By Xu Zhuowei

　　Among Ningbo's trendsetting young consumers, tea-brewing over charcoal fire (围炉煮茶) is quickly becoming the latest slow-living fad. This new way to enjoy tea is gaining popularity across many Chinese cities, especially with the onset of colder weather.

　　A teahouse would provide a charcoal stove with which patrons could lightly roast the tea leaves before boiling them in a kettle over the fire. A group of friends could sit cosily around the stove, enjoying roasted fruits, nuts, and other snacks with their hot tea.

　　As an additional attraction, some teahouses in Ningbo are also putting up TVs tuned in to the World Cup, so that patrons could watch the matches as they sip their warm drinks.

　　"Reservation is required. The price for a two-person package is ?136 yuan. It includes the charcoal grill/pit, tea, and a platter of food for roasting," said a teahouse staff. In teahouses around the city, there's a wide variety of new deals: tea paired with crispy snacks, rice candy, dried plums, and fruits.

　　"We are doing great business with 'charcoal-fire tea-brewing'. Most consumers are young people. Now that the weather is cold and the World Cup is on, people like to come at night, savouring a pot of tea with an exciting match," said Mr. Zheng, the head of a new Chinese-style teahouse in Yinzhou.

　　Ms. Chen, another Ningbo teahouse owner, believes that young people have a particularly strong demand for social interaction after the pandemic. On general, the average per person spending on "charcoal-fire tea-brewing" ranges from ?50 to ?80. Patrons can roast all kinds of food over the charcoal fire: sweet potatoes, peanuts, jujube, oranges, persimmons, etc.

　　Huang Xuan, a twentysomething citizen, has recently fallen in love with "charcoal-fire tea-brewing" for the slow-paced socializing it provides. "Sitting around the charcoal stove, my friends and I chatted over cup after cup, flipping over the food cooking over the charcoal every now and then. Nobody was fiddling with their phones. We felt closer to each other."

　　Chief Adviser: Zhao Qingchuan

　　Proofreader: Dong Na