The taste of tea

Tác giả Nguyễn Hiếu Tín — Author Nguyen Hieu Tin

Imagine, when dawn has just broken, the farmer gently catches the drops of dew still lingering in the night, leisurely lights a warm fire, calmly brews a pot of green tea imbued with the flavor of wind and dew. He does not fully understand the tea culture in Lu Yu's Tea Classic, nor can he understand the mystery hidden in the types of tea, nor can he understand the sun and moon in the pot.

He leisurely sat in front of the porch, watching the drifting sky and clouds, freely looking far into the vast rice fields, chatting with the gentle and simple buffalo beside him, like a soul mate chatting and drinking, every now and then hearing the chirping of birds, rejoicing in the new day, then suddenly seeing a flower branch blooming and showing off its charm. Quietly sipping a sip of tea filled with the taste of elegance and transcendence, not for the sake of elegance or nobility, just to clear the mind and be kind.

In that quiet, poetic, empty space, there seemed to be a true harmony between people and all worlds, all in harmony with this vast universe. At that moment, tea drinking had become a magical cloud of flowers. Flowers were no longer flowers, clouds were no longer clouds. Tea was no longer tea, the way was no longer the way...

They dissolve into each other, dissolve into life, like the truth itself, we cannot see clearly, but it still exists, even though we cannot see it... Suddenly, it reminds us of the poem by the poet Basho: "Tea has always been the way/ When thirsty, we just drink/ If we think of tea and the way/ Then our heads will be piled on top of our heads".

Let life manifest itself through a pure heart, feel the harmony with heaven and earth, love everyone, cherish every living thing in every moment while enjoying beloved Vietnamese tea.

(Entry to the contest "Impressions of Vietnamese coffee and tea" under the program "Honoring Vietnamese coffee and tea" for the 2nd time, 2024 organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper)