Nieuwe masterclasses in Nederland!
Door Eastern Leaves uit China zullen op zaterdag 11 oktober en zondag 12 oktober drie masterclasses worden gegeven bij ITC. Daarnaast ondersteunen ze bij een masterclass van Richard.
Eastern Leaves gerund door het echtpaar Vivian en Lorenzo, biedt naast de verkoop en productie van thee en teaware ook theereizen en -trainingen aan. Hun standplaats is in China, maar ze hebben zelf ook een plek in Europa: een theeshop in Milaan.
De drie Eastern Leaves masterclasses zullen in het Engels worden gegeven en kan per sessie door maximaal 15 personen worden bijgewoond. Daarnaast zullen ze ook thee en yixing teaware beschikbaar hebben om te kopen. Dus wees er dus snel bij! De Gongfu Cha masterclass is in het Nederlands en biedt plaats aan 12 deelnemers.
The Tea Expedition: Caravans, Commodities & The First Global
Economy
Zaterdag 11 oktober, 10.00 – 12.00 uur
Speaker: Zhou Chonglin (周重林), Renowned Author and Tea Historian
Tasting included: Yes, featuring three rare and historic teas.
The Tea Tasting Experience
Your intellectual expedition will be accompanied by an unparalleled tasting, guiding your palate through living history:
- Horse Driver’s Tea from Yiwu (2025), Family Luo: Experience a fresh, vibrant tea from the famous region of Yiwu, offered by Family Luo, descendants of caravan travellers: imagine the horese drivers brewing this very tea by their campfires.
- Tibetan Tea (2017): This tea represents the modern incarnation of the timeless commodity. Processed and compressed specifically for the Tibetan market, it is the direct descendant of the trade bricks. Its robust, warming character demonstrates why this tea remains a dietary staple and a sought-after good.
- Tibetan Tea (1970s): A truly rare opportunity. Taste a piece of history with this preserved tea from the 1970s, offering a profound window into the past and the transformative power of age.
Description
Tea historian and author Zhou Chonglin is one of the most charming characters we have met during our life in tea, and we are honoured to present a captivating seminar that unravels the very essence of the Tea Horse Road.
Zhou posits a fascinating theory: while salt was a local commodity, creating small, regional circles of trade — from the salt wells of Qinghai to the deposits of Tibet —, tea was a necessity found only in the South. This scarcity demanded long-distance expedition—a perilous journey of thousands of miles to reach the demanding markets of Tibet and beyond. This compelling economic imperative gave birth to the legendary Tea Horse Road, forging connections that shaped empires: a route of exchange, survival, and encounter.
This lecture goes beyond history; it’s a journey into the economics and human endeavour that built a world through a simple leaf.
Who should attend?
This seminar will journey from the world of tea expertise into the broader
realms of history, economics, and social evolution, offering insights for anyone
captivated by the narrative of global exchange and its profound impact on our
world
De evolutie van Gong Fu Cha
Zaterdag 11 oktober, 14.30 – 16.30 uur
Speaker: Richard Schukking
Tasting included: Yes
Ontdek hoe een eeuwenoude theekunst zich heeft ontwikkeld tot hét instrument voor smaakbeleving maar ook voor kwaliteitscontrole.
Tijdens deze masterclass nemen we je mee van de Song-dynastie tot het heden. Je leert hoe Gong Fu Cha zich stap voor stap ontwikkelde, van opgeklopte poederthee en Yixing-kleipotten tot moderne precisietools. We proeven samen verschillende theesoorten en thee gezet met potten van diverse materialen, zodat je niet alleen de geschiedenis leert, maar ook ervaart hoe smaak, aroma en mondgevoel veranderen door zetwijze, terroir en materiaal.
Wat je kunt verwachten
- Een levendig verhaal over de evolutie van Gong Fu Cha in vijf tijdvakken.
- Praktische demonstraties van zetwijzen en technieken.
- Proeverijen waarin je zelf verschillen ontdekt in aroma, textuur en nasmaak.
- Inzicht in begrippen als Yan Yun, Qi, Yun en Huigan, en hoe je die herkent.
- Handvatten om traditie en moderne precisie te combineren in je eigen praktijk.
The Modern Explorer: Retracing the Tea Horse Ancient Road
Zondag 12 oktober, 10.00 – 12.00 uur
Speaker: Vivian
Tasting included: Yes, featuring three teas that journey from the past to the present.
The Tea Tasting Experience
We will taste three teas that embody the spirit of this journey—from its rugged origins to its modern legacy:
- A. Horse Driver’s Tea (Manzhuan 2025, Yang Family): Start at the source. This is the kind of tea that was carried on the backs of men and horses. Sourced from the Manzhuan area and processed by a traditional family, this tea tastes of the earth, the forest, and the arduous journey itself. It is history in a cup.
