茶之趣

茶之趣

The Chinese tea farmers have a saying: “The first harvest is mellow, the second is tart. The third is so good we save it for last.” This line perfectly describes the differences between tea harvested in the seasons of Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Tea, like people, assumes unique characteristics as a result of the climate, geography, and other factors.

茶农有句谚语，『头茶醇，二茶涩，三茶好喝采不得』，说的是春茶、夏茶与秋茶的分别。茶跟人一样，或天时、或地利，不同的因缘际会造就出自己的独特个性。

It's the end of March. Gentle spring breezes waft across the boundless fi eld at Jiqingli Black Tea Valley, Yingde. People are preparing themselves for the hard work of harvesting the tea leaves that have sprouted during Spring.

Lu Yu, a connoisseur of fi ne teas who lived at the height of the Tang Dynasty, described the“excellent fl avour” of tea from Shaozhou (modern day Guangdong Province) in his Chajing (Classic of Tea). His work is now upheld as the def i nitive encyclopaedia on everything related to tea. Modern day Yingde is also part of ancient Shaozhou.

Yingde Hongcha (black tea of Yingde), Qimen Hongcha (black tea of Qimen, or Keemun), and Yunnan Dianhong (black tea of Yunnan) are 3 of the most famous and highly regarded black teas of China. Yingde's black tea was grown using the large-leaf tea bushes bred from parent lineages selected from Yunnan in the 1950s. Like the famous Sri Lankan black teas, Yingde's fi ne black tea quickly became a popular hit amongst many tea lovers. In the 1960s, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain once used black tea from Yingde to serve her guests, and listed it as a tea for use by the royal family.

Yingde's black tea carries a rich aroma, bright red coloration of the resulting liquor. The most famous blend would be Yinghong 9, uniquely fl avored with orchids and lychee branches that epitomises the thickness, strength, freshness, and clearing properties of Yingde black teas.

The region of Yingde has a southern subtropical monsoon climate with no harsh winters or summers. Frost periods rarely exceed 10 days every year. The soil is slightly acidic with a pH of 4.5 to 5. These geographical features make it perfect for growing tea shrubs. The soil and water determine the tea. The same Yingde bush would produce vastly different teas when grown in other regions.

Yingde's black tea is harvested in 3 seasons, leading to the differences between Spring, Summer, and Autumn teas. Spring teas are harvested during the months of March to April and is known for its rich aroma. Summer teas, harvested from May to September, are known for their strong fl avour but slight bitterness when compared to Spring and Autumn teas. Finally, Autumn teas harvested from October to November offer a sweet and refreshing taste.

采茶Harvesting

萎凋Withering

揉捻Maceration

发酵Fermentation

烘干Drying

晾干Airing

Dr. Wang Yifeng is an expert on tea. Despite being over 70 years old, his tea-drinking habits make him look 20 years younger. Having researched tea over the last 50 years, Dr. Wang explained how these seasonal differences give rise to different tea characteristics. Spring tea experiences gradual warming after a cold winter, and thus provides better fragrance. Summer teas grow in higher temperatures and thus contain more tea polyphenols which lead to a slight bitterness. Autumn teas experience gradual cooling and less rain which lead to a buildup of sugars within the plant to provide a sweet fl avour.

What are the processes needed to convert a freshly plucked tea shoot into black tea?

Dr. Wang told us that a freshly harvested tea leaf contains about 75% water. The fi rst step in tea processing would be withering. Ventilation and heating are used to remove the water content from the leaves. This is followed by maceration where external forces are applied to bruise or cut the tea leaves and disrupt their cellular structures. Maceration is then followed by the key step of fermentation. Fermentation often takes 4 to 8 hours to complete and requires stringent controls on temperature, oxygen and humidity. Yingde black tea requires 2 rounds of drying to reduce water content to 4-6%.

The complete Yingde black tea is ready for brewing after drying. For brewing, pour boiling water on a pinch of tea leaves. Let it stand for 5-8 seconds and swirl slightly to disperse the liquor and its fi ne aromas. There is no better way to symbolise the Chinese way of serving guests than a cup of fi nely brewed tea.

Prof. Wang Yifeng, senior advisor & agronomist at Jiqingli.英德积庆里红茶谷高级顾问、高级农艺师王医凤教授。

和煦春风拂过，英德的积庆里茶园又是一派热火朝天——3月底，春茶进入采摘季节。

盛唐时，陆羽就在他那本被后世誉为茶叶百科全书的《茶经》中提到，韶州等地的茶“其味极佳。”韶州即包括现在的英德。

英德红茶香味浓郁、茶汤红亮，最有名的品种是“英红九号”，“英红九号”将英德红茶浓、强、鲜、爽的特点演绎到了极致，有兰花和荔枝干混合的香味。上世纪50年代末，英德红茶由云南大叶种选育而来，可与斯里兰卡红茶媲美，迅速成为人们所喜爱的上等红茶。

英德属于南亚热带季风气候，冬无严寒，夏无酷暑，每年霜期不超过10天，土壤酸度PH值在4.5—5之间，特别适宜茶树生长。一方水土养一方茶，同样的英德品种，种在其他地区，产出茶的品质竟相去甚远。

英德红茶每年采摘三季，故有春茶、夏茶和秋茶之分。春茶每年3—4月采摘，香高味醇；夏茶5—9月采摘，滋味浓烈，较之春茶、秋茶略微苦涩；秋茶10—11月采摘，口感鲜爽香甜。

也许是饮茶的关系，年逾七十的茶叶专家王医凤看起来宛如五十岁。研究茶叶半个世纪的他解释说，春季，气温走向由低到高，故茶香醇厚；夏季，持续高温，茶叶当中茶多酚比例高，故茶浓烈微苦涩；到了秋季，气温由高到低，雨水少，茶树体内糖分积累，故甘甜。

一爿嫩绿的茶芽从采摘到成为红条茶饮用，需经过哪些工序呢？

王教授告诉我们，由于采好的新鲜茶叶含水量约为75%，茶叶制作要进行的第一步便是萎凋，使茶叶失去一定水份。之后是揉捻，通过外力揉捻成条，同时破碎茶叶的细胞。揉捻之后便进入最为关键的发酵阶段。发酵往往需要4—8个小时的时间，对于气温、氧气和湿度有严格的要求。最后，英德红茶制作需要烘干两次，使茶叶含水量降至4-6%。

经过烘干之后，英德红茶至终成形。取一小撮红茶，开水注入，5—8秒旋见红亮茶汤，且有香气扑鼻，中国人的待客之道便满满盛在此杯中了。

SAVE THE BEST TEA FOR LAST

Text by Ge Rufeng Photos by Zeng Jian, Jiqingli Black Tea Valley 特别鸣谢：积庆里红茶谷