MINI8097

When There Is No More Shade Of Tree

One 2 Tea House

年前,為朋友慶生造訪位於台南的壹二茶堂,茶堂一次只為一組預約客人侍茶,人數也有限制,這座三層高的平房茶室,其實就在我家附近,散步經過,從門外注目的玻璃窗向內看,只看到漆黑中有一盞吊燈,當日正午打開大門,明明以黑色為主調,為何卻感覺溫暖?

真正的茶堂客席其實在一樓,而所謂的一樓更像閣樓,樓梯也是一大驚喜,每一級都只有半隻腳板大少,非常非常的陡斜,我們脫了鞋大概走了二十小級後,腳板踏在打過蠟的木地板,因為色調都以黑為主,空間感未能即時習慣,人有點像懸在半空中,眼睛在最短時間適應,映入的竟是大樹,樹影因為玻璃窗的折射,讓大樹延伸到室內。

為了增加茶堂地下的光線,閣樓有一個天井,將這大窗戶的風景無違地帶入到室內。這美景讓我們駐足看了良久,後來我們圍著天井席地而坐,看著不修邊幅的樹葉、漫無目的地生長、脆弱但自由的樹枝正隨風舞動,那太陽光線是透過這大樹隱隱約約地滲進來,正當我們沉醉地看樹時,茶藝師思廷送上菜單,非常可惜地說:「今天是最後一天看到這樹景了,明天鄰居便找人來清理、砍掉。」

「樹」就這樣成為了我們當天的主角。「樹是我來這裡的時候就在後面的,很像鄰居,也是一份巧合的禮物。」思廷急不及待地跟我們說樹的故事,單是欣賞樹這件事,就夠我們花上一個下午,而最好的配料當然是茶。

關於茶,思廷稱呼自己為「茶僮」,謙遜又可愛,茶堂只有她一位,配茶糕點是跟朋友訂製,但想不到當中的英式鬆餅配台灣茶是如此親切,慢著,在香港喝英式下午茶不就是英式紅茶配鬆餅?這茶僮花了巧思讓我跳出一般台式茶堂的觀念。第一泡茶,她為我們奉上,我不會茶,她以最溫柔的方法為我們演繹茶,「小壺沖茶需要道具、要花時間,還要看氛圍,再怎麼簡便都比一個大杯子來得麻煩。也就是這些瑣碎,讓心逐步安靜,然後聽見內在那些細微的聲音。」 原來茶道中的瑣碎都是為了安心,事情有了步驟規矩我們才會一步一步去完成,麻煩的事或者不是要找我們麻煩,而是讓我們慢下來?

茶沖泡多次,每次時間不同,秒數不是遞減或遞增,是一種經驗得出來的參考秒數,回沖之間,茶葉遇熱水起了變化、再變化、再變化,化成茶湯,顏色、氣味又有不同。「茶海(公道杯),其實是比較現代的工具,為了茶道展示、公平分配等原因才產生的。」思廷一邊倒茶一邊解答我對茶藝的所有問題,出乎意料,我起初還擔心喝茶太嚴肅、太多規矩,但不知道是不是有大樹陪伴的關係,在這裡喝茶越來越自在。示範後,思廷準備點心,我們各自各跟著建議沖水的時間一步一步慢慢沖茶、分茶、喝茶。

所有的擔心、害怕或許都跟未知有關,我們用人類腦袋中僅有的內建知識分析未知,嘗試新東西並不易,但看著熱水壺冒出的蒸氣、茶葉的滾動,那透明啡色的漩渦⋯⋯新的體會覆蓋了擔心,成了快樂的回憶。

「樹是我來這裡的時候就在後面的,很像鄰居,也是一種巧合的禮物。樹不在了,其實很像離別,我們都有一天要告別,和生命裡開心的不開心的都是這樣。我還是最喜歡樹景,但既然已經過去了,現在就是放上紗簾讓空間感覺更完整。意想不到一樓(地下)的光因為沒有樹遮擋,灑進來的樣子帶一點點銀藍色,感覺很清新神聖。」思廷最近跟我說,沒有樹的日子,茶香還在,但心態因景象不同也有新的領悟。就像泡茶:「 茶湯在反覆回沖的過程,像是花開,從來沒有一次是相同感受的,而每一泡茶與我們都只有當下。」

MINI8133

Years ago, I visited One 2 Tea House in Tainan for a friend’s birthday. The teahouse only serves one group of guests at a time. The group is limited to a certain size and has to make a reservation prior to their visit. The three-storey teahouse is actually near my apartment. Everytime I walked by, I could see, through the glass door, the light of the pendant lamp glowing in darkness. It was about noon when I pushed open the door to the teahouse. The interior is furnished with dark tones; but why did it feel so warm?

