Ch'a-Shu embraces skill in the growing and processing of tea leaves; knowing how to nrew fine tea so as to extract the maximum flavour and aroma; cultivating a taste for all kinds of delightful (but not necessarily expensive) ceramics and other accesories; collecting old poems, songs and stories about everything to do with tea; and, above all, knowing how to relax and savor a brew in pleasant surroundings so that a tea session becomes a short retreat from the stresses and strains of modern life.