The Record of Tea

The Record of Tea (Chinese: 茶录; pinyin: Chá Lù) is a Chinese tea classic by Cai Xiang written in AD 1049.

Reputed as one of the greatest calligraphers of the Song dynasty, Cai Xiang was also a great tea connoisseur. During the Qingli period of the Renzong emperor (1041-1048), Cai Xiang was the Officer of Transportation in Fujian. He pioneered the manufacture of a small Dragon Tribute Tea Cake of superlative quality. He also wrote the first tea treatise of the Song dynasty, The Record of Tea. In this book, Cai Xiang criticized the traditional practice of mixing small amounts of Borneo camphor (Dryobalanops aromatica) into tea cakes. He wrote: "Tea has an intrinsic aroma. But tribute tea manufacturers like to mix in a small amount of Borneo camphor, supposedly to enhance the aroma of tea. The local people of Jian'an never mix any incense into tea." Cai Xiang was a native of Fujian; he was the first writer to report the tea spotting game of Jian'an (now Shuiji county in Fujian).

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