Your guide to what local teas are best for brewing this season
October 30, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WHEN the fall arrives, autumn tea also comes onto the market. As an important part of Chinese tradition, tea culture has been studied by generations and even today a certain level of knowledge is required in choosing the most suitable tea for a particular occasion. Since there are so many kinds of autumn teas available, we have chosen a few and provide tips on how to distinguish a good quality tea.
Yancha Tea
After the Mid-autumn Festival is the best time to try Yancha Tea. It may sounds pretty strange to most Chinese people but it is strongly recommended by many tea sellers. Nowadays, most Yancha Tea in Shanghai is cultivated in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province, where the ecological environment is well protected. According to the traditional production process, the best-quality Yancha tea should pass more than 120 procedures from picking to packing over a period of about six months.
There are four areas to assessing the quality of Yancha Tea. The first is to check the vein of the tea leaf. A good Yancha always has clear veins. The second is to check the color because the ideal Yancha should look shiny and glossy. The third is the fragrance of the tea. Decent Yancha should smell like flowers in the mountain. And finally there is the taste. A good Yancha will have a very rich feel in the mouth. In addition, the tea water should be clean, which is a necessary feature of all good teas.
From a medical perspective, Yancha is good for middle-aged and old people, especially smokers because it can help take care of their stomach and combat bad breath.
Tie Guan Yin
As one of the Top 10 Chinese teas, Tie Guan Yin is known all over the country. Today, most Tie Guan Yin on the market is produced in Anxi, Fujian Province. However, because of the tea's mass production, the local natural environment has been damaged to a certain extent and there's increasingly less authentic Tie Guan Yin on the market. Therefore, it's very important to learn how to distinguish a good quality Tie Guan Yin although it's actually pretty difficult to pick one out.
In Chinese, Tie means iron, which means the tea should be "as heavy as iron" - it is of course a little exaggerative, but it at least shows that Tie Guan Yin should be heavier than other kinds of tea. A loud, clear sound should be heard when the leaves hit the inside of a teapot. Color is also very important for good teas and a decent Tie Guan Yin should have "green leaves with red edges." The fragrance of a good Tie Guan Yin should not be pungent. If it is, it's bad.
Good tea will still release the fragrance after several brews, but this obviously requires clear tea water as well. Because of the great demand for Tie Guan Yin, some procedures of the traditional production process have been simplified. The preservation method is especially different from the original - so after you buy some Tie Guan Yin, it's best to pack it tightly and store in the fridge.
Pu'er Tea
Most pu'er tea on the market these days is cultivated in Xishuangbanna region, Yunnan Province where the natural environment is well protected. However, the frequent rain in autumn in Yunnan can cause some detriment to the quality of the tea leaves. So to guarantee the quality of the autumn tea, some autumn Yunnan pu'er is actually made in spring. However, it doesn't affect the taste of the tea at all. Like other teas in China, pu'er tea also differs greatly in quality. To determine whether it is good or not, you should first look at the shape of the tea leaf. A good pu'er tea leaf looks thinner and the veins are clear. Colorwise, good pu'er tea leaves should be a deep reddish black. However, the tea water should be clear and look bright, since bad tea water also turns black.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, pu'er can reduce internal fat and blood pressure, so it's very suitable for those who like greasy and salty food.
Yancha Tea
After the Mid-autumn Festival is the best time to try Yancha Tea. It may sounds pretty strange to most Chinese people but it is strongly recommended by many tea sellers. Nowadays, most Yancha Tea in Shanghai is cultivated in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province, where the ecological environment is well protected. According to the traditional production process, the best-quality Yancha tea should pass more than 120 procedures from picking to packing over a period of about six months.
There are four areas to assessing the quality of Yancha Tea. The first is to check the vein of the tea leaf. A good Yancha always has clear veins. The second is to check the color because the ideal Yancha should look shiny and glossy. The third is the fragrance of the tea. Decent Yancha should smell like flowers in the mountain. And finally there is the taste. A good Yancha will have a very rich feel in the mouth. In addition, the tea water should be clean, which is a necessary feature of all good teas.
From a medical perspective, Yancha is good for middle-aged and old people, especially smokers because it can help take care of their stomach and combat bad breath.
Tie Guan Yin
As one of the Top 10 Chinese teas, Tie Guan Yin is known all over the country. Today, most Tie Guan Yin on the market is produced in Anxi, Fujian Province. However, because of the tea's mass production, the local natural environment has been damaged to a certain extent and there's increasingly less authentic Tie Guan Yin on the market. Therefore, it's very important to learn how to distinguish a good quality Tie Guan Yin although it's actually pretty difficult to pick one out.
In Chinese, Tie means iron, which means the tea should be "as heavy as iron" - it is of course a little exaggerative, but it at least shows that Tie Guan Yin should be heavier than other kinds of tea. A loud, clear sound should be heard when the leaves hit the inside of a teapot. Color is also very important for good teas and a decent Tie Guan Yin should have "green leaves with red edges." The fragrance of a good Tie Guan Yin should not be pungent. If it is, it's bad.
Good tea will still release the fragrance after several brews, but this obviously requires clear tea water as well. Because of the great demand for Tie Guan Yin, some procedures of the traditional production process have been simplified. The preservation method is especially different from the original - so after you buy some Tie Guan Yin, it's best to pack it tightly and store in the fridge.
Pu'er Tea
Most pu'er tea on the market these days is cultivated in Xishuangbanna region, Yunnan Province where the natural environment is well protected. However, the frequent rain in autumn in Yunnan can cause some detriment to the quality of the tea leaves. So to guarantee the quality of the autumn tea, some autumn Yunnan pu'er is actually made in spring. However, it doesn't affect the taste of the tea at all. Like other teas in China, pu'er tea also differs greatly in quality. To determine whether it is good or not, you should first look at the shape of the tea leaf. A good pu'er tea leaf looks thinner and the veins are clear. Colorwise, good pu'er tea leaves should be a deep reddish black. However, the tea water should be clear and look bright, since bad tea water also turns black.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, pu'er can reduce internal fat and blood pressure, so it's very suitable for those who like greasy and salty food.
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