本文的研究課題為南投松柏坑茶區近三十年烏龍茶商品標準變遷的過程,研究材料為筆者於2005年4月至7月在南投松柏坑茶區的田野參與實作及深度訪談。 涉及感官的茶葉商品標準在何種機制下得以確立、維持及變遷,是本文所欲解答的謎題。從台灣內銷烏龍茶過去三十年的發展中,對於茶區「山頭氣」的強調此一現象出發,筆者視茶區如何在歷史進程中被建構為為茶葉生產及消費的概念,而此一概念如何形塑了人們對於茶葉商品的標準。 首先,從人類學對於「物」的討論出發,探討茶樹物性如何在栽植、製作的過程中被呈顯,並形成在茶葉市場上被強調的商品特質。其次,進入茶葉生產空間—「茶間仔」探看茶農的製茶技術核心,注重個人體會的感官知識與身體技術,而這種無法被明確述說的製茶工序中,烏龍茶紛陳多變的商品特質何以形成。 茶葉的感官標準看似主觀,實則為一套有秩序的知識體系論述規範而成,圍繞於茶葉的生產、消費與流通。這套論述外顯於茶商對於消費過程中對於商品特性的述說;於生產過程中,則是茶農賴以遵循的生產知識準則。感官標準在茶葉的不斷生產和消費中成形,並形成地方性的傳統。然而,傳統並非一成不變,而是一方面被遵循,一方面不斷地被打破創新。地方性的傳統受制於茶業社群的產銷、生產活動,在社群之外,茶葉比賽的權力與知識構築了茶葉的感官品評階序,也影響了茶葉感官標準的形成。而機具技術的演進,也不斷地對既有的茶葉知識體系產生衝擊與重組。 在松柏坑茶區的個案中,我們看到不同時期傳統的孕生,在此過程中,茶農扮演著知識傳遞與創新的重要角色,然而,市場主流口味的論述引導了製茶方向,不利於社群製茶技藝的傳承。
The main thesis of this dissertation is to construct the process of commodity standard of Oonlong tea in Nantou MingJien tea district.By my field work in MingJian tea area during April-July 2005. By noticing a significant phonemenon of emphasizing "mountain flavor" during past Taiwan tea market, my research aim to constructin the making crafts to resolve a question: why the tea district is lying low during past thirty years? I found it's tightly related to the changing sense standard and we must entering the produing process to resolve it. First,during the tea-making process,the core techniques concluding realizing the materiality of tea,controlling the uncertainty in the working place ,so the unspeakable tacit knowledge is esepecially emphesised.Second, in this kind of making process,the commodity character of diversity is established. Flavour and taste variated between tea districts is emphasized as a symbol using to sell in the tea market.Among different tea districts,the sensed standard is constructed by local knowledge formed by constantly produing and consuming.In MingJien tea district,the old taste was symbolize as "tradition",and the new taste was marked as the market taste. However,the rhetoric of market taste controlling by the tea merchant is now descotructing the tea making craft in Ming-Jien tea district.The result of over-emphesising the elevation will erasing the distinguishing character of tradition tea district.