无论是在粤菜飘香的广州，还是在蜀味十足的成都，不论是九省通衢的武汉，还是在皇城根下的北京，一壶或浓酽或清香的好茶，总是让人心旷神怡，乐此不疲。
　　有“茶都”美称的杭州，茶更是市民生活中必不可少的一部分。杭州人不但希望好茶，还讲究茶道，在休闲的日子里，喝茶人看着茶博士们那让人眼花缭乱的茶道表演，时间过得也就像匆匆而过的流水，惬意极了。现在，杭州的茶博士们心中更有了一分荣耀：因为有位叫李刚的茶艺表演者，他手拿铜嘴茶壶，把一大壶茶耍得出神入化，打败了全国各地的茶艺高手，为“茶都”杭州夺来了全国第一个“茶状元”称号。
　　
　　夺魁之“难”难以想象
　　
　　古色古香的河坊街，一直像一块磁铁，用富有魅力的传统文化吸引着国内外的游客。不管是秋高气爽还是细雨蒙蒙，河坊街一直人潮汹涌。
　　“来客了!”在河坊街的中段，一声韵味十足的吆喝总是能吸引游客的注意，这是著名的老茶馆——太极茶道苑在茶客进入茶馆的欢迎词。接着几位打扮古雅的茶博士便忙着用长嘴铜壶为茶客沏上一杯好茶。这里，就是茶博士李刚上班的地方。
　　这地方对茶客来说，自从2005年10月的那场角逐后，虽然茶还是那壶茶，茶博士还是那几位茶博士，但感觉已经不一样了!因为现在他们喝的茶，是“茶状元”在给他们倒的呢!
　　李刚成为中国第一个“茶状元”真不容易：那次“CCTV茶博士大赛”是中央电视台于2005年“十一”黄金周期间发起的，意在打造出中国的“茶状元”。成都、杭州、武汉、雅安、峨眉山五个在全国茶道、茶文化颇具代表性和影响力的城市，都选派了各自的茶道高手参加角逐。但可能很多人想不到，代表“中国茶都”杭州出战的李刚，竟然只是一位年仅21岁的小伙子，他进太极茶道苑才两年。不过，虽然李刚年轻，他的师傅、太极茶道的总主持人郑纯辉却对他参赛很有信心：“这小伙子水平稳定，不急不乱，很有希望为浙江杭州拿下这个状元。”但师傅郑纯辉也坦言，这五个城市本身的茶文化积淀都非常深厚，加上参赛者都是经过层层筛选的，因此参赛的十几位选手水平非常高，都志在必得，故争夺非常激烈。郑纯辉拨手指一一道来：成都顺兴老茶馆“绝代双骄” 廖氏兄弟名气最大，早在2001年就获得过“全国茶道邀请赛”长流组金奖；雅安小将王存瑞，肩负着为“世界茶文化圣地”雅安争光的重任，是“龙行十八式”的传人；峨眉派掌门的得意弟子黄正其实力也不可小视；其他各位选手也都师出名门。
　　与别的比赛不同的是，整个比赛都不设评委。所有的项目全部都公开角逐，唯一决定胜负的标准，是每位选手完成项目的好坏。比赛共设四轮，采取末位淘汰制，四轮后决出“茶状元”，不设二、三名。这种比赛方式，比的都是真功夫。作为比赛过程中邀请的唯一一位专家嘉宾郑纯辉说：“从设置的比赛项目看，就算是经验最丰富的茶道大师，要想顺利过关难度也非常大。”而当笔者了解到四轮项目的具体内容时，才明白郑纯辉所说的“难”还真是难以想象的难：第一轮，选手在规定时间里在茶杯里倒上茶，而茶杯里的茶要求不偏不倚正好是100毫升，稍有偏差就算作废；第二轮，选手则要站在梅茶桩上“高空作业”，不但要站得稳，还要不洒漏；第三轮则是要给口子狭小的汽水瓶里倒上茶，每个瓶子的形状的规定茶量都不一样，不能有丝毫偏差；最后一轮更艰难，选手要把茶水从不同形状的铜钱孔里倒进去，这个项目不禁让人想起古时的“卖油翁”了。
