Chapter 17 5. White tea

White tea, a slightly fermented tea, is a special treasure among teas in my country.It is named because the finished tea is mostly bud heads, covered with pekoe, like silver and snow. White tea is currently produced mainly in Fujian Province and Taiwan Province, with a small amount of production in Jianyang, Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi and other counties.The hills in the territory are undulating, the climate is mild all year round, and the rainfall is abundant. Take Fuding as an example, the annual average temperature is 18.5 ℃, and the annual precipitation is about 1661 mm.The mountainous areas are dominated by red and yellow soils, and are mainly planted with high-quality tea varieties such as Fuding Dabai, Zhenghe Dabai and Narcissus.

The production process of white tea is generally divided into two processes: withering and drying, and the key is withering.Withering is divided into indoor withering and outdoor sunlight withering.It should be flexibly controlled according to the climate. It is better to use indoor withering or double withering in sunny days in spring and autumn or sunny days that are not sultry in summer.The refining process is to remove the stalks, slices, wax leaves, red sheets, and dark sheets, and then bake them with a slow fire until they are fully dry. box.The characteristics of the white tea preparation method are that it neither destroys the activity of the enzyme nor promotes oxidation, and maintains the fragrance of the millet, and the soup tastes fresh and refreshing.

The main varieties of white tea are Baimudan and Baihao Yinzhen.Why is the white peony crowned with such an elegant name?White peony is famous for its green leaves with a silver-white heart, which looks like a flower. After brewing, the green leaves support the tender buds, just like the first buds, so it is well-known.White peony is made from one bud, one or two leaves of the short buds and leaves of big white tea tree or narcissus species. It is the best product in white tea.The white tea made from the fat buds of the big white tea tree is called "Pekhao Yinzhen", which is named for its white color like silver and needle-like shape.Its fragrance is fresh, the soup color is light yellow, and the taste is fresh and refreshing. It is the best among white teas.The white tea made from the short buds and large white strip leaves of the common shrub tea tree in Fujian tea area is called "tribute tea" and "eyebrow tea".The quality of Gongcha is better than that of Meicha.

White tea, known as a tea treasure, has a long history, and its elegant and fragrant name has appeared for more than 880 years.Song Huizong Zhao Ji wrote "Daguan Tea Theory" in the "Daguan" period of 1107-1110. In the name of the book, there is a section dedicated to white tea: White tea is a kind of tea, which is different from ordinary tea.Its article is explained in detail, its leaves are thin, and they are born by chance between the forest and cliffs, although it is not caused by human power.There are no more than four or five families; the living ones are no more than one or two plants;There are not many sprouts, and it is especially difficult to steam and bake. Once the soup is lost, it has become a regular product.It must be made subtle, and the movement is appropriate, then the exterior and interior are as clear as jade in the rough, and it is incomparable.Light roasting is also available, but the quality is not as good.

The royal tea garden in the Song Dynasty was located in Beiyuan, Jian'an County, Fujian Province, which is now Jian'ou County, Fujian Province. The white tea mentioned in "Daguan Tea Theory" is the wild white tea produced on the Beiyuan Royal Baking Tea Mountain in the early days.Its production method is still steamed and pressed into ball tea, which is different from the current white tea production method.The production of white tea was made into silver needles from tea buds picked in 1769 in the early Jiaqing period of Qing Dynasty. In 1885, Fuding Dabai tea was harvested to make white silver needles.

When did the history of white tea begin?Tea scholars have somewhat different views. Some people think that white tea originated in the Northern Song Dynasty. The main basis is that "white tea" first appeared in "Daguan Tea Theory" and "Dongxi Test Tea Record". There are also those who believe that it began in the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty. Scholars who hold this view mainly distinguish tea from the tea production method, because the production process of white tea only goes through two processes of "withering and drying".Some scholars also believe that the earliest tea in the history of Chinese tea production is not green tea but white tea.The reason is: after the Chinese ancestors first discovered the medicinal value of tea, in order to preserve them for later use, they must dry or roast the fresh tea buds and leaves. This is the birth of "white tea" in the history of Chinese tea.

