On one hand, it is a customary offering from a host to a guest--essential in all cordial interactions. The tradition supposedly began with a young philosopher's legendary gift of a cup of tea to his mentor, Lao Zi. And as evidenced by the bride and groom tea ritual, it was also a symbolic act for lovers.

Yet tea has always had an introspective, therapeutic side. Lu Yu, yhe original tea scholar wrote, "Tea is favored by those who prefer moderate and plain living. If one feels hot and thirsty, melancholy, headache, weariness of eyes, troubled in four limbs, or unwell in joints, four or five sips of tea can be sweet dew from heaven."

Emperor Hui Zong, for all his flamboyant tea fetishes, found tea to be a source of tranquility and reflection. In his treatise, Da Guan Cha Lun or "General View on Tea Theories," he extolled its stress-relieving and mind-enhancing properties.

Today, we see this dynamic of intimacy and public culture play out in the various kinds of tea ceremonies, which have been a hallmark of Chinese culture for centuries. A typical tea ceremony involves a small group and a delicate tea set with tiny cups. The teapot is first infused with tea essence by an initial steeping or "washing," the product of which is discarded. In very traditional tea ceremonies, each participant has two cups--one for "sniffing," meant to enable the pure enjoyment of the tea's aroma, and one for drinking. The tea is first poured into the sniffing cup, and the tea drinker's tastebuds are primed by the initial whiff of the fragrant brew. The tea is then poured into the drinking cup and sipped. The process repeats itself for several rounds.