　　不过，尽管比赛难度非常大，李刚还是底气十足。
　　
　　
　　高手角逐惊心动魄
　　
　　李刚的自信是有依据的。浙江杭州就设有八个“国”字号机构，全国一半以上的高级茶学专家工作在杭州，中国唯一的茶学院士也在杭州。由于茶专家们多年的辛勤培育和指导，杭州的茶馆业在全国也走在最前列。
　　此外，杭州的“西湖龙井茶”以及茶饮料产业在全国也赫赫有名，所以杭州茶博士角逐“茶状元”，可谓占了天时地利。
　　这是一场惊心动魄的比赛。在一群志在必得的比赛选手中，来自成都的廖氏两兄弟曾经是全国长流壶金奖获得者，而年轻的李刚无论是资历还是比赛经验，都是名不见经传的“小字辈”。所以在比赛之初，大多数人并不看好李刚。然而就在大家都不看好的情况下，初到京城的李刚硬是把每分钟全部用到一遍遍地练习上。在第一轮比赛中，李刚出色地做完了各种规定动作，但在最后试着倒满一个小小的闻香杯时碰翻了杯子，被倒扣了两分，屈居第三名；但小小的失误并没有影响到李刚的发挥。在接下来的比赛中，李刚的表现让人惊奇，他在第二轮表演中站在梅花桩上用规定的动作向汽水瓶子里注水，李刚神定气闲，注入之水丝毫不差，稳妥地完成了这一轮的所有动作；第三轮他向贴着标签的汽水瓶倒茶，再穿过铜钱眼向瓶子倒水。这个过程中，李刚有一种特别的定力，不管碰到什么意外都十分沉着，一次比一次做得更好。比赛进行到后来，在最后夺冠决赛上，他手持长流壶几乎是在表演了……
　　李刚终于成了中国第一个“茶状元”。当李刚从北京载誉归来的时候，整个河坊街再一次沸腾了，人们敲锣打鼓，又舞狮又舞龙，腰鼓打得震天作响，大家兴高采烈地欢迎“茶状元”的归来。
　　
　　
　　千日苦练终成绝活
　　
　　李刚所在的杭州清河坊太极茶道苑，由郑家茶人后代经营，它始于清乾隆晚期，距今有近2100年历史，如今太极茶道苑已经成了杭州民俗标志之一。正因为对老字号品牌的在意，茶道苑收徒的要求很高。三年前，年轻的李刚来到太极茶道想要拜师学艺，但被当时的大管家婉言拒绝了。倔强的李刚并没有气馁，时隔一年，他再次来到茶道苑要求学艺，小伙子的执著终于打动了茶道苑总主持人郑纯辉，经过一番观察，郑纯辉发现李刚颇有学茶道的天赋，郑纯辉笑着说：“也许，这就是我们的缘分吧!”那一年，郑纯辉把李刚收作了自己的徒弟，并让李刚直接登堂入室当起了茶博士。
　　说起自己和茶道结缘的故事，李刚自己更是感慨不已。李刚是江苏淮安人，因为“上有天堂，下有苏杭”这个美丽的说法，他在2002年高中一毕业就来到杭州打工。在西湖边上的一家茶楼做服务生的李刚，曾目睹过茶博士耍长流壶的“壮观”：侍者将沉甸甸的铜茶壶高高地举起，滚烫的水从一米多长的壶嘴急流奔泻，直将茶碗里的茶叶冲得上下翻滚却能滴水不漏，实在是太有趣了，于是他萌生了要当“茶博士”的愿望。但当茶博士不是轻而易举的，需要恒心、决心和刻苦练功。摆弄长嘴铜壶冲茶先要练马步，接着就用口子很小的汽水瓶练冲水，直练得滴水不漏。也许是李刚有学茶道的天分，加上天天苦练不止，他的茶艺很快就出类拔萃，他觉得他手中的长嘴铜壶不仅是发扬茶文化的传统工具，也是在修身养性的武器!
