categorized by methods of processing, some say by oxidation level. In the commercial world, standardization is an effective way for trades, however, we believe the world of tea is complex and diverse, just like we have different races living on the planet. Each tea has its character just like everyone has their own personality, we want to present tea in a more fair way, respect the difference and cherish common sense. There are many factors that influence the flavors and aromas, such as varietals, terroir, processing. We aim at bringing out the essence of tea with good resources, which will surprise you.
Body meets soul
When one truly enjoys tea, the peaceful, tranquility, and timeless moment align the body and soul. Add tea to the vessel, sip tea to the body, mingle together with water, leaves, clouds, flowers, wind... immerse oneself in the cup of nature, feel and empty everything... add again... it is the way return to nature, to the state of innocence.
About Lian
A 'being' also born close to the same region as Camellia Sinensis, Lian started exploring the world of tea and its art in 2012. Her passion for tea took her to professional tea courses in China, visiting international tea fairs and festivals. However, she did not enjoy tea in her childhood as the “Grandpa Style” kept a heavy bitter taste, until she experienced the Gongfu Style brewing, it completely opened another door for a systematic and deep learning.
Tea is simple, yet sophisticated. Living by the motto "The more you know, the more you have to learn."She keeps learning tea from different aspects such as biochemistry, geology... She aims to express tea with a classic base but a creative approach.
These thoughts are about the meaning behind Characteas, read it, and find your own experience.