…le mouvement de la vie est pris dans un réseau de constants échanges et d’entrecroisements
…the movement of life exists in a network of continual exchanges and intertwinements
François Cheng, Cinq méditations sur la beauté
Nana Ding’s tea shop is on a quaint street in Strasbourg, France. Quiet and elegant, the rue des Charpentiers winds behind the Gothic cathedral. When I was visiting in March, her toasty shop was a welcome escape from Strasbourg’s damp and chilly weather. When you step into Nana Ding Thés d’Exception, you enter a tea haven. Delicate Chinese tea objects occupy every shelf and corner—tiny Yixing tea pots, painted gaiwans, fragile tea bowls, all selected by Nana Ding during her trips to China. Behind the counter reside rare and special teas that she sources from China. Puerhs, oolongs, rock teas, green teas, red teas, white teas… how to choose?!
Madame Ding and I spent two lovely mornings together, infusing, sipping, and observing. Our encounter felt hushed and sacred. The teas she shared with me were ethereal. A green tea from Sichuan Province that we steeped six times and a red tea from Yunnan Province harvested from uncultivated tea trees that are more than 2,000 years old. I found both teas to be otherworldly and subtle.
I often sip exceptional teas with tea-loving friends. Over tea, we learn from one another. Nana Ding taught me that the tea itself speaks to us. Each infusion seemed to unlock and share a lesson—lessons that I continue to unravel, many months after our tea mornings.
Since those blustery March moments, I have taken to honoring the tea leaf. I sip more slowly, I infuse more respectfully, and I attune myself to the messages that each tiny cup of tea offers me.
…the movement of life exists in a network of continual exchanges and intertwinements
Nana Ding Thés d’Exception
13 rue des Charpentiers
67000 Strasbourg