　　
　　Champion Tea Doctor and His Huge Teakettle
　　By Meng Tie
　　
　　In China, a country where tea enjoys a national renown and teahouses are a common sight, teahouse waiters have been known since ancient times by a nickname: tea doctor, which well shows the national reverence. The title is the same everywhere, though the ways tea is served and appreciated are different across the country.
　　
　　Known as the capital of tea, Hangzhou has its fair share of tea doctors. Tea is an indispensable part of life for local residents. They enjoy good tea and are particular about the way tea is served. That is why tea doctors are so many and so good in town. Recently Hangzhou has another reason to be proud of its flourishing tea industry: Li Gang, a 21-year-old tea doctor, has won national fame: he is newly crowned king of kings in the national field of tea doctors.
　　CCTV sponsored the CCTV Tea Doctor Championships during the Golden Week of the National Day in October 2005. Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Ya’an and Mount Emei, all known for their local tea culture and ceremonies, sent their champion tea doctors to Beijing to compete for the highest national honor.
　　Li Gang, a tea doctor from Taiji Teahouse located in Hefang Street in the old downtown of Hangzhou, had been working in the teahouse for merely 2 years. The young man was as green as tea. Other contestants were all national or regional champions. For example, “Peerless Twins” from Laoshunxing Teahouse of Chengdu had won a national championship back in 2001. Wang Cunrui was a rising master of Eighteen Dragon Moves from Ya’an, claimed as the Cradle of World Tea Culture. They all eyed the championship.
　　This contest was different from any others. No jury was to make any judgment. All the competition rounds were open and fair. How well a participant would complete the tasks was the only criterion to determine his score. There would be four rounds and each one would eliminate the last contestant till there would be a champion. The competition would produce only one winner and there would be neither silver nor bronze medals.
　　Indeed, these tasks looked like the mission impossible. In the first round, contestants were required to pour 100ml of tea into each of many cups from the teakettle within a stipulated period of time. There should be no mistake about the quantity. Those who failed to measure out the expected 100ml of tea would lose. In the second round, the contestants were supposed to pour tea by standing on high “plum blossom” stakes. They should stand steadily to pour water and no spill would be allowed. In the third round, water was to enter into soda-water bottles with small openings and each bottle should have a differently specified quantity of water. In the last round, the contestants were supposed to pour water through the differently shaped tiny holes in the centers of ancient copper coins.
　　
　　The tasks sounded impossible. And the tool they used was the same as tea doctors use everywhere across the country: the bronze teakettle contains 2.5 kilo of water, and the teakettle’s narrow spout is 1.1 meter long.
　　Li Gang did not look like the favorite before the competition started. Other players looked more promising. In the first round, Li made a small mistake and ranked third, but he performed perfectly in the second round. He did not make any mistake in the last two rounds. The final became his solo show.
　　Thus the 21-year-old became China’s very first national champion tea doctor. He received a red-carpet welcome when he came back with the kudos. Fellow workers and people from other shops in the street crowded to the ceremony held in front of Taiji Teahouse.
　　It is by no accident that Li Gang won the honor. Taiji Teahouse, a business more than 210 years old, is run by the descendants of the Zheng family which first started the tea shop on the street. Li Gang came to Hangzhou in 2002 after graduation from senior high school in neighboring Jiangsu Province. It was in Hangzhou that he saw for the first time how a tea doctor poured tea magically from a huge bronze teakettle into a tiny bowl from a seemingly impossible distance away. He wanted to learn the art. He went to Taiji Teahouse. But he was turned down. One year later, he went to the teahouse again and asked Zheng Chunhui, the manager of the teahouse and experienced tea businessman, to accept him as an apprentice. Zheng found that Li had an aptitude for maneuvering the huge teakettle. So this time the young man was accepted. He practiced hard and soon became proficient.
　　Another way to explain Li Gang’s success is that Hangzhou is virtually the capital of tea. The city is home to eight national tea research institutions. Half of the country’s high-ranking tea scholars are based in Hangzhou and China’s only academician specialized in tea works here. The city’s teahouse industry is one of the best in the country. Hangzhou also gains a lead in tea planting and processing in the country.
　　
　　(Translated by David)