What grade does Zhengshan race belong to? is it high-grade tea? Teaching in the process of making Zhengshan race black tea

What is Zhengshan small tea?

The traditional Zhengshan race comes from Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province, China. Its name has two meanings: "Zhengshan", which in Fuzhou dialect means "smoked variety"-or similar words.

On the other hand, "race" refers to the fourth or fifth leaf of the tea tree used to make it. Some local people also call it "Zhengshan Little Bell".

According to the source, this is the first kind of black tea (we will discuss more in the "History of races of Black Tea" below).

Its characteristic smoky smell is the product of factory workers drying leaves on a pine fire. This quality does surpass that of your cup in the first sip, followed by a noticeable wooden bass.

How is the Zhengshan race made?

Qingqing is of course the first stage, and it is often in the second week of May.

Because of the mild climate of Wuyi Mountain, this kind of tea is later than many other types of tea. Other stages include:

[withering]

There are two methods of tea withering: natural sunlight withering and artificial indoor withering.

The former is to leave the leaves outside and let them wither according to the weather of the day. In the latter, the staff heated the tea in a controlled environment.

[kneading and twisting]

This stage is similar to withering and can be done manually or mechanically. Workers roll, twist, squeeze and eventually shape the leaves, which helps them release enzymes and juices.

The oxidation process is also going smoothly at this point, which plays an important role in the overall characteristics and general situation of Zhengshan race tea.

[oxidative fermentation]

This oxidation process applies to humans and tea. In a broad sense, we experience it through the transfer of oxygen in the body.

As for tea, it refers to the change of leaf structure, that is, the process from green leaf tea to black tea. This applies to both its taste and its color.

[stir-fried]

When the oxidation stops, the workers will put the leaves in a hot iron pot and "burn" it. This is very similar to the method of fried noodles.

However, it is important to note that this stage must occur "later".

In other words, oxidation must take place long enough to make black tea instead of green tea.

[smoking]

As the name implies, this is the most critical stage in the production of Zhengshan race tea.

First, the staff sprinkled the leaves into the bamboo net, then put them in the baking room and dried them on the pine fire.

The history of Zhengshan small tea

We have determined that Zhengshan race tea is the first kind of black tea in the world. But how on earth was it created?

No one knows the exact answer. However, there is a legend about its origin-it can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty in China (1644-1912).

This is a period of domestic unrest, with bandits and hooligans running rampant and looting everywhere.

The story begins with several tea farmers living near Tongmuguan Village. One day, while they were harvesting crops, a group of thugs and villains attacked their land.

The bandits wanted tea and insisted that the farmers harvest the tea until they came back. But farmers are not prepared to give up so easily. However, if they want to get their crops to market, they need to move quickly.

The farmers wanted to leave before the bandits returned, so they used pine fire to dry the leaves to speed up the oxidation. The result is an unquestionably "smoked" tea.

At first, the crops seemed to be destroyed. In spite of this, the farmers persevered and reluctantly packed the goods and prepared them for the market.

To the surprise of the farmers, in the port, a group of Dutch businessmen expressed interest in tasting the place that later became a positive hill.

Everyone stood quietly, waiting for the verdict-the result was very positive. The Dutch really liked this strange, mellow tea and finally bought the whole batch. As a result, the Zhengshan race has become one of the best accidents in the industry.