The service area of the teahouse is actually on the first floor; and the so-called first floor is in fact more like an attic. The stairs are a big surprise. They are very, very steep, with each step being only half the size of a foot. We took our shoes off and walked up about 20 steps to get to the first floor. The wooden floor is waxed. The dark tones of the interior made it difficult for me to get a sense of space. For a moment, I felt like I was hanging in the air. My eyes eventually adjusted to the surroundings, and what came into view right away was the big tree. Its shadow came through the window and the refraction made it look like an intrinsic part of the room.

There is a lightwell on the top floor, and right next to it is a big window. The two allow for some much needed sunlight inside as well as a stunning view that struck us completely. We sat on the ground near the lightwell. From there, we could see the tree leaves and branches dancing in the wind. The sun shone through them. It was a fragile but free-spirited tree, growing recklessly and aimlessly, on the other side of the window. Sylvia, the tea master, brought over the menu and told us regretfully, “Today is the last day you’ll see this tree. It will be gone tomorrow. The neighbor has called someone to take it down.”

It was at that moment the “tree” turned into the subject of discussion. Sylvia was so eager to tell us about the tree, “It has always been there, even before I moved in. It’s like a neighbor and also a gift of coincidence.” We could probably spend the entire day talking about trees, and of course it’d be nice to sip on a cup of tea as we speak.

Sylvia calls herself a “tea boy”. What a humble and cute way to address herself, I thought. She works alone in the teahouse. The tea cakes she serves are made by her friend. I wasn’t expecting that the English muffins would go so well with Taiwanese tea. But wait, wasn’t it I always had English tea with muffins when having English-style afternoon tea back in Hong Kong? This tea boy showed amazing ingenuity in breaking the stereotypes of traditional Taiwanese teahouses. She served us the very first brew. I don’t know much about tea, but she is such a gentle teacher. “Making tea with a small pot requires more utensils and takes more time. The surroundings also play a big part. It’s more work to brew a small cup than a big mug. But it’s the little, trivial things that calm our mind and lead us to our soul.” If it’s true that the little, trivial things are meant to calm us down and lead us step by step towards the goal, then maybe, maybe the other things that we thought were troubling us are actually meant to calm us down as well?

For how many times and for how long the tea should be brewed is not simple mathematics; it’s the accumulation of experience. The tea leaves change every time they are soaked in hot water. The color would change and the fragrance would change. “Gong dao bei (fairness cup) is actually a fairly new invention of the modern world. It came upon mainly for reasons such as tea ceremonies and fair distribution of tea.” Sylvia answered all my questions about tea as she served us our cuppa. Out of my expectation, drinking tea is not all about rules and formality. Maybe it’s the tree nearby that made me feel at ease. I got more and more comfortable sipping the tea. After the demonstration, Sylvia went to prepare the refreshments, and we were left alone to brew, to serve, and to drink our tea.

It is possible that all fears and worries are sprouted by unknowns. It’s not easy for us humans to deal with the unknown for we only have very limited knowledge about our surroundings. But as I watched the steam swirling up from the kettle, the tea leaves dancing in the boiling water, and the clear, brown liquid turning into a cup of tea, fears and worries slowly transformed into happy memories.

I recently heard from Sylvia. “That tree has always been there, even before I moved in. It’s like a neighbor and also a gift of coincidence. Taking down the tree is like parting. We all have to say goodbye one day, whether it’s to the happiness or unhappiness in life. I love having the tree outside my window; but now that it’s gone, all I can do is to put on some sheer curtains to make the space feel more complete. Unexpectedly, without the shade of the tree, the light that comes through to the first floor (ground floor) is now a little silvery blue. It is very refreshing, and at the same time, very sacred.” Sylvia is still making tea everyday like she used to, but the new scenery in the teahouse has inspired her to look at things from new perspectives. “Every brew of tea is unique. Just like flowers blossom, no one blooming is the same. We, and the tea, should all live in the moment.”

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