Blog
Chinese cultivar Bai Ya Qi Lan 白芽奇兰
There are many tea cultivars for processing Oolong tea in southern Fujian, such as Tie Guan Yin, Jin Guan Yin, Huang Dan, Mao Xie, Ben Shan and many others. One of the famous tea cultivars from this area is Bai Ya Qi Lan 白芽奇兰, which is widely planted in the tea gardens of the Daqinshan area of Pinghe County. It is one of the four famous teas of Fujian, the other three being Tie Guan Yin, Wuyi Rock Tea and Zhangping Shui Xian. Bai Ya Qi Lan is a tea of unique quality. Although its processing is similar to that of Tie Guan Yin, it has its own very distinctive character. Bai Ya Qi Lan is the second most successful export Oolong from southern Fujian, sitting just next to Tie Guan Yin. We can freely translate the name of this Oolong as "the scent of a rare orchid".
Collection and processing of Keemun black tea
The Qimen 祁门 area is located in the so-called "Tea Golden Belt", a strip of tea-producing locations at 30 degrees north latitude. The local natural conditions meet the rule of "four times more and one less", which means many mountains, many clouds, much fog, much rain and little direct sunlight, which defines the perfect environment for the growth of tea trees. This is where the famous Chinese black tea Keemun Black Tea (Qi Men Hong Cha 祁门红茶) comes from. It is one of the three most famous black teas in the world, along with Darjeeling black tea and Ceylon Uva black tea. Unlike the mentioned two black teas based on large-leaf cultivars that come from the tropical zone, Keemun black tea comes from the subtropical zone and its cultivar is the typical Chinese small-leaved Zhu Ye Zhong 槠叶种.
Black Keemun is a Legend Among Black Teas
Keemun Black Tea (Qi Men Hong Cha 祁门红茶) is a famous Chinese Black Tea. It is produced in the Keemun County (Qi Men Xian 祁门县) of Anhui. It is one of the Three Most Famous Black Teas in the world, with the other two Darjeeling Black Tea and Ceylon Uva Black tea. Unlike the other two big leaf cultivar black teas which come from a tropical zone, the Keemun Black Tea originates in a subtropical zone and the cultivar is typical Chinese small leaf - Zhu Ye Zhong. It features a kind of natural gentle creamy flavor which made this tea famous. Its taste is very mild and sweet. The extraordinary terroir of Keemun District creates unique conditions for growing tea of unprecedented quality.
Eurotium cristatum (Golden Flower)
Eurotium cristatum (E. cristatum), commonly known as “golden flower”, is the dominant strain in the microbial fermentation process of Fu brick tea. E. cristatum has favorable biological characteristics, including enzyme production, antimicrobial properties, immune regulation, antitumor properties, fat reduction capabilities, and weight loss benefits. With its probiotic characteristics, E. cristatum can be combined with different varieties of tea substrates to make a variety of fermented teas. More importantly, in the process of tea fermentation, E. cristatum can secrete a variety of extracellular enzymes, including some hydrolytic enzymes and oxidoreductases. They metabolize and transform various chemical components in tea through a series of reactions such as oxidation, degradation, and condensation, which significantly affect the quality of tea.
Fu Zhuan Cha 茯磚茶 - Tea Brick from Hunan
Dark tea has a long history in China, with different types produced in several provinces. The most important types include dark tea from Hunan, and its most distinctive variant is Fuzhuan Cha. The origin of Fuzhuan Cha dark tea is closely related to the nomadic peoples of northern and western China, such as the Mongols, Tibetans and Uighurs. Their diet, rich in meat, milk and bread, lacks fiber and vitamins, making tea essential for digestion and nutritional balance. They consider tea indispensable, even more so than food for a short time.
