what makes for a good one and when do they become one
:(
May 4th, '09, 21:35
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May 4th, '09, 21:42
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The only kinds of "tea master" of which I can think off-hand are either individuals who have undergone ridonkulous years of training in something and are awarded the title in a manner that actually makes sense in professional circles, or (less formally) people recognized by other people (aka, not just in their own deluded minds) as having a certain expertise in something tea-related.
Either would fall under the "no small undertaking" category.
Either would fall under the "no small undertaking" category.
May 4th, '09, 21:45
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el padre wrote:The only kinds of "tea master" of which I can think off-hand are either individuals who have undergone ridonkulous years of training in something and are awarded the title in a manner that actually makes sense in professional circles, or (less formally) people recognized by other people (aka, not just in their own deluded minds) as having a certain expertise in something tea-related.
Either would fall under the "no small undertaking" category.
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May 4th, '09, 21:59
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all jokes aside there has to be a point at which a person becomes a tea master.
does a tea master have to know all about all tea every type or do they specialize.
is it like religion were once you devote your life to tea they give you a symbolic tea master thingy. ok small joke but really do you go to school or is it more existential in a way which you must defend your status to other tea masters with a blog or paper written etc. do they have special meetings in which the secrets of tea are discussed and doctrine is decided were each has his/her part. can it be shared without some sort of dues being paid to the master of masters. i have come to the opinion that not everyone can become a master of tea. but everyone who makes tea is the master of that tea. he who combines the leaf the water the fire etc orchestrates this happening in time and the result is his to do with as he pleases. thus becoming the master of that tea. so my next question is what would you say to someone who asks if you are a tea master.? seems best to answer with a question about tea. I bet if there were master or tea masters that he/she might not even admit to being so :in fear of making inferior tea. So do masters live in fear of their own tea? Worried that one night late while still asleep the tea left in the pot might reap some sort of revenge. You know on second thought do you really want to master the tea. Would life with tea be better for you and the tea. To live beside the tea letting it do its will and you yours. A sort of harmony of good times bad times in which there is really no good tea or bad tea no wrong way or right way to make tea just the fact that it exists and you make it. I wonder if coexisting with tea in a manner such as this is what masters us by the tea.
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does a tea master have to know all about all tea every type or do they specialize.
is it like religion were once you devote your life to tea they give you a symbolic tea master thingy. ok small joke but really do you go to school or is it more existential in a way which you must defend your status to other tea masters with a blog or paper written etc. do they have special meetings in which the secrets of tea are discussed and doctrine is decided were each has his/her part. can it be shared without some sort of dues being paid to the master of masters. i have come to the opinion that not everyone can become a master of tea. but everyone who makes tea is the master of that tea. he who combines the leaf the water the fire etc orchestrates this happening in time and the result is his to do with as he pleases. thus becoming the master of that tea. so my next question is what would you say to someone who asks if you are a tea master.? seems best to answer with a question about tea. I bet if there were master or tea masters that he/she might not even admit to being so :in fear of making inferior tea. So do masters live in fear of their own tea? Worried that one night late while still asleep the tea left in the pot might reap some sort of revenge. You know on second thought do you really want to master the tea. Would life with tea be better for you and the tea. To live beside the tea letting it do its will and you yours. A sort of harmony of good times bad times in which there is really no good tea or bad tea no wrong way or right way to make tea just the fact that it exists and you make it. I wonder if coexisting with tea in a manner such as this is what masters us by the tea.
this mellon rocks
the rockies coonass
joe
There we go, I fixed your post!teaskeptic wrote:If you have to have a blog on the internet, you might just not be a tea master.
Since there is no degree, or accredited university (well, that one place that teaches tea classes aside), there's probably not one "point in time" where the official transformation takes place.
Except for the Japanese. They probably have a ceremony or something to make it official. (Okay, so maybe others do too, I just don't know).
One of the problems is that, like being a master in any endeavor (art, music, science), you never are truly a "master" in the normal sense, but you have gained a body of both knowledge and experience that enables you to understand and apply information in your area at a much deeper level (especially including the unknown).
May 5th, '09, 09:53
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I think that the term "tea master" is used very differently depending on culture and context.
I once met someone who studied gong fu for a time and who calls herself a tea master. I'll admit that I was a little surprised upon hearing this, because my Japanese sensei has studied chanoyu intensively for over four decades and she would never, ever use the term to describe herself. In fact, the only time I've hear the term used in the Japanese context is to describe great historical figures of tea, such as Sen no Rikyuu, or living o-iemoto (heads of the tea school "families") such as Sen Soushitsu. Even then I suspect they avoid any such words when talking about their qualifications or experience. Smaller indications, such as having been awarded a gomei (honorary "tea name"), are more telling.
Still, the lady I met was probably perfectly entitled to use the expression within the context of her own tradition. That's something I'm unable to judge.
Actually, every time I hear "tea master" I think of the tea-making machine from the Christmas episode of Father Ted
Salesman: "Tea Master. It takes the misery out of making tea."
Mrs Doyle (snarling): "Maybe I like the misery!"
Now there's a tea master for you!
I once met someone who studied gong fu for a time and who calls herself a tea master. I'll admit that I was a little surprised upon hearing this, because my Japanese sensei has studied chanoyu intensively for over four decades and she would never, ever use the term to describe herself. In fact, the only time I've hear the term used in the Japanese context is to describe great historical figures of tea, such as Sen no Rikyuu, or living o-iemoto (heads of the tea school "families") such as Sen Soushitsu. Even then I suspect they avoid any such words when talking about their qualifications or experience. Smaller indications, such as having been awarded a gomei (honorary "tea name"), are more telling.
Still, the lady I met was probably perfectly entitled to use the expression within the context of her own tradition. That's something I'm unable to judge.
Actually, every time I hear "tea master" I think of the tea-making machine from the Christmas episode of Father Ted
Salesman: "Tea Master. It takes the misery out of making tea."
Mrs Doyle (snarling): "Maybe I like the misery!"
Now there's a tea master for you!
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"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
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"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
May 5th, '09, 10:24
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I defer to my previous post.coloradopu wrote:all jokes aside there has to be a point at which a person becomes a tea master.
does a tea master have to know all about all tea every type or do they specialize.
is it like religion were once you devote your life to tea they give you a symbolic tea
At the end of the day, either you're considered the master of your job role in some tea trade, in which case your title would be far more specific than "tea master" or your pals call you "tea master" because you're way too into it.
May 5th, '09, 10:33
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There is a "What is a Tea Master?" topics at the bottom. And you do have to pay
There is a "What is a Tea Master?" topics at the bottom. And you do have to pay
May 5th, '09, 10:46
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First off, everyone knows that the best tea masters are clean shaven.
On Badger and Blade, a site that has developed a respectable pu'er section, we answer a similar question (regarding one's ability to sharpen a blade) this way-
Q: What's a honemeister?
A: A guy with a hone and an ego.
Everyone here is a tea master, if for no other reason than we are all the world's leading expert on our own opinion.
Of course, there are different degrees of mastery.
On Badger and Blade, a site that has developed a respectable pu'er section, we answer a similar question (regarding one's ability to sharpen a blade) this way-
Q: What's a honemeister?
A: A guy with a hone and an ego.
Everyone here is a tea master, if for no other reason than we are all the world's leading expert on our own opinion.
Of course, there are different degrees of mastery.
May 5th, '09, 16:21
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Location: the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy