MULAN JOURNAL / 05 BRAND ACTIVITY
Open Day at Mulan Maison: An Afternoon of Tea as a Live Assessment
We asked 24 strangers to drink six teas, then asked each of them to write down one version of themselves on paper.
This was a tasting with no lectern. We do not teach people how to drink tea; we only ask them to say what they tasted.
I. Why Not a Lecture-Style Tasting
Most tastings run one way: an expert up front speaks of aroma, craft and terroir while the audience nods. By the end, people remember a few terms — and learn nothing new about themselves.
We wanted to try something else: run the tasting as an assessment. Not to test the tea — to test the person drinking it.
II. Three Hours, Arranged
- 15 minutes · Seated in silenceNo handouts, no rundown. In front of each person: a white porcelain gaiwan, a cup, a sheet of paper.
- 40 minutes · Blind tasting, the first four teasNo cultivar, no price, no origin. Each person writes three things: the first sip, how it changed, and what they want to do after finishing.
- 30 minutes · One cup, one conversationTurn to a neighbor and read out your three words. No commenting on each other's wording.
- 45 minutes · The last two, revealedCultivar and terroir are named. Then two of the first four are poured again — same bowl, same water temperature. Most people find they read them wrong the first time.
- 30 minutes · Signature teaChoose one of the six and take it home on a card. Each card carries a number; the full record of that tea can be looked up on the website.
We do not teach people how to drink tea.
We only ask them to say what they tasted.
III. Three Surprises That Afternoon
- Surprise oneOf 24 people, 9 chose the least expensive tea. Their reasons were nearly identical: "I can't say what is special about it, but I want another cup."
- Surprise twoThe hardest of the three words is not the third — it is the first. Many people stopped writing for over thirty seconds after the first sip. They found they had no word for it.
- Surprise threeThe quietest tea — the full-fire old bush shuixian — drew the most "take it home". Its aroma was the least insistent in the room, yet after seven infusions it led the count.
IV. What the Afternoon Taught Us
- OneA person's first judgment of a tea comes from the body, not from knowledge. The body is more honest than the mouth.
- Two"No words for it" does not mean not understanding — it means the word has not arrived yet. A second cup is more useful than a set of terms.
- ThreeThe order of aroma is not the order of price. That is worth writing at the top of every tasting.
V. The Next Session
Mulan Maison Open Day will be held once a month, 24 guests per session, with seats announced through the Mulan Journal subscription. Nothing is sold on site and there is no minimum spend; each guest takes home a signature tea card, which carries a one-time discount on a first purchase in the shop.
If your city has a group of people willing to sit quietly with tea for three hours, write to us — the format travels.
TO TASTE · A cup from the same source
Visiting Mulan Maison
One open day a month, 24 guests, three hours. Subscribe to the Mulan Journal for first notice of seats, or book a visit directly.
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