唐代飲茶文化十分多元，圓仁為日本求法請益僧，留唐十年間，走過淮河流域以北各地，曾停留揚州、登州赤山院、五臺山、長安等地佛寺，所撰寫《入唐求法巡禮行記》一書呈現大唐民間的社會生活，也反映佛寺生活的面貌，其中茶文化是民間與佛寺共同的文化之一，行記中共有三十八條相關茶的記載。從行記中可見晚唐飲茶活動遍及官府、寺院與民間，是十分受歡迎的風尚，此民間茶文化至少有旅途休息、團座話語、茶飯並食、贈品、供佛、佛教儀式、交易貨物等功能，其中旅途休息、團座話語、贈品的例證最多，說明在大唐的社會與佛寺，茶最主要的功能是人際互動的情感媒介；此外，茶、飯、粟、粥等食物並備，則反映民間與寺院飲食物質文化的豐富與周足。此時，佛寺茶文化乃民間茶文化的延伸，畢竟，圓仁記書中佛寺茶的獨特功能為供佛與儀式使用，前後僅三例而已，記載少且簡略，如此現象反映出佛寺制度化嚴謹的茶禮儀式在圓仁當時仍未形成，九世紀中葉乃佛寺茶禮文化發展的初始階段。圓仁所體驗的大唐民間茶文化與佛寺茶文化在內涵上與過往日本弘仁時期求法僧空海、最澄、永忠所體驗的文人茶文化不同，對提昇日本飲茶文化，塑造茶道多元豐富根基，扮演重要的角色。

The Tang dynasty was a time witnessed diversified tea cultures. By that time, Ennin, a Japanese Buddhist monk, visited China and lived for ten years. He travelled to the northern region of the Huai River and stayed with several Buddhist temples. His diary of this journey, The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law, did not only depict the folk society and everyday life but also recorded the livings in Buddhist temples. In Ennin’s Record, there are 38 entries relating to tea and tea culture, which was one aspect shared by both folk and temple lives. According to Ennin’s Record, tea-drinking was very popular in government, temples, and society in general. In folk life, tea culture served the functions of resting in travel, social gathering, feast, gifts, Buddhist offerings and rituals, and trading. Among these functions there are most examples about resting in travel, social gathering, and gifts. Such a fact points out tea’s main function as the social and emotional media in Tang’s society and Buddhist temples. Moreover, tea, rice, millet, and porridge, were important signs of the richness of food and material cultures in folk and temple life in the Tang dynasty. The tea culture in temples was an extension of tea culture in folk life. Hence, in Ennin’s Record, there were only three examples of distinctive uses of tea in Buddhist temples and rituals. This reminds us that systemized tea rituals in Buddhist temples had not yet developed in Ennin’s time and the middle of 9th century was only the burgeoning phase for the Buddhist tea culture. Compared with the earlier Japanese monks Kukai or Saicho, Ennin had completely different experiences on the folk and temple tea cultures. He played an important role in elevating Japanese tea culture and creating a diversified foundation for tea ceremony.