Why Do Some People Say I'm a Charlatan?

Since I started studying tea, I've often heard people call me a charlatan, and I just laugh it off. Recently, after several intense discussions with tea friends on similar topics, I suddenly felt the urge to write a short piece to explore this matter.

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1. Tea needs to be viewed dialectically.

1. Is tea cold or warm in nature?

New tea is cold, aged tea dispels dampness, so would you say tea is cold or warm?

"New tea can have its cold nature removed (or 'reduced') through certain processes, mainly involving fire, such as roasting. Then it's no longer cold but warm. So, is tea cold or warm?

Tea from forest trees can be processed this way and not be cold, while plantation tea is extremely cold... So, is tea cold or warm?

There are many possibilities just regarding whether tea is cold or warm. A simple statement about tea being cold or warm is imprecise. If one's understanding is insufficient, they might think I'm being deliberately mysterious and start treating me as a charlatan.

2. Just because you can't perceive it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Don't be fooled by my poor business; there are still a few people learning tea with me.

For example, tea has something that the human body can feel, but if your body isn't "clear" enough, no matter how I tell you, you won't experience it. This is different from the common burping or sweating; it refers to the activity in my tea scoring, which I often call "body sensation." The quoted terms deserve deep attention and a dedicated article from me. Regular readers of my articles know the drill; I'll write about it when I have time.

A few people have suddenly felt it after drinking tea with me a few times; they just got it all at once. From my observation, it's generally due to these reasons: straightforward personality, light taste preferences, or practicing some form of exercise. More commonly, after ten years, they still can't feel it. I myself, in 2015, felt it immediately when someone first guided me.

I often tell them: training your palate can make you excellent at tasting, making you an expert in tea flavor evaluation, but body sensation has a layer of paper window; you might never break through it in your lifetime, or you might break through after a good night's sleep. Since 2016, I've been writing many articles and later videos, saying that tea speaks and you need to understand it, that to understand tea, you need a light palate and a regular lifestyle. Why? Body sensation is the main reason.

If you can't feel the body sensation of tea, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If I talk to you about body sensation, it's very likely you'll think I'm a charlatan.

2. Our understanding of tea is far from sufficient, including scientifically.

1. Why do I dislike many people from academia?

Am I against academia? No.

Am I against science? Definitely not.

I'm only against those who talk about scientific logic they don't even understand, who peddle vague knowledge, create anxiety to sell tea (or courses).

If you observe these people closely, they often delete previous content. Deleting it and not talking about it doesn't mean you didn't do it; everything leaves traces.

Human cognition is never achieved overnight; it's a gradual process. I never delete what I've written before. Since 2013, I've been writing about tea, and I've kept it all. I often review it, which helps my current learning.

Explaining tea scientifically shouldn't be taken lightly. If you say "the older, the more fragrant," they ask for a paper to show them. What do you do?

"These academics" speak off the top of their heads with a bunch of scientific reasoning, often citing things from a book, but the book might not be rigorous either, or it might be hearsay.

Let me take Mansong tribute tea as an example: there's no empirical evidence that Mansong was tribute tea, but some companies heavily advertise it as such. Isn't that false advertising? Written content isn't necessarily true. If later generations cite such text as evidence, is that acceptable?

When I confront these people, their followers think I'm a charlatan.

2. What I've been advocating, "healthy tea drinking," is still in a stage where it's hard to explain clearly.

For instance, the body sensation mentioned above is hard to explain.

For instance, when tea is fully processed, new tea isn't cold and doesn't harm the body much, but it's hard to explain.

For instance, tea that isn't fully processed, even after 20 or 30 years, still shouldn't be drunk in excess. Why? It's hard to explain.

Not being able to articulate clearly is the theoretical stage of my advocacy for "healthy tea drinking."

Fortunately, I have tea and empirical evidence.

But if they can't understand it through drinking, and I keep talking about it, they'll think I'm a charlatan.

3. Summary

The people around me who drink tea with me daily, including experienced tea makers, many don't understand what I'm talking about. But that doesn't mean they're incapable; it just means they're not familiar enough in this area.

Having your own viewpoint on making tea and then making tea according to that viewpoint is correct—that's my understanding.

Stick to your understanding of tea. Don't listen to others' persuasion about teas you don't like. Be yourself.

This article doesn't aim to change your mind about me not being a charlatan, because it's not written for you.

Do your own thing well; acknowledge gains and losses, and don't dwell on them.

This is the forty-first article in my "Talking About Tea on Paper" series. Both text and images are original. Click to read more articles from "Talking About Tea on Paper".