鬥茶──荼藝比賽之外的「名茶」身分

Doucha's Identity Outside of Tea Competitions as a 'Classic Tea'

有關「鬥茶」一詞的認定，過去的研究主要解釋為茶藝比賽（茶葉比賽），然而卻乏人知曉「鬥茶」在建安地區的定義是精絕的「名茶」，原料取自象徵「茶瑞」的「白茶」（白葉茶），產量稀少，而且價格昂貴。本文即在探討「鬥茶」之「名茶」身分的變化，以及它在宋代備受珍視的情形。本文採取文獻分析法，結合茶書與相關詩文，依次論述建安的「鬥茶」觀點，以及「鬥茶」變身貢茶的過程，進而探討宋代文人的「鬥茶」品飲經驗。本文認為「鬥茶」之所以聞名，乃是相關茶人著書立論推波助瀾下的結果，雖然有茶書指「鬥茶」的滋味淡薄，但是它在文人雅士間卻始終維持著精絕的「名茶」形象。

In past research, doucha門茶 has mainly been understood as referring to ”tea fight,” a tea mastery competition, and ”fight tea,” the tea used in such competitions. What is much less known is that in the Jian'an建安 region of Fujian福建, doucha refers to a particular, very highly-regarded ”classic tea,” a selected white tea, which is small in yield and thus costly. This study aims to explore doucha's change in identity from ”fight tea” to ”classic tea,” and how this tea came to be prized during the Song dynasty. This study analyzes relevant literature, using a combination of tea reference books and related poetry and prose to examine how this tea was perceived in Jian'an and the process by which it became a ”tribute tea,” and then discusses Song literati's experiences tasting the tea. This study suggests that fight tea's reputation was a result of its promotion by tea masters in books; although some tea books imply that fight tea was too light in taste, it retained its reputation among men of letters as a highly-desirable ”classic tea.”