We took off the visit the famous city of Hangzhou so that we can get away a bit from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai for a day and go up to the mountain area. The city is known for its tea growing sector (the best in China) as well as the West Lake which is a major recreational area for those seeking to get away from the city. It is 3000 years old, versus Shanghai that is only 700 years onld.
We drove for almost 3 hours in miserable weather as the temperatures dropped further and the rain kept pounding the bus. But as the bus started climbing the road leading to the tea plantations, everyone perked up. There were beautiful little hotels and tea house everywhere we passed a tea plantation and the air felt so crisp as the scenery became greener and greener (Shanghai, by the way, claims to become a truly green city in the next 10 years with over 40% of its land dedicated to “green spaces”. Hard to believe right now, in spite of the landscaped beauty of some of the center city’s parks).
Dragon tea, that came from Hangzhou was considered to be of the best quality and was strictly used 2000 years ago as herbal medicine due to its rich nutritional content. After the Han Dynasty, when tea was only drunk by rich people, local people learned how to plant it in the mountains and thereby made it more accessible and affordable to everyone. The reason this region can still produce the best teai n China is because of the mountainous location, the 16 degrees Celsius temperatures which keep it fresh and the downward flow of the water, says our guide.
One important fact – tea leaves must be picked up by delicate fingers if they are not to be damaged. So only women do the picking of the best tea leaves. The best tea is picked up only early in the morning when there is dew of the leaves. The leaves are left indoor to dry for 2 hours. Then they are heated and pressed slowly by hand into steel bowls. They can never get too dry (must have at least 5% moisture left) or else they lose their nutrients. Green tea that is mostly grown around here is supposed to clean your mind and flush away any fat. It is even good for your eye sight, they claim.
One hundred families used to run the whole tea business in Hangzhou up until 10 years ago. The central government has now allowed no more than 500 families to become growers and sellers. These families, our guide says, have all become rich as a result even though they share their profits with the government due to the very large number of foreigners that now visit Hangzhou and buy the tea grown here. Over 20 million visitors come each year to the area. A Maglev high speed train is being planned to bring in more people from shanghai with a ride that will only cost 40 Yuan and will take 2 hours.
Once we get to the tea plantation, we are taken to a presentation room where a young and perky tea grower’s daughter proceeds to give us a light and funny talk about the tea grown here. She opens by telling us that all the tea made in this plantation is handmade, which is what makes it so pure and precious. The tea therefore is not only drunk, but eaten as well since it so rich in nutrients. Tea can be used for so many things, she proclaims; teeth cleaning, face mask, losing weight, and even an “eye massage” (when you put the water into the cup with the team leaves, first put your eye close to the cup and let the steam cleans it). We even got a recipe for making a tasty tea mix with a mix of green tea, dried orange peel and dried huckleberry as well as advice to add to teaspoons of green tea into a chicken’s cavity before making chicken soup in order to absorb all the fat!
She tells us the proper way to drink green tea – use 2 finger pinches for 1 cup and pour water into the cup 4 times. As the tea leaves soak more water, they release a progressively sweeter taste. Never use boiling water. Your water should be no more than 190 degrees Fahrenheit and try to steep the tea leaves for about 3 minutes.
Green tea varies based on the time of the year it was picked. Spring tea is the best and the earlier you pick it (like April), the better. The lowest quality tea she called “mother-in-law tea”, while the best was “virgin or empress tea”. The best tea was rumored to be picked up with girls’ lips so as not to damage its delicate leaves! Empress green tea sells for 250 Yuans for 125 grams and is supposed to have the equivalent nutrition of eating 5 apples a day. She also told us to remember that the lighter the green color of the tea, the better. In order to maintain its freshness, put the tea container in the freezer and it will last up to 5 years!
