The heart-shaped tea flower belongs to a contemporary expression of the art of Chinese tea. Unlike spherical pebbles, which evoke an ancient symbolism of plenitude and cosmic harmony, the heart shape appeared relatively late, at the end of the 20th century, within a context of artisanal revival and the opening of Chinese tea houses to an urban and international clientele. It does not originate from imperial China or classical treatises like Lu Yu's Cha Jing, but from a modern China that continues to explore its traditions by giving them new visual and symbolic languages.
These tea flowers are primarily processed in Anhui province, renowned for its high-quality green teas. The base used is Mao Feng, an emblematic tea of the Yellow Mountains, chosen for the delicacy of its buds, their natural elasticity, and their ability to unfurl harmoniously during infusion. The leaves are harvested young and then carefully selected for their length and integrity. Their suppleness is essential: a leaf that is too stiff or even slightly broken would compromise the final structure.
The making of a heart-shaped flower tea is a long and meticulous handcraft. The leaves are moistened, folded, and sewn one by one using neutral cotton threads, invisible when brewed. The tea is then assembled around dried flowers, most often amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) and sometimes rose or jasmine. When rose is used, it generally comes from traditional cultivation in Henan, a province neighboring Anhui, renowned for its roses used in infusions and traditional Chinese medicine. These flowers are not decorative; they are selected for their stability in hot water and their compatibility with tea.
Contrary to a common belief in Europe, carved tea flowers are not an everyday beverage in China. They are rarely used in codified traditional ceremonies like Gong Fu Cha. Rather, they belong to a contemplative and symbolic realm, served in some contemporary tea houses or given as gifts. In China, the heart-shaped tea flower is primarily a gift. It is frequently given for engagements, wedding anniversaries, important encounters, or as a token of sincere affection. The symbolism is clear: the amaranth, called Qian Ri Hong ("thousand-day red"), evokes the constancy and duration of feelings; the rose reinforces the idea of emotional harmony; and the heart shape conveys the message explicitly without being ostentatious.
The tasting follows simple yet precise guidelines. A glass teapot is essential to allow for observation of the gradual unfolding of the tea. The water is heated to around 75–80°C, and the infusion time is intentionally long. The development is slow, controlled, conceived as a succession of stages rather than a rapid extraction. This temporality is an integral part of the experience.
The Upper Heart is therefore neither folklore nor mere decoration. It testifies to precise craftsmanship, codified practices, and a contemporary evolution of the art of Chinese tea. Based on an exceptional green tea, it illustrates this tradition's ability to combine technical rigor, masterful symbolism, and a sense of gesture, without breaking with its roots.