1.Baihao Yinzhen Baihao Yinzhen, referred to as Yinzhen, also known as Baihao.Because the finished products are mostly bud heads, covered with pekoe, white as silver, and slender as needles, it is named elegant and elegant.Pekoe tea is the best among the only white tea varieties.It is as famous as Junshan Silver Needle, and has been a royal tribute for generations.Produced at the foot of Taimu Mountain in Fuding County, Fujian Province.Located in the mid-subtropical zone, with undulating hills, the climate is mild and humid all year round; the average annual temperature is 18.5°C, and the average annual precipitation is about 1660 mm; the red and yellow soil is fertile, making it suitable for tea.It mainly grows Fuding Dabai tea.After 1796 in the early Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, silver needle pekoe was produced, using the strong buds of the sexual tea tree group vegetable tea as raw materials; from 1885 to 1889, the strong buds of Fuding Dabai and Zhenghe Dabai were used as raw materials, and the raw materials were made of The first batch of fat and strong spring buds that germinate after the table cutting is most ideal.Generally, the fat buds or one bud and one leaf are picked from late March to Qingming Festival, and then the primary processing is carried out.

Production process and tea quality: After the fresh leaves are harvested, fish leaves ① and true leaves ② are generally removed, spread evenly on a water sieve to dry to 80% or 90% dry, and then slowly baked at 30-40°C until fully dry to make raw tea. .Refined process, and then sieve the raw tea with No. 6 and No. 7 sieves. The top of the sieve is high-quality products, and the bottom of the sieve is inferior products. Then, the stems and sundries are carefully sorted out by hand, and they are dried in batches with slow fire until they are fully dry. , Pack it while it is hot to keep the tea fresh and fragrant.Silver needle finished tea has fat buds, covered with white hairs, bright white in color, shining like silver, long and straight, like ribs like needles, the soup color is clear and bright, light apricot yellow, and the fragrance is revealed in the mouth, sweet and fresh.It is cold in nature and has the effects of detoxifying, reducing fever and reducing fire, and is regarded as a good medicine for treating measles.This product has been exported since 1981, and was rated as one of the national famous teas at the National Famous Tea Appraisal Conference held in Changsha in June 1982. In 1986 and 1990, it was appraised as National Famous Tea by the Ministry of Commerce twice.Now exported to Hong Kong, Macao, the United States, Germany and other places.

〔Note〕①Fish leaf: It is named for its leaf shape like fish scales.The veins are hidden but not obvious, the entire leaf margin or the front end has serrations, the leaf tip is blunt or concave, the leaf color is yellow-green, the leaf quality is thick and hard and brittle, generally there is a fish leaf at the base of each branch tip, and there are as many as Two or three pieces or no fish leaves. ②True leaves: their size, color, thickness and shape are different, and vary greatly due to different tea tree varieties, tree age, seasons, ecological environment and tea garden technical management measures.The leaf shapes are round, oval, oblong, oval, obovate, and lanceolate, with oval and oval in the majority.The true leaves are born between the fish leaves and the fresh buds and leaves that can be picked for tea making on the branches of the tea tree.After the first fish leaf unfolds, the leaves that are born one after another are called true leaves, and their number is as many as four to seven.Therefore, when making high-grade fine tea, fish leaves and real leaves should be removed to keep the quality of the tea pure.

2.White peony, white peony, is shaped like a flower with green leaves sandwiched with a silver-white heart. After brewing, the green leaves support the tender buds, just like the first buds, so it is named. Created before 1922 in Shuiji Township, Jianyang County, Fujian Province. In 1922, Zhenghe County also began to produce it, and gradually became the main production area of ​​this product.At present, the production areas are distributed in Zhenghe, Jianyang, Songxi, Fuding and other counties.Its raw materials are made from high-quality tea tree varieties such as Zizhenghe Dabai, Fuding Dabai and Narcissus.

White peony production process and tea quality: The key to its production process is withering, which should be flexibly controlled according to the climate. It is better to use natural withering indoors or double withering in sunny days in spring and autumn or summer without sweltering heat.The refining process is to pick out the stems, slices, wax leaves, red sheets, and dark sheets for baking. It is only suitable to set off the aroma of the tea with the aroma of fire, so as to keep the aroma present and the soup taste fresh and refreshing.When the moisture content is 4-5%, pack it while it is hot.The finished product is fat and strong, the leaves are tender and corrugated, and the leaf margins are curled towards the back of the leaves. The buds and leaves are connected to branches. Clear; the bottom of the leaf is light gray, and the veins are reddish.It is cool in nature and has the effect of reducing fever and fire, making it a good drink in summer.Mainly exported to Hong Kong and Macau.