Last weekend, I went to a friend's house, and my friend said that he wanted to invite us to drink "boiling tea", so I had the preconceived idea of drinking the kind of tea that can be seen everywhere in the streets of Yiyang, mass-producing all the ingredients, adding an appropriate amount to the cup, and when drinking, just add boiled water.
However, seeing that her preparation work is quite meticulous, and it is buying wild vegetables, buying mint, etc., I can't help but wonder, does it need so many ingredients to cook "tea"? After we bought everything, we went back home.
The place where "tea is boiled" is at the "Pin Yun Hui" in the flower world. "Pin Yun Hui" is the name of a friend's shop, and the shop is full of elegant book atmosphere everywhere. Facing you is a porcelain statue of Guan Gong holding a "Green Dragon Crescent Knife" and not being angry with himself, as well as a Han Dynasty pottery figurine. Further inside are some Buddha statues and a variety of antique crafts, giving the illusion of being in a museum. The lights are intense, and the space is virtual in front of the eyes into a tranquil artistic conception like ink and danqing. "Tasting clouds" or "tasting tea" is a little more of the same magic, and tasting tea in such an environment complements each other.
Speaking of tea, its history is already very long, the earliest origin can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, but it was not widely spread until the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. The birthplace is Taoyuan County, Hunan, also known as "Sansheng Soup", and then divergent to six provinces in South China and other places, not "tea" in the traditional sense, closer to "soup". According to the region and ethnic group, it can be divided into two categories: Hakka tea and Hunan tea. The "beating tea" of Yiyang mentioned earlier belongs to Hunan huangcha and has a sweet taste. Today, what I want to drink is Hakka tea with different tastes and methods.
The ingredients for boiling tea are placed in a white dish, peanuts, sesame seeds, mint leaves, mugwort leaves, tea leaves, etc., neatly and delicately spread on the log coffee table, and at the end is a pottery bowl and a nan wood beating. Seeing this, we have understood a few points, and it seems that to boil tea, we must first pour all the materials on the table into the bowl and grind it with the beating. Sister Hua picked up the bowl and told us that if you want to drink the best Hakka tea, grind these materials for at least half an hour, so that the boiled tea can be mellow and flavorful. As soon as this remark came out, the crowd sighed, and it seemed that drinking tea was really not an easy task. Someone asked why the machine is not used to grind the material, which saves time and effort, and the material is more meticulous. Friends said that she also tried to use machines such as juicers and soy milk machines to replace handicrafts, but the tea that was boiled was always not as good as that of handicrafts. She also didn't understand why. I am foolish to think that it may be that the essence of hundreds of years of traditional craftsmanship has been integrated into this square inch of bowling and beating, which cannot be replaced by mechanical instruments.
The grinding process took more than forty minutes, during which the aroma of tea and peanuts and sesame seeds was already scattered in the air, which was fascinating and mouth-watering. It was hard to grind the ingredients, and some of the small dishes that were tasted with tea were also out of the pot. Side dishes do not have a specific category, as you like. Today's boiled is dried radish stir-fried shrimp, rainbow beans, dried beans, wild vegetables, etc., all cut into granules, the most important, of course, is "yin rice".
Friends introduced that the Hakka tea, yin rice does not use glutinous rice to make, just use the rice that is usually eaten, steamed and dried, cooled and divided into granules, and then put into a pot and fried into popcorn. When drinking tea, grab a handful and sprinkle it into the tea, not only the aroma is stronger, but it is also delicious to eat.
Between the words, a pot of tea has been boiled, and the friend finally sprinkled a few pieces of mint leaves, so that the whole pot of tea "color, aroma, taste" is complete, multiplied by a bowl, before the entrance has been fragrant, the whole "Pin Yun Hui" is suddenly wrapped in a rich tea fragrance. The full house of gods and Buddhas seemed to be in spirit, and their eyebrows were flying and dancing, as if they were also looking forward to tasting a piece of the pie.
I couldn't wait to take a sip, and my friend said that if it wasn't for the Hakka, the first time I drank tea, I might be a little unaccustomed. However, I did not have any feeling of discomfort, but felt that the tea taste was very mellow and delicious, and the sweet and slightly astringent taste of tea and mugwort leaves was mixed with the aroma of peanuts, sesame seeds, and yin rice. The side dishes are added to add a richer and more wonderful taste. This is a completely different taste from the Yiyang tea I have drunk before, and the taste in this bowl of Hakka tea is like diving into a sea full of treasures, and the deeper you go, the more surprised you are.
Every diner present was full of praise for the tea in their hands, and it was true that this traditional cooking technique that had been passed down for a long time was really worthy of the name. Friends laughed and said that seeing that you like it so much, those dozens of minutes of hard grinding are finally worth it.
Hakka tea, pure taste, strong aroma, not only can quench thirst, cool and relieve the heat, but also has the function of strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach and nourishing longevity.
In today's world, the pace of people's lives is only faster and faster, so fast that even eating feels like a waste of time. As a result, so many instant noodles, fast food restaurants and other fast food industries came into being. Ask how many people are willing to spend tens of minutes or even more preparing for a meal. But the difference between the two is not distinguished by a simple "nutrition is not nutritious, healthy and unhealthy". Life is short, why don't you and I steal half a day's leisure, calm down with friends and family, savor the fun of making Hakka tea, and savor the traditional craftsmanship and life wisdom mixed in the aroma.
A small bowl of tea, but contains a complex production process and taste, making people long-lasting. I think this is not like our life, full of sour, sweet and bitter spices, only with the right method of blending and grinding, in order to cook the delicious food. Hakka tea is not only tea, but also a clear attitude of respecting tradition and respecting life.