The latest development in MingCha Premium Chinese Tea
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updated: June 17, 2003
© 2003 Lee Kwan Tea Trade Limited
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MingCha to Host Tea Classes in Island Shangri-La
(Hong Kong June 17, 2003) This summer, Leo Kwan, the creator of MingCha, will host selected tea classes in Island Shangri-La.
This will be the third year of the MingCha Authorized Tea Class, which runs in parallel with similar ones in Tokyo and Sapporo. Those in Hong Kong are the only ones conducted by the brand creator himself.
"There simply are too many irregular qualities out there. Once a customer gets a sour experience, you can be pretty sure that the trade of quality tea as a whole would lose a small piece of turf," Leo explains why he insists to make time for the class. "We shall all benefit from more people knowing about the truth."
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The venue for selected MingCha Tea Classes this summer: cafe TOO in Island Shangri-La |
Island Shangri-La is chosen for its advantage in location and yet the lively tranquillity of its interior ambience. The class will be conducted in the modern and well-attended cafe TOO, overlooking the lush greenery of Hong Kong Park, just a few steps across the road.
Some people would not be so sure about the quality of such a well-packaged product, be it the tea or the class. Dr KJ Patel, a liver doctor and a cancer researcher in Cambridge UK, and a very recent MingCha customer, described his experience in a letter to Kwan, "I was sceptical because the products were so well packaged. Well, I bought twoÉ and to say the least I am now convinced. All other teas are undrinkable after tasting your teasÉ" Patel will be holding MingCha tea tasting on his own initiative for his wine friends.
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Leo with celebrated UK tea writer Jane Pettigrew at the MingCha Tea Bar in Selfridges, London |
The idea of the class is to strip the prejudices and open up the participants' senses to the real tastes and practice of authentic Chinese teas. With these senses, be able to see the broad bright horizon of the beauty and merits of an invaluable and unique traditional drink that awaits re-discovery.
Class details and enrolment application form in PDF file format:
Class details and enrolment application form in plain text format:
Enquiry: Vivian Mak phone: (852) 2882 9812, email: mingcha@mingcha.com.hk
Drink up in the face of SARS
(Hong Kong) Atypical Pneumonia has been dominating the daily news in Hong Kong for a few weeks now. Not only has it got one thousand people infected, but it has also, more powerfully, kept more than seven million people, the rest of the population, in an extraordinarily nervous or depressed mood.
Those face masks and disinfectants may be able to keep the virus away, but who can be sure there won’t be a gap? While the scientists are busy looking for a cure, may be it is time for everyone to review the need for keeping a healthy lifestyle for a cleaner environment and also a healthier physique. A better balanced diet, regular exercise, and ample rest rather than sticking another hour to that bar stool or that sofa in front of the karaoke or TV are not that difficult to achieve. Hong Kong is surrounded with nice shorelines and scenic treks; most neighbourhood parks and government run gyms are quite usable. As for food, you may get cheaper milk in Australia or fresher strawberries in California, but there really is a biggest array of ingredient choices from around the world not far from where you live or work. There is not a lot of reasons for junk food.
Most important of all, however, is a positive mentality that is vital for living well and living proud. Scientific findings have already proved that happiness stimulates the body to produce enzymes to fight invaders and saddness itself produces toxins. The mind really is the pilot of the body. A worrisome and depressed spirit isn’t quite fit to steer you through storms, and you don’t really want it there when it’s bright and balmy.
A positive attitude is also more important for people to do their jobs better. Imagine those property developers building better designed, better quality apartments rather than jamming exterior walls with heavily pressured sewage pipes packed in an enclosed space right outside of the bathroom windows*. Or those decision makers in the government taking more serious the first few cross border fatal acute respiratory infection cases before telling the pubic and themselves that everything was OK**? Inertness and slack work ethics as a culture are actually more infective than SARS, and more dangerous to Hong Kong’s future. Hopefully this piece of history will be powerful enough to wake the people up.
Last but not least, make it a habit to drink at least 6 cups of tea a day. Good Chinese tea is proven to be a most effective health and immunity booster. It is certainly far more positive and pleasant than that surgical mask.
* Leaking or back draft in the sewage pipe is a blame for hundreds of cases in Amoy Garden.
** A few media and individual healthcare professionals made public warning as early as February.
More reading about tea and health
more reading about SARS
Chinese herbalists’ point of view (in Chinese)