Article By Stephen Robinson

No.1 Building, Wang Ting International, No.80 Gaoxin Road.
高新路80号望庭国际1号楼
(029) 8885 1501
10:00am-10:30pm

Average Price per Person /人均消费: 100RMB

Most of us who have been here for practically any amount of time have been to a tea house at one point or another. It can be difficult to distinguish the difference between one place and another, as it is almost like they use the exact same design, furniture, even tea, to the point where the memory of each one blends into the next. It takes something exceptional to make one of the places stand out.

In order to penetrate some of the blandness of the industry, the owners of 一篆茶香 decided to explore a different aspect of traditional tea culture. As many will be aware, in traditional Chinese medicine tea and other drinks and foods are considered to be medicine as much as nourishment. Bearing this in mind, they decided to combine the health attributes of tea with the medicinal aspects of incense.

Throughout history, incense was used in religious and medicinal practices in China, and indeed throughout most of the ancient world. Among some of the finest wood used for incense is Agarwood, or Chinese Eaglewood, a substance that is highly prized and is made mention of in several parts of the Hebrew Bible. One of the most valuable natural resources in the world, with 1 kilo of top quality agarwood going for upwards of US$100,000.

At 一篆茶香, you can sample some of this sacred element by experiencing one of their incense “tastings”, where the incense master will scrape small slivers from a larger piece of the wood into a small metal tray that is no larger than a 1RMB coin. This will then be placed on a specialize heater that will slowly heat the wood to a very specific temperature that allows for smoke, but no flame. You then hold the heater up to your face and breathe in the gentle smoke, careful to exhale away from the delicate shavings. Non-smokers may experience some lightheadedness initially, but the overall effect is one of near instant calm and relaxation, yet very sharp focus. It is easy to see why this was so prized, especially in a world before coffee.
There are other types of incense available as well that have a variety of purported effects, including one that is meant to help insomniacs settle into sleep. One of the participants in our tasting wanted to fall asleep on the spot after a few quick inhalations. Another activity that was absolutely mesmerizing was the preparation of an incense coil by hand. In this preparation, the incense master carefully tamps down a mixture of ash, incense, and very fine sand to be absolutely level. Any small imperfection will result in the coil burning improperly. Once this is done, a mold is placed delicately on top of the mixture and pure powdered incense is then carefully placed on top and gently pushed in through the mold with specialized tools. Too much pressure and it will compact the mixture below, too little and it will fall to pieces. With the delicate concentration of a monk in a Zen garden, the incense master slowly formed the coil. Once prepared, the mold was lifted to reveal a complicated shape. He then talked about how these coils were once used to keep time in ancient China, as each shape, properly prepared, would burn for a set amount of time.

The tea house itself is a carefully crafted construction, with the owner having consulted a fengshui master during construction and decoration. The end result is a very open plan tea house that has a careful attention to detail everywhere you look. The main area is full of various tea pots, tea cups, incense materials and other accoutrements, all individual pieces of art themselves, and available for purchase. Each piece is individually crafted and is absolutely beautiful.

The owner, who is also the incense master, was very happy to give a tour. There was one particular wall that he was particularly proud to show off. He explained how the pink stucco wall was, in fact, a mixture of ground eaglewood, and several kilos of the material were used in the construction, making this probably the most expensive wall in the city. The reason behind the construction of this wall, as many things in this tea shop, is tied to history. The empress Wu Zetian was reported to have had the walls of her palace likewise decorated, due to her love of the scent of the wood. The owner went on to explain that there are only 3 other known walls in the country that have used this same technique. When sprayed with water, the scent of the incense seeps from the walls. It was truly an interesting thing to behold.

So, if you’re looking for a change of pace when it comes to tea houses or you’re looking for a completely unique experience, then this might just be the place to check out. The tea is good too.

Stephen Robinson is the editor-in-chief at xianease and would love to get your thoughts on everything we are doing. You can contact him at stephen@xianease.com

If you give this a try, let us know about your experience by messaging us at reviews@xianease.com.