Tea Cake Tang Dynsty Style – 2022 Handmade Steamed Ming Qian Green Tea Cake

Description

Matching Tea Ceremony Workshop

Origin: Changzhou, Zhejiang Province

Harvest time: 2022 spring before the Qingming Festival (Ming Qian)

Material: tender shoots, handmade

Textual research: Restore according to records, Lu Yu’s the tea making of <Tea Classic>

Total: 8g /cake

Method:

• use 80’C water and covered tea bowl or glass to brew 8-15 times
• With slight orchid aroma, the aroma is clear, the taste is fresh and pure, and the aftertaste is sweet

Introduction:

From the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, tribute tea rose, and the tribute tea Institute, namely the tea factory, was established to organize officials to study tea making technology, so as to promote the continuous reform of tea production. After repeated practice, steamed green tea was invented. That is, the fresh leaves of tea are steamed and crushed, the tea cakes are perforated and dried to remove the green grass smell. But it still has a bitter taste, so it greatly reduces the bitter taste of tea by washing fresh leaves, steaming green, pressing, removing juice and making cakes. The steamed green tea cake making in the Tang Dynasty has been gradually improved. Lu Yu’s the tea making of <Tea Classic>, that is, the complete production process of steamed green tea cake at this time is: steaming tea, breaking pieces, pounding tea, installing mold, pressing, molding, drying tea, perforation, baking, wearing and sealing tea.

As early as 1200 years ago in the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yu, the tea sage, made many investigations and studies in Guzhu mountain tea district of Changxing. He found that the tea was “fragrant and sweet, and it could be recommended in other places”. He also recorded it in the tea classic book as “purple leaf is the best quality, green is the second, shoot is the first, bud is the second”, named “purple bamboo shoots”, and recommended it to the emperor. Purple bamboo tea was listed as a tribute in the Guangde period of the Tang Dynasty (763-764). According to historical records such as the new book of the Tang Dynasty, the tribute tea of the Tang Dynasty was widely distributed. Guzhu purple bamboo tea is the most famous one, which is the best tribute tea. Because of its superior quality, Zisun tea was deeply loved by emperors. Tea Blog

Guzhu mountain area in Changxing is one of the important places where Lu Yu, the tea sage of Tang Dynasty, engaged in tea activities. Here he wrote Guzhu mountain record and the world’s first monograph on tea studies, the book of tea. It is also said that Lu Yu recommended Yangxian (Yixing) purple bamboo shoot tea to the palace after tasting it. Later, because of the large demand for tribute tea in Yixing, it was made by Guzhu in Changxing. With the increase of purple bamboo tea tribute, the first large-scale royal tea factory, Gongcha Yuan, was built in Guzhu mountain. Every year before the Qingming festival, the emperor ordered the governor of the two prefectures of Huchang to make tribute tea, set up banners and curtains in Guzhu mountain, and painted boats all over Taihu Lake. The tea is packed in a silver bottle, and the tribute tea is sent to Chang’an before Grain Rain Festival.

Guzhu purple bamboo tea was consecutively paid tribute for more than 80 years in the Tang Dynasty. Huichangzhong (AD 843) paid tribute to nearly 20000 Jin (10000 kg) of purple bamboo tea. The imperial court erected a stone tablet on the tribute amount. From the Tang Dynasty through the song and Yuan Dynasties to the end of the Ming Dynasty, it paid tribute continuously for 876 years. As a tribute tea, Guzhu purple bamboo shoot tea has the longest history of tribute, the largest scale of production, the largest quantity, the best quality and the longest tribute time. Guzhu purple bamboo shoot tea is the most tribute tea in China.

Purple bamboo tea began trial production in 1979. In 1982, it took part in the national famous tea evaluation for the first time, and won the unanimous praise of experts and famous teachers, and won the national famous tea certificate.

Guzhu mountain, where purple shoot tea grows, is a low hill with gentle slope, rich vegetation, thick soil layer and high content of organic matter, which is suitable for tea growth. Guzhu mountain is in a good microclimate condition, which breeds a thousand year old purple bamboo shoots tea. Purple bamboo shoots tea has excellent endoplasm and unique fragrance. The characteristics of purple bamboo shoots tea are as follows: tender bud leaves, purple bud color, bamboo shoots shape, tightly wrapped, boiling water brewing, fragrant, clear soup color, and orchid shape after tea brewing.