- B. Yunnan Oriental Beauty: By applying the techniques for Taiwan’s famous Oriental Beauty to Yunnan’s ancient tea trees, producers have created a entirely new, exquisite tea. It symbolizes the cross-cultural dialogue and creative innovation that the rediscovered Ancient Road now facilitates, creating new “meeting points” for tea traditions
- Yunnan 1000 Years Old Tree Hongcha: This rich red tea (hongcha) from ancient arbors represents the ultimate synthesis of timeless nature and modern craft. It proves that the most profound legacy of the road is not just preserving the old, but elevating it to new heights for the world to appreciate
Description
The ancient Tea Horse Road has been rediscovered, but its story is far from over. Today, it serves as a powerful muse, inspiring a new generation of tea makers to create groundbreaking teas for a global audience.
In 2005, as the modern world rushed forward, explorer Hu Mingfang did something extraordinary: he re-walked the entire Tea Horse Road from Yunnan to Beijing. His journey was more than a tribute; it was a vital act of cultural preservation, helping to cement the name “茶⻢古道 (The Tea Horse Ancient Road)” in our modern vocabulary and remind us of the route’s profound significance.
Join Vivian to explore this modern-day expedition. This seminar delves into the stories of Hu Mingfang and the Six Great Masters of the Tea Horse Road, like Li Xu, who dedicated their lives to studying its history. We’ll explore how their fieldwork and scholarship saved this epic tale from being lost to time and how the ancient path continues to inspire us today.
Who should attend?
Modern tea lovers, adventurers, and cultural preservationists. This seminar is for anyone inspired by the idea of journeying into the past to understand the present, and for those who believe that the most important paths are the ones we must never forget.
The Monk and the Merchant: How Tea Sustained Buddhism on the Ancient Trade Routes
Zondag 12 oktober, 14.30 – 16.30 uur
Speaker: Yadi Qu, Research Assistant with the ERC-funded INTELLEXUS
project and phd at the University of Hamburg, focusing on mapping Indic and Tibetic Buddhist text corpora
The Tea Tasting Experience
- Mengding Huangya (蒙顶⻩芽): The Imperial Tribute & Buddhist Origins. We begin with a tea steeped in legend. Hailing from Mengding Mountain in
Sichuan—a region shrouded in mist and spiritual significance—this yellow tea is one of China’s most historical. It was here that tea cultivation is said to have begun, deeply intertwined with Buddhist monasteries. Its delicate, sweet, and mellow character represents the refined, spiritual origins of tea culture, cherished by monks and emperors alike long before it became a trade commodity.
- Jingmai shupu + Agarwood (景迈茶 + 沉⾹): The Ritual Fusion. This pairing is a sensory reconstruction of the sacred exchange along the trade routes. We take the ancient, orchid-like aroma of Jingmai tea— often protected by Buddhist mountain tribes—and scented it with slivers of rare Agarwood, the ‘Wood of the Gods’. This fusion embodies the ritualistic heart of the seminar: the Buddhist use of tea for meditation and the luxurious incense trade that moved alongside it, creating a profound, multi-sensory experience.
- Tibetan Tea (1950s): The Destination & The Divine: We conclude with the very reason for the journey. This Tibetan tea, preserved since the 1950s, is more than a tea; it is a living artifact. It represents the culmination of the caravan’s perilous trek—the vital commodity that was traded for horses and sustained the spiritual and physical life of Tibetan communities. Tasting this tea is an act of connection to the divine destination of the road, where tea became integral to ritual and survival, closing the loop on our journey from monastery to marketplace.
Description
Why was a simple leaf so revered by Buddhist monks? How did it help shape the most famous trade route in Asia?
Join scholar Yadi Qu for a captivating seminar that unravels the deep, symbiotic relationship between tea, trade, and Buddhism. We will journey beyond the romance of the Tea Horse Road to discover its origins as a vital “survival road,” forged out of necessity after the decline of the Silk Road.
This talk explores how the properties of tea perfectly aligned with the spiritual and physical needs of Buddhist masters on their long expeditions. Discover how figures like the monk-raised Lu Yu and the poet-monk Jiaoran transformed tea drinking into a refined art and a path to enlightenment, celebrated in some of China’s most beautiful poetry.
We will see tangible proof of this sacred relationship in the imperial tea treasures excavated from Famen Temple, linking the highest levels of society with monastic practice. This is a story of how leaves forged roads, shaped cultures, and sustained faith.
Key topics include
- The shift from local salt routes to long-distance faith-based trade.
- Buddhism’s “Southwestern Turn” and the rise of the Tea Horse Road.
- The philosophy of tea: From Jiaoran’s “Three Drinks” to Enlightenment.
- Archaeological evidence: The Famen Temple treasures and the ritual of tea.
Who should attend?
History enthusiasts, Buddhists, tea practitioners, and anyone curious about the intersection of culture, religion, and commerce. This seminar offers a profound look at how a daily ritual was once a gateway to the divine. |
