Tea ceremony

A tea ceremony was a very specialized procedure for making tea practiced in Kara-Tur.

Ritual
Although it appeared fairly simple at first glance, conducting the tea ceremony required total concentration to achieve exquisite precision and grace in every stage and action. The full tea ceremony could take an hour to complete. Its aim was to instill absolute calm and serenity and to rid the mind of all distraction. If successful, the practitioner could not be surprised in any way.

Usage
The tea ceremony was practiced by members of the nobility in some lands of Kara-Tur. In Wa, the tea ceremony was once wholly the domain of the shogunate. However, by the 1350s DR, it had spread to the merchants, who enjoyed its formality and spiritual elements, and it had grown incredibly popular among them. A gracious display suggested the practitioner to be a trustworthy partner in business.

History
There were stories of true masters of the tea ceremony who, when engaged in the procedure, could not be distracted or surprised in even the smallest way.