The Way of Tea & Culture
Tea Ways of Japan, China and Vietnam: Three Paths, One Spirit
All love tea, yet each in its own way: Japan's refined ritual, China's gongfu, Vietnam's warm simplicity. Three ways of tea, one spirit of stillness.
Wherever tea travels, it takes root in the local culture. Over the same cup, the Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese drink in three very different ways — yet all toward one thing: stillness in the moment.
Japanese tea ceremony — Chanoyu
Japan's Chanoyu raises tea-making into a deeply meditative ritual. Matcha — powdered green tea — is whisked to a froth in the bowl; every motion, from folding the cloth to turning the bowl, follows a form. Its core spirit: harmony, respect, purity, tranquillity (wa-kei-sei-jaku).
Chinese gongfu cha
The Chinese drink in the gongfu way: a small pot, plenty of leaf, short and many infusions. The focus is the tea itself — exploring each layer of aroma across the pours. It suits Oolong and pu-erh best.
Vietnamese tea — simple and heartfelt
The Vietnamese drink more intimately: a pot of green tea on the porch, a cup offered to a guest, the refined lotus tea of the old imperial court. Light on ritual, Vietnamese tea places human warmth at the centre — the cup is a greeting, a sharing.
Where do they differ?
- Japan: precise ritual, meditation, matcha.
- China: gongfu, exploring flavour, small pot and many infusions.
- Vietnam: simple, hospitable, centred on human warmth.
One shared spirit
Whichever the path, all three teach us to stop and be wholly present with the cup before us. Tea is not just a drink — it is a way of living slowly, a reminder that happiness often lies in simple things.
Three ways to brew, one cup of stillness.