Post-fermented Teas Hei Cha 黑茶
Dark tea (Hei Cha 黑茶) is post-fermented tea, which means that after the tea leaves are oxidized after harvesting, they undergo accelerated controlled fermentation. For accelerated fermentation, the wet layering process ((Wo Dui 渥堆) is most often used, when biochemical reactions occur under the influence of microorganisms. In oxidation, biochemical reactions occur when interacting with atmospheric oxygen and typically last for several hours. The fermentation process can take several hours to several months, but can then continue without limitation for decades.
High mountains and clouds produce good tea - Green bamboo leaves from Emeishan
Zhu Ye Qing 竹叶青 is a famous Chinese green tea based on a careful selection of fine buds (only buds) that are carefully collected and processed by hand. It comes from Mount Emei (Emeishan 峨眉山) in Sichuan Province and its name translates as "green bamboo leaves". Zhu Ye Qing is a selection of tiny green buds that are flattened by the hands of a tea master during the wok drying stage. The neat green leaves resemble the small green leaves of bamboo, hence its name.
What is English Breakfast Tea?
There's nothing like one original recipe for English Breakfast tea. It is a category of black teas rather than a specific tea, and there can be as many English Breakfast recipes as there are tea lovers. It's a mood tea associated with the morning, designed to help start your day off right. It is helped by natural caffeine, tannins and phenols, which will give it enough strength to handle even the rush of milk and sugar. The right dose of desirable astringency emphasizes the morning need to wake up quickly and prepare for the day ahead.
Gua Feng Zhai village in Yiwu 易武刮风寨
Yiwu 易武 is one of the Six Tea Mountains (Liu Da Cha Shan 六大茶山), famous for pu-erh tea in Yunnan. It iis located n Mengla County 勐腊县 of Xishuangbanna. It is one of the few Chinese tea places located in tropical zone. There are quite a few villages in Yiwu producing pu-erh tea. Among others they are Ma Hei, Luo Shui Dong, Ding Jia Zhai, Wan Gong, Man Xiu, Tong Qing He and Gua Feng Zhai. People of Yao race are the main residents of the Gua Feng Zhai village. The population is around 750 people. It got famous for its tea with complex strong wild tea flavour, fast transformation of taste and deep sweet aftertaste.
Bai Ying Shan 白莺山 Mountains
Bai Ying Shan 白莺山 is one of the branch mountains of Wu Liang Shan 无量山 in Southwest Yunnan Lincang Region, and near Lan Cang River. Though it is still not as famous as many other tea mountains of Yunnan, Bai Ying Shan is the origin of the Yunnan old big tea trees as study indicates. Here there is the oldest tea tree more than 3000 years old, and the biological character of the tea seed of Bai Ying Shan old tree proves here is the birthplace of the Yunnan Big Leaf Tea. The tea species growing here according to the farmers include Ben Shan Cha 本山茶, Hei Tiao Cha 黑条茶, Er Ga Zi Cha 二嘎子茶，Meng Ku Zhong 勐库种, Bai Ya Cha 白芽茶，Liu Ye Cha 柳叶茶, He Zhuang Cha 贺庄茶 and Teng Zi Cha 藤子茶.
Advisor
How to properly brew Japanese green tea?
In principle, the steeping procedure is always the same, but the amount of tea, water temperature, steeping time, etc. can be different for each individual type of tea. There is no manual that teaches us one ideal way to make the perfect cup of tea. Although certain types of tea should be prepared in specific ways, it is most important to use a correct water temperature and adjust the steeping time to your personal taste preferences. Brewing parameters can also change with respect to differences in the content of mineral substances in the water.
How to make Hong Kong style Milk Tea?
Hong Kong milk tea is second to none. If you are a tea lover, this is one thing you must experience in your life. It has a creamy texture with a sweet and rich flavor and is great both hot and iced. It probably goes without saying that you will enjoy Gang Shi Nai Cha 港式奶茶 most in Hong Kong, not only because of the authentic environment, but also because of the local original recipes, which are often strictly guarded. Authentic Hong Kong milk tea has its own viscosity, texture, taste and aroma as well as color. After a certain time spent in Hong Kong, it will become indispensable and irreplaceable for you.