HomeTea in Five Senses The Sense of Touch and Tea

The Sense of Touch & Tea

Dried Tea Leaves in a Opened Container

Regarded as the elementary sense, the sense of touch lets us feel the textures, the pulse, the suppleness, the shape the size. With so many nerve ending on the tips of our fingers it is also a powerful way of communicating without words. An age old gesture of love, care and comfort, touch is a fundamental of tea appreciation. When grading tea the feel of the tea on your finger tips, in other words the tea texture, will tell you a lot about its character. But this teamaker’s science aside, the sense of touch enhances the tea experience.

“The best tea must have creases like the leather boots of Tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a might bullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a lake touched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like earth newly swept by rain.” —Lu Yu

Caress the tenderness of unfurling tea buds, feel the grooves of a perfectly processed leaf of tea, bask in the warmth of a steaming cup of tea. Feel the beautiful complexity of tea.