Tang-Song Tea Methods · FFET10417
Diancha (whisked tea)
Powdered tea is mixed into a paste, then whisked with added water; the foam and its color are used to judge the result.
Tang decocted tea, Song whisked tea and the other ways of making tea through the ages.
Diancha is a tea preparation technique in which powdered tea is whisked with hot water in a bowl to form foam; it flourished during the Song dynasty and declined from the Ming dynasty onward. Preparation involves warming the bowl, mixing a paste, and adding water while whisking, with the foam and its color used to judge the result. The technique later reached Japan and developed into the matcha tea ceremony.
What
Diancha is a tea preparation technique in which fine powdered tea is whisked with hot water in a bowl until foam forms on the surface.1
When
Diancha flourished during the Song dynasty and declined from the Ming dynasty onward. A Song tea treatise has a preface from the Huangyou era (1049–1054) and a postscript dated 1064 describing its revision and engraving. These dates document the text, not the invention of diancha.1,2,3
Where
The technique was practiced in Song-dynasty China and later reached Japan.1
How
The bowl is warmed, and powdered tea is mixed with a little hot water into a paste. More water is added in stages while the tea is whisked to raise foam. The balance of tea and water affects the surface; the diancha section of another Northern Song tea treatise also describes seven additions of water.1,2,3
Why
Diancha places emphasis on the foam raised by whisking. The foam and its color are used to judge a bowl of tea.1
Impact and influence
After reaching Japan, diancha developed into the local matcha tea ceremony. Whisking powdered tea with hot water continues in matcha preparation.1,4