Today's equinox
Spring is bright, and spring is getting stronger
Willows are green, grass grows and warblers fly
The fields and forests are full of poetry
The flowers under the trees are filled with a refreshing fragrance
Wuzhong is full of spring and vitality
Taihu Dongting Mountain is full of new green
Citrus, loquats, bayberry and other fruit trees are lined up
A spring fragrance brushes the tip of your nose with the breeze of the cave garden
Sniff it carefully
It is the people of Suzhou who have been thinking about the aroma of tea for a whole year
『Biluo Chun』
Dongting Mountain Biluo Spring Tea is one of the top ten famous teas in China, formerly known as "scary fragrance", because of its slender cord, curly like a snail, furry covering, silver green hidden green, later renamed "Biluo Chun". This elegant name, which contains the endless spring color of the cave garden, succinctly summarizes the characteristics of this tea, and has been used to this day.
Biluo Chun tea plant adopts tea fruit intercropping planting method, in the mild climate, warm winter and cool summer, rich in products of the east and west mountains of Dongting, tea plants and citrus, bayberry, loquat and other fruit trees planted, tea absorbs fruit aroma, flower pit tea flavor, pregnant Biluo Chun tea special floral and fruity quality, with floral aroma, fruity flavor and tea charm, so Biluo Chun is also known as "tea fairy".
The unique geographical environment and the combination of fruit tea have created Biluochun famous for its beauty, color, aroma and mellow taste.
In 2011, Biluo Chun's production skills were listed as a national intangible cultural heritage; In 2020, Jiangsu Wuzhong Biluo Chun Tea Fruit Complex System was listed as an important agricultural cultural heritage in China. In November 2022, "Traditional Chinese Tea-Making Techniques and Related Customs", including the Biluo Spring Making Technique of Dongting Mountain in Suzhou, was successfully inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The birth of a cup of Biluo Chun tea
01
pluck
Biluo Spring pays attention to picking early and tender, starting around the spring equinox every year and ending around the valley rain, and Biluo Spring before Qingming is the best in tea.
The picking standard of Biluo Chun is one bud and one leaf, about 60,000 tea heads, which is enough to stir-fry one pound of Biluo Chun. If it is a top-level single bud, it will cost 80,000 tea heads to fry a pound of tea. Such time-consuming and laborious shows how precious Biluo Spring Tea is.
Every year during the tea picking season, the local tea pickers in the east and west mountains of Dongting always go up the mountain to pick tea in the morning sun, and the tea leaves picked still carry the morning dew. They had to be busy until two or three o'clock in the afternoon to go down the mountain, and then they went back non-stop to pick tea and roast tea.
02
Picking
The tea leaves that are picked are first spread to dry, also known as "withering". After three to four hours of spreading, the water in the tea leaves is evaporated, bringing out the floral and fruity aroma.
Then, use a bamboo plaque to sift out the "leftovers" from the tea leaves.
After the first sieve of tea, the tea is selected, the "fish leaves" and non-standard bud leaves are removed, and one bud and one leaf are kept uniform, so as to ensure the quality and beauty of the tea leaves when brewing.
03
Stir-fry
Dongting Mountain Biluo Spring Tea maintains the tradition of hand stir-frying, the process is divided into high-temperature killing, hot kneading and forming, kneading the dough, simmering drying and other processes, it is necessary to "hand does not leave the tea, tea does not leave the pot, kneading with stir-frying, stir-frying and kneading, stir-frying and kneading, continuous operation, starting the pot." ”
These processes are done in one go in the same pot, and each step requires a different temperature.
The first step is to finish at high temperature, mainly shaking, stir-frying with both hands, this step needs to be clean, shaken, kill, kill thoroughly, no red stem, no red leaves, no smoked scorched leaves.
After finishing, the second step of hot kneading begins. Alternately using the three techniques of shaking, stir-frying and kneading, the cell wall of the tea leaves is kneaded, the juice overflows, and the tea fragrance is scattered.
When the dryness of the tea leaves reaches six or seven percent, the step of rubbing the dough is turned to show the slightest, which is the key step to make the shape of the tea "curl like a snail, and the fur is covered". While stir-frying, use both hands to knead the tea leaves in the pot into several small balls, shake them from time to time, and repeat them many times. until the tea leaves are curled and unrevealed.
Finally, the simmer is dried so that the tea leaves are about 90% dry before it can be cooked. After coming out of the pot, place the tea leaves on paper to absorb the heat. After further drying and drying, Biluo Chun tea is considered to be made.
With the right temperature and a wonderful technique, the resulting tea leaves can be curled naturally without crumbling, turquoise in color without burning, and covered with white fluff.
04
Tea
The brewing of Biluo Chun, seemingly simple, is actually extremely testing the kung fu of the tea ceremony, each step needs to be strictly controlled, brewing Biluo Chun slightly deviation, easy to make Biluo Chun tea leaves old, tea taste is tasteless.
To brew Biluo Spring Tea, you need to use the "upward casting method". First warm the cup, then fill the cup with 80°C hot water, and finally put the tea leaves into the cup.
A pinch of green Biluo Chun tea leaves were thrown into the cup, slowly sinking and relaxing. The tea leaves picked from the branches seem to be rejuvenated in a cup, with emerald spitting green, and spring dyes the world. Sniff lightly, the fragrance is striking.
The soup in the cup is turquoise and clear, and the bottom of the leaves is tender green and bright. Toast to a slow sip, the fragrance of flowers and fruits is overflowing, the taste is mellow, fresh and sweet, those about the taste of spring in Jiangnan are in this cup of tea.
Spring has sprung
Biluo Spring Tea is in season
A mouthful of blue conch spring
Taste the freshness of spring
Welcome to Wuzhong
Taste this ray of "Gangnam Spring"
(Article source: Wuzhong Taihu Cultural Tourism)