Shiqian County tea has a long history, according to the "Guizhou Tongzhi" record, Shiqian tea "began in the Tang Dynasty, planting tea, drinking tea throughout the Ming Dynasty, about 100,000 catties of age". Shiqian moss tea, commonly known as moss purple tea, has distinctive taste characteristics, sweet entrance, brewing resistance, tea taste is not reduced, has won the three famous teas in Guizhou, China's well-known trademarks, national geographical indication product protection and other honorary titles, is worthy of the name of "China's moss tea hometown". In the long river of history, the production method of Shiqian moss tea has changed from generation to generation, and now in order to adapt to the industrial development model, most of the tea is processed by machinery, and many old craftsmen still adhere to the traditional handmade tea skills, and it is precisely because of their persistence that the traditional handmade method formed by the fusion of "experience + theory" can be passed down to this day.
Adhere to the ancient method of making good tea and keep the true taste
At present, it is the golden period of picking and processing spring tea, under the traction of this cup of spring tea, the reporter followed the tea fragrance to Wude Town---, the birthplace of Shiqian moss tea, to explore the mystery of the traditional handmade method of Shiqian moss tea, and taste the most beautiful tea fragrance in spring.
Shiqian County Jufeng Township Nail Ping Tea Field. Photo by Wu Jian
Walking into Wude Town, Shiqian County, lush tea plantations can be seen everywhere, in this hot land of tea fragrance, there are generations of hard work of tea people, in the mountains and forests to plant tea, manage tea, pick tea, continue the diligence and wisdom of ancestors. And Wang Fei, the non-genetic inheritor of the provincial handmade tea of Shiqian moss tea handmade method, from the first entry into tea art, to the promotion of tea culture, and then to the journey of accompanying tea for his hometown, white hair slowly climbed on his head.
In Xinhua Village Yizhou Gongcha Co., Ltd., I saw that the yard was full of tea farmers who had just picked back in the morning.
Wang Fei is making traditional handmade tea.
"We make this traditional handmade Mao Feng (tea), the first step after the tea harvest is to wither, withering is generally seven or eight hours at a constant temperature, you see this tea is very soft, that is, let it be dispersed after a part of the water is lost, these (now) can be taken immediately to finish. Shiqian moss tea handmade method, provincial handmade tea intangible inheritor Wang Fei introduced.
After the wilting, the green tea becomes soft and flexible due to oxidation, exuding a faint fragrance, and then the green tea is put into the stir-fried tea pot for stir-frying, so that the water in the green tea is volatilized and locks its freshness, this process is called killing. Wang Fei told reporters that in the process of making tea, the combination of modern tools and traditional handmade tea making methods makes it more convenient to do the work.
In the same way, traditional handmade tea relies on the experience of the craftsman, and the heat in the pot and the best time to serve the tea are all on the hands of the craftsman.
Wang Fei is making traditional handmade tea.
"Before we fry the tea, we should first use this tea oil to moisten the pot, so that it can play a lubricating role, and after moistening, we feel the temperature of the fire, and our hands feel a little hot about 20 cm from the bottom of the pot, and we can make tea. Wang Fei said.
As the temperature increased, the tea leaves in the pot flew in Wang Fei's hands, shaking and shaking, gradually releasing the aroma of tea green. And how to better make the shaped, fragrant, and more Shiqian moss tea is also very important in the control of raw materials. According to Wang Fei, the green tea required to make Maofeng tea is also the key to stimulating the aroma of tea.
"Our traditional handmade process is mainly to make Mao Feng (tea), Mao Feng (tea) tea selection also has requirements, the best is a bud and a leaf, a bud and a leaf to make the tea is aromatic, the second is more, it looks more high-end. Wang Fei told reporters.
Tea farmers in Jufeng Township, Shiqian County.
Picking, withering, killing, and then spreading and cooling, the tea making will come to the kneading link, the green tea leaves are put into the pot and repeatedly stir-fried and rolled, and the green tea is also gradually reduced in the area of the kneading leaves, forming a cord-shaped.
Wang Fei, the inheritor of the provincial handmade tea intangible inheritance of Shiqian moss tea, said: "The traditional handmade Mao Feng, it pays attention to the "three fried and three kneading", in the kneading process, the process is light and heavy, that is, the hand does not leave the tea, the tea does not leave the pot, in the whole process, can not be too strong, too strong then the tea will be crushed, if you say not force, the tea can not be formed, so this "three fried and three kneading" is to make the tea better formed, the tea is lifted. ”
Wang Fei taught the tea pickers hand in hand.
The so-called "three stir-fry and three kneading" is to carry out the initial kneading after the tea leaves are finished and dried, kneaded until the tea leaves are basically stripped, oozing tea juice, and the contents of the tea leaves overflow the surface, and then repeatedly stir-fried, spread and kneaded twice in the pot to fully volatilize the water of the tea green, so that the leaves and buds are compactly wrapped together, so that the tea leaves are better fragrant and shaped.
Handmade tea pays attention to excellence, no matter how famous the mountain, no matter how good the buds and leaves, if there is no good tea-making skills, it is just an ordinary branch of fresh leaves, so in the whole process of hand-made tea, Wang Fei flexibly grasps the key links in each process, especially the strength and temperature in the tea-making process are very strictly controlled, and strive to better show the original taste and charm of ancient tree tea.
