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  We all had that confident, calm look on our faces that you get after conquering something awesome. It was our last session before heading back to school and the Pacific had opened her arms up to us quite generously. My  hands were still numb and my body was still rocking with the waves when I asked my buddies what I should pour. We settled on one of our favorites, a lightly oxidized Chinese Oolong called Tie Guan Yin.

We were a group of kids who had already embraced the movements established by our counter-cultured forefathers. We surfed and had hair down to our shoulders. Z Boys- Check. We were anti-war and studied in Berkeley. Summer of lovers, free speechers- Check, check. But when we poured hot water over those leaves, we were doing something different. We were engaging in something that perfectly complemented our past, but felt uniquely like our own. We were creating the California Tea Ceremony.

Creation is a strong claim. In fact, it may be the strongest of all. We did not dream up the idea of a tea ceremony, but had studied the actions of the ancients and mashed up their traditions to fit our current lifestyles. Not much different than the mashed up music being played on Pandora. Not much different than most human “creation.” Perhaps there was nothing new under the sun that day, for Gong Fu Cha (the Chinese tea ceremony) had been apart of Chinese tradition since the 14^th century Ming Dynasty. Also known as Kung Fu Tea, the intricacies of this approach can be analogous to that of the Chinese martial arts. Great practice and skill are needed to tame the leaf of its infinite flavors much like a warrior must tame his mind of its infinite desires. Focus and precision are key. Kung Fu Tea is also characterized by its social nature of bringing people together. In China, the original function of the tea ceremony was to welcome visitors and to stimulate conversation amongst them. And in California today, its role remains the same. This can be explained perhaps, not through the tea itself, but through the process of its preparation. The California Tea Ceremony consists of four main components: the pot, the vessel, the cups, and the tray. Together, these four pieces have become known as “The Setup.”

The original teapots used in the Kung Fu ceremony were made of cast-iron and could be placed over an open fire. Although such pots are still available today, most Californians go the resistor route and plug in their electric kettles. Our obsession with productivity seems to have even infiltrated a ritual that centers on the process of slowing one’s movements and mental chatter. However, having hot water on tap allows more tea to be served with less downtime during the session. And so going with an electric kettle should not be seen as a break from tradition, but as an upgrade and enhancement to tradition.

The loose leaves may be brewed in either a Gaiwan (covered cup) or Yi Xing (clay pot). Gaiwans are limited in their carrying capacity and so in China they are primarily used when tea is being made either for an individual or a during tasting event. Though in California, our setups almost always include a Gaiwan, even when pouring for a larger group. We seem to find fulfillment in the education and discipline required to properly pour from this ancient vessel. Gaiwan’s also allow us to watch and appreciate the loose leaves expand. These leaves could have been chopped up by machines and stuffed into bags, which is how most Americans have come to consume tea. Yet in doing so, the intrigue is lost and the history is silenced. One must encounter the whole leaf to understand the culture of tea and the possibility of its expansion.

The cups are traditionally very small, so that one may sip and better decipher the intricacies of the flavor. The Chinese have a vocabulary dedicated solely to describe the tastes and sensations of tea, while Californians try to make sense of the complexities using comparisons to familiar food characteristics. For instance, we might say that a properly brewed Phoenix Oolong should have the taste of a roasted apricot. Our limited ability to communicate tea flavor should allow us to recognize that languages cannot be described hierarchically. Rather, languages encompass intricacies relevant and advantageous to certain people at certain times. Engineers have created an entire vocabulary to uniformly discuss computer systems. Yet when asked to describe the complexities of a Yunnan black tea, even the brightest Google employee would be left speechless. We have never needed to communicate to one another about tea and so the vocabulary has never evolved. This we must change.

The final component to the California setup is the tea tray. The tray is used so that water does not spill while cleaning the cups and pouring the tea. For the Chinese, this piece would more properly be described as a tea counter because they pour over a much larger feature, often permanently cemented to the ground. The ceremony is so new to Californians that we have not yet incorporated a proper space in our dwellings for such a counter. Also, Californians have a hard time understanding the concept of permanence. We are vagabonds by nature and always on the move. The portable tray has added an interesting element of pouring tea in new, hard-to-reach places when our active spirits beckon our being outdoors. The ceremony can happen between classes, after surfing, or at the summit, combining activity with serenity.

Loose leaf, artisan tea has found its way into our society at an extremely fitting time. China has become the economic world leader and its traditions have begun to trickle down. Gong Fu Cha, case in point. The Green Movement has popularized anything that is eco-friendly, health-friendly, or even just the color green. Tea fits all three. And when 1 in 12 people on this planet are connected to Facebook, the loss of face-to-face communication is inevitable. A growing discontent for technology’s isolating nature has created a need for people to log off and reconnect with human interaction. The tea ceremony offers people both a reason to gather and the time to converse. And so, I have not invented a passion for tea, but merely activated a burning desire that was already present within me. For I am a human being living in a society whose influences make individuality outside of my providence. I am an individual only to those who have not yet encountered my counter-culture of choice.

The California Tea Ceremony improves solace when practiced by one and stimulates conversation when shared with others. Therefore, we cannot hide this ritual in order to preserve the apparent authenticity of our individuality. We must showcase it and let Americans decide if a revamped Chinese tradition can organize the chaos within our modern lives. Only then will we recognize whether the tea ceremony is an ornamental obscurity to our society, or a fundamental feature that has been absent all along.

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