As any good salesperson, she proceeded to unveil packages of empress tea and started packing them into containers on the spot demonstrating how generous she is with over-packing the containers so you can get “more for your Yuan.” Of course we all ended up buying some of the tea so that we can take home with us not only the tea itself, but the tremendous traditions surrounding its making and memories of its fresh scent and taste we felt while listening to this amusing Chinese girl…
We drove for almost 3 hours in miserable weather as the temperatures dropped further and the rain kept pounding the bus. But as the bus started climbing the road leading to the tea plantations, everyone perked up. There were beautiful little hotels and tea house everywhere we passed a tea plantation and the air felt so crisp as the scenery became greener and greener (Shanghai, by the way, claims to become a truly green city in the next 10 years with over 40% of its land dedicated to “green spaces”. Hard to believe right now, in spite of the landscaped beauty of some of the center city’s parks).
Dragon tea, that came from Hangzhou was considered to be of the best quality and was strictly used 2000 years ago as herbal medicine due to its rich nutritional content. After the Han Dynasty, when tea was only drunk by rich people, local people learned how to plant it in the mountains and thereby made it more accessible and affordable to everyone. The reason this region can still produce the best teai n China is because of the mountainous location, the 16 degrees Celsius temperatures which keep it fresh and the downward flow of the water, says our guide.
One important fact – tea leaves must be picked up by delicate fingers if they are not to be damaged. So only women do the picking of the best tea leaves. The best tea is picked up only early in the morning when there is dew of the leaves. The leaves are left indoor to dry for 2 hours. Then they are heated and pressed slowly by hand into steel bowls. They can never get too dry (must have at least 5% moisture left) or else they lose their nutrients. Green tea that is mostly grown around here is supposed to clean your mind and flush away any fat. It is even good for your eye sight, they claim.
One hundred families used to run the whole tea business in Hangzhou up until 10 years ago. The central government has now allowed no more than 500 families to become growers and sellers. These families, our guide says, have all become rich as a result even though they share their profits with the government due to the very large number of foreigners that now visit Hangzhou and buy the tea grown here. Over 20 million visitors come each year to the area. A Maglev high speed train is being planned to bring in more people from shanghai with a ride that will only cost 40 Yuan and will take 2 hours.
Once we get to the tea plantation, we are taken to a presentation room where a young and perky tea grower’s daughter proceeds to give us a light and funny talk about the tea grown here. She opens by telling us that all the tea made in this plantation is handmade, which is what makes it so pure and precious. The tea therefore is not only drunk, but eaten as well since it so rich in nutrients. Tea can be used for so many things, she proclaims; teeth cleaning, face mask, losing weight, and even an “eye massage” (when you put the water into the cup with the team leaves, first put your eye close to the cup and let the steam cleans it). We even got a recipe for making a tasty tea mix with a mix of green tea, dried orange peel and dried huckleberry as well as advice to add to teaspoons of green tea into a chicken’s cavity before making chicken soup in order to absorb all the fat!
She tells us the proper way to drink green tea – use 2 finger pinches for 1 cup and pour water into the cup 4 times. As the tea leaves soak more water, they release a progressively sweeter taste. Never use boiling water. Your water should be no more than 190 degrees Fahrenheit and try to steep the tea leaves for about 3 minutes.
Green tea varies based on the time of the year it was picked. Spring tea is the best and the earlier you pick it (like April), the better. The lowest quality tea she called “mother-in-law tea”, while the best was “virgin or empress tea”. The best tea was rumored to be picked up with girls’ lips so as not to damage its delicate leaves! Empress green tea sells for 250 Yuans for 125 grams and is supposed to have the equivalent nutrition of eating 5 apples a day. She also told us to remember that the lighter the green color of the tea, the better. In order to maintain its freshness, put the tea container in the freezer and it will last up to 5 years!
As any good salesperson, she proceeded to unveil packages of empress tea and started packing them into containers on the spot demonstrating how generous she is with over-packing the containers so you can get “more for your Yuan.” Of course we all ended up buying some of the tea so that we can take home with us not only the tea itself, but the tremendous traditions surrounding its making and memories of its fresh scent and taste we felt while listening to this amusing Chinese girl…
1 comment:
Great pictures. I love green tea. Its interesting to learn more about its origins.
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