Qi!

[Ljung93]

Hi people!

Does tea seem to have sort-of-a reverse tolerance on you guys? I mean, when i started drinking tea i had trouble feeling the qi of a tea, but nowadays it really baffles me how strong the qi-sensation can actually be!

Please share thoughts...

And also, what is your favourite qi-laden tea? Mine is Nada's 2010 Manmai...

[nickE]

And also, what is your favourite qi-laden tea? Mine is Nada's 2010 Manmai...

While I don't always feel cha qi, I definitely did with the Manmai. Had it yesterday, felt a strong heaviness right between my ears.

I've found that young Shengpu tends to energize me more while aged stuff calms & relaxes me.

[puerhking]

I have noticed that as well. Glad I'm not the only one. Seems the more I drink tea the more easily it effects me.

I'm not sure what cake has the most chaqi in my stash...but I can think of two that stand out. 08 Xiaguan Nan Zhao round cake and the 06 Mengyang Guoyan Youle meets Nannuo.

[tingjunkie]

The 2008 Purple Tip from Bana has some powerful qi for sure, but it's the strong, sweaty, teadrunk type. My favorite chaqi has to be from a 20yr aged Ali Shan Oolong from Camelia Sinensis- that stuff just makes me feel high on life- like everything is good with the world!

[bagua7]

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[Mr. Usaji]

I tend to think "cha qi" is a placebo effect. I mean, obviously tea causes physical and mental reactions, due to caffeine and a variety of other chemicals. But the idea that each tea has unique effects located at specific points in the body seems pretty doubtful to me. It's sort like of how some people think different alcoholic drinks cause different kinds of drunkenness, even though all alcohol is the same; the only difference is in their expectations.

A heaviness between the ears? Hmm...

[nickE]

A heaviness between the ears? Hmm...

Hey, don't hate. When I first started drinking tea, I thought it was a load of .... too. I was converted, however.

[wyardley]

I tend to think "cha qi" is a placebo effect. I mean, obviously tea causes physical and mental reactions, due to caffeine and a variety of other chemicals. But the idea that each tea has unique effects located at specific points in the body seems pretty doubtful to me. It's sort of how some people think different alcoholic drinks cause different kinds of drunkenness, even though all alcohol is the same; the only difference is in their expectations.

I think the placebo effect is definitely part of it -- but I think it's important not to believe that just because something has the same active ingredient doesn't mean there aren't more complex chemical reactions going on. Coffee and tea brewed with the exact same amount of caffeine will make you feel different, as would a shot of straight caffeine.

Beer, wine, and various types of distilled liquor all contain alcohol, but are very different in other ways. Yes - alcohol itself is essentially the same, but none of these things contain only 100% pure alcohol. It's not that the differences can't be measured - it's just that in many cases we can't, or don't, measure them. And of course, alcoholic drinks which contain more water may get you drunk (or hung over) differently simply by virtue of hydrating you more and helping you take them in more slowly.

People take this very reductionist view of things, like they'll think that two foods which appear to be the same based on their appearance or nutritional information are equivalent... but nutritional information only factors in a certain subset of things.

Going back to the original post, I have a questions for the OP:

Are you drinking the exact same teas, brewed in the exact same strength, as when you started? If you're buying better / different tea, or brewing the tea you have stronger, that could explain part of what you're seeing.

I do think expectation is part of it too... some people are probably more suggestible than others, but we are all suggestible to one degree or another. If you're on a tea forum hearing people talk about chaqi, perhaps this will intensify (or amplify your perception of) something you're actually feeling.

Personally, I haven't noticed chaqi becoming more intense as I gain more experience, but I guess I am more attuned to it in certain ways, or more aware of what to look for.

[Mr. Usaji]

Hey, don't hate. When I first started drinking tea, I thought it was a load of .... too. I was converted, however.

Sorry, but the description amused me. I'm not very experienced with tea, so I'll keep an open mind.

I guess I should also be more clear about what I meant. I don't doubt that you feel something between your ears, or that mayayo feels a sensation in the gallbladder, or whatever. It's one thing to describe the sensation you get, but another thing to attribute that very specific event to the tea, as if everyone who drank that tea could be expect to feel the same thing. I doubt that even you experience the same thing every time you drink the tea.

I also have no problem with descriptions of overall feelings, like "energizing" and "calming"; those I have experienced myself.

Beer, wine, and various types of distilled liquor all contain alcohol, but are very different in other ways.

As for alcohol, ethanol really is the only active ingredient of alcoholic drinks; the only difference between drinks is water that might slow down its effect. Tea has a lot more going on, and is not completely understood, so I'm willing to believe that its effects can be more complicated.

[Mr. Usaji]

PS I'm reminded of this xkcd comic about the Henry Louis Gates incident. Too bad they didn't consider tea!

[nickE]

I doubt that even you experience the same thing every time you drink the tea.

Yes, you are right about this. I usually only feel qi if I'm really present (not distracted) during the session. Even then it can vary wildly. You bring up some excellent points as well.

[wyardley]

Beer, wine, and various types of distilled liquor all contain alcohol, but are very different in other ways.

As for alcohol, ethanol really is the only active ingredient of alcoholic drinks; the only difference between drinks is water that might slow down its effect. Tea has a lot more going on, and is not completely understood, so I'm willing to believe that its effects can be more complicated.

Wine, for example, has a number of other components (see sites like http://www.calwineries.com/learn/wine-c ... ts-of-wine for a list). While alcohol is the only one that makes you drunk, I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that these other chemicals may have effects of their own on the body, or may interact with the alcohol in some meaningful way. Of course, getting drunk is still largely similar no matter where the alcohol comes from, but I think it's going too far to insist that there is no difference at all.

[tingjunkie]

In the words of the great Bob Marley, "Who feels it, knows it."

[Ljung93]

Are you drinking the exact same teas, brewed in the exact same strength, as when you started? If you're buying better / different tea, or brewing the tea you have stronger, that could explain part of what you're seeing.

I do brew my tea in the same strength, but am not drinking the same teas. However, i have been drinking other gushu in the past and shengs that have been recommended as having strong qi. I always felt the caffeine but never got really "tea drunk" as i often do now.

Coffee (or other caffeinated beverages) could never make me feel like this.
I don't know if it is a placebo effect or because of the chemicals in the tea, but whatever it is i love it!

Thanks for the answers!

[TwoPynts]

I was skeptical at first too, but after some sessions with Haiwan No. 1 901 left me feeling like I had been shot up with Valium, I changed my tune. Matcha and shengs have the opposite effect, very alert and energized yet calm. I do think the interactions between the chemical constituents of various teas do effect us in a variety of ways.

For alcohol, Absinthe is a good example. Sure, the alcohol content is through the roof, but wormwood and other herbal ingredients lend themselves to a drunken state quite different from other forms of alcohol.
IMHO.