After this tea is "fried and kneaded", it is presented as a tight, slightly fine, and relatively complete, you see it one by one, relatively complete. Wang Fei introduced.
In the process of stir-frying, spreading and rolling, Wang Fei also always pays attention to the changes in the shape of the tea, and picks out some impurities and unqualified tea, and does a good job in the stereotype and selection of tea.
Fire pit crockpot to boil tea. Photo by Li Zeyu
"Next we are to roast slowly, the key (is) to master this temperature, hands on the pot do not burn, if the temperature is high, it is easy to bake, the temperature is low, this tea has not been dry, so in the process of roasting, this temperature is very critical. Wang Fei said.
A bud and a leaf are kneaded in a strip. Handmade Maofeng tea, the tea strips are tight and round, the color is emerald green, the tea soup is green and clear, the aroma is long-lasting, showing the original ecological taste and charm.
Ears and eyes are dyed and the tea is accompanied for a lifetime
A small piece of tea, from the tea tree to the cup, the quaint tea craftsmen have gone through dozens of processes to retain the fresh fragrance, and this is also Wang Fei's skills after years of tea processing and condensation.
Xinhua Village, Wude Town, Shiqian County, perennial clouds and mist, high mountain clouds and mist produce good tea, there are many ancient tea trees growing here, and the moss tea culture is profound. The tea garden is also a homeland, in 1967, Wang Fei was born in a tea family, influenced by his ancestors since he was a child, surrounded by his ancestors and fathers.
Shiqian moss tea. Photo by Wu Jian
In the past few decades, Wang Fei has traveled to every tea mountain and tea garden in Xinhua Village, and a piece of tea is not only the cause they are fighting for, but also the hard work of several generations.
"We have been influenced by our parents and in-laws since we were children, and we have watched them make tea since we were children, because our family is the sixth generation inheritor of the traditional handmade skills of Shiqian moss tea. Talking about his tea making career, Wang Fei is like a treasure.
Passing on the torch and keeping the original intention, the same tea rhyme
It is with the unremitting pursuit of the "whole process" of tea making, and the unremitting inheritance and development of the traditional handmade skills of Shiqian moss tea, Wang Fei actively teaches inheritance through centralized training and door-to-door counseling, so that this traditional craft can be carried forward by him, so that more people can make aromatic Shiqian moss tea.
"I have been working on this tea for decades, and I want to pass on this craft to more young people now, so that they can make Shiqian moss tea well, and let our Shiqian moss tea have the original taste to be enjoyed by more guests, and our Shiqian moss tea will float out of Shiqian and overseas. Wang Fei said excitedly.
Villagers in Xinhua Village, Wude Town, Shiqian County, drink tea at home. Photo by Li Zeyu
Today, under Wang Fei's "passing on the belt", the tea planting area of Xinhua Village has reached more than 2,000 acres, and more than 300 villagers in the village have realized the cultivation of tea.
Gong Yanzhen, a villager of Xinhua Village, Wude Town, Shiqian County, said: "We usually say at home that we pick some tea to burn a little fire to fry, and it is still okay to fry some to drink, but it is not possible to sell this like them. ”
As the so-called good mountains and good water produce good tea, the excellent ecological environment of high altitude, low latitude, cloudy fog and low sunshine makes Shiqian moss tea rich in potassium, manganese, zinc, selenium, rubidium and other beneficial trace elements of the human body. In Shiqian, there are many tea gardens like Xinhua Village, Longtang Datun, Jufeng Plateau, Nail Ping, Baisha Yangjiao Mountain, Pingshan Daping...... People all over the country have planted and processed many varieties of tea such as green tea, black tea, white tea, and black tea with their hands, and the tea industry has also become a "rich industry" for the masses.
Shiqian County Jufeng Township Nail Ping Tea Field. Photo by Wu Jian
A few acres of land in the tea garden planted a new world of happiness. In recent years, Shiqian County has closely followed the four business cards of "mountain, water, tea and city", based on the rich endowment of moss tea resources, and focused on the positioning of "ecological moss tea, scientific and technological moss tea, cultural moss tea, and rich people's moss tea", and unswervingly expanded the scale of tea, improved the quality of tea, and strengthened the tea brand. Efforts to promote the quality and upgrading of the tea industry, polish the ecological business card of the tea industry, so that the tea industry brings employment, more and more people rely on the tea industry to stabilize the "tea rice bowl", in Shiqian on the tea mountains, full of tea farmers and tea pickers happy smiles.
At present, Shiqian County has a total area of 436,000 mu of tea gardens, and 337,200 mu of tea gardens have been put into production. The high mountain clouds produce good tea. With the help of more and more tea farmers and groups of traditional craftsmen, Shiqian moss tea has crossed mountains and rivers, crossed rivers and seas and went farther into the world.
Author: Special Reporter Wang Haiyan Yang Jia Text/Picture
Editor: Roth
Second trial: Zeng Jie
Third trial: Xiang Lihua
General Duty: Daniel Zhang