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也談白茶 Talking About Modern White Tea

也談白茶

最近流行飲白茶,更有一年茶、兩年藥、三年寶的說法。我小人之心覺得又是一種市
場推廣的噱頭,因為普洱的價錢已被炒作到高不可攀。情況就有點像翡翠,當翡翠貴
得沒朋友的時候,珠寶商宣傳收藏冰種為時尚。

近日跟茶商老茶友談起白茶這話題;傳統以來福建白茶以飲新茶為貴,因為新製的白茶花
香最可喜。女士們愛白茶一來是花香,二來是美白的功能最顯著。正如其他茶一樣春茶最珍貴。為什麼最近流行把白茶壓制成餅方便收藏呢? 在商言商上架期長嘛?誰願意
產品製成後一兩年便貶值呢。以前到老茶友的店買政和牡丹,一向都是銀光閃閃毛絨
絨的。如今茶商為了迎合潮流,最嫩的葉芽都壓餅去了!害得我最近買的牡丹都是光
禿禿的,少了春天的氣息。

試過了緊壓的白茶餅,可能是加了蒸軟的工序,好像少了鮮,總覺意難平。近日很多普
洱茶農也跟風製白茶。這其實也不新鮮,以往景邁等區也有農户造白茶。風格跟福建
不一樣。我的保山古樹普洱供商嬉嬉仔也為他的VIP貴婦製造白茶。用此區古樹造白,
會否暴殄天物?他坦白的告訴我效果不理想。因為只凋萎和乾燥微發酵這區的茶葉,
做不出牡丹、白巧克力的香與滑。

上星期他寄來了一包茶樣板。標籤上寫着: 一千五百年古樹2020年單株單樅。我不禁
問師姐他在搞什麼鬼?雲南和廣東的混血兒嗎?他回覆:這是揉合了單樅的技術製作
出來的青茶。不管他怎樣鬼扯,純為保持商業秘密。最重要的還是效果。

見它是古樹,便用沸騰水沏之。失敗! 既然稱得上是單樅,我便用高冲細流手法沏
之。呵呵!成功了! 赫然有牡丹丶白蓮丶七里香,鈴蘭,白巧克力的香氣。清甜細滑,結構精巧。比起傳統政和牡丹新茶,少了奔放,卻多骨架,維持了十五泡,工整如初。茶氣神不知鬼不覺, 掠城如火般,始於風池丶入玉枕丶兩肩丶膻中及指縫,第一泡已見功。額前耳後凝珠!

既然我可以推祟莫飛雅丶夏維雅和班威夫這些離經叛道的釀酒師,為什麼要排斥這位
大膽創新的嬉嬉仔? 和師姐細味後,這鬼靈精是用單樅的揉捻手法丶結合白茶的最簡
單乾燥工序而造出白茶的效果。值得向飲家推薦!


獻給我的皮埃蒙特美少婦團友 XJ and JJL

 


Talking About Modern White Tea

White tea has been very popular recently, the saying of “ One year tea, two year medicine and three year precious “ has been spread around the tea maniac circle. Forgive me for being sceptical, I think it is another marketing tactic. It is because the speculation of Puer tea , price becomes unreachable and leaves no margin for tea merchants. So we need to create new needs for collectors so we can have decent margins. It is exactly like the case of the jade market. When the price of green jade sky rocketed to an unaffordable level, merchants started to promote ice jade which price used to be so friendly.


I talked to my old tea merchant friend earlier about the white tea trend. Traditionally white tea should be drunk young because of the distinctive floral note when it is new. Ladies love white tea for the aromas and the remarkable antioxidant effects . Like all other teas, the harvest in the Spring is the most precious. Why it is made as pressed tea cake for ageing ? For commercial reason, it will then have a much longer shelf life. Who can bear a product that depreciates one or two years after the debut.

I used to buy fresh Zhenghe Peony in his shop with shinny silvery hair on the new shoots of leaves. To satisfy new market needs, all the new shoots are taken for pressing tea cake. Now the new loose tea of Peony is hairless. The bouquet of the Spring is missing !

I tried the trendy pressed cake of Fujian white tea. May be it is because of the softening process by steaming before pressing, it seems not so good as the old days loose white tea . Something is missing. Recently , many tea growers of Puer region follow the trend and make white tea as well. It is not unprecedented because the sub region of Jingmai has a history of making Puer white . Their style is different from those in Fujian. On the request of some well off ladies in Beijing, my Puer supplier Hehe also makes white tea. He confessed to me that the result was not satisfactory because by withering and dehydrating the Puer region tea with the least intervention, it did not offer smoothness and aromas of peony and white chocolate that Fujian white tea did.

Last week he sent me a small bag of tea sample. On the label it writes : 1500 Years Ancient Tree Single Arbor Dan Chong. I could not help ask my senior tea buddy what the hell it was, mixed blood of Yunnan and Guangdong ? He told us that it was a fusion of technique of Oolong pale blue tea . Disregard of his blah blah blah to hide his commercial secret, the most important point is the result.

As it says on the label that it is from ancient tree, I brewed it with boiling water for every infusion. Complete futile ! Then I used the skills of brewing blue tea with mild velocity of water flow when pouring. Haha, Bingo ! The aromas of Peony, white Lotus, Orange Jasmine , Lily of valley and white chocolate burst ! It was smooth as cream and delicate as snowflakes. Comparing with the traditional Fujian Zhenghe Peony , it is less punching but with more backbone. After 15 infusions, it was as well structured as the first brew. The tea Qi spread secretly and quickly like forest fire, starting from the Acupoint of bottom of skull, Atlas , shoulders, chest and Sternum then fingers. It is very obvious in the first brew. My forehead and ear back sweated.

When I praise highly the outrageous wine makers Ales Kristancic , Xavier Vignon, Stephane Bannwarth and Luca Caramelino, why shouldn’t I accept Hehe , the young , passionate and innovative tea producer ?

After serious tasting it with my senior tea buddy , we came to a conclusion that Hehe made this tea by rubbing the tea in Oolong style, and withering and dehydrating to the less degree with Fujian white tea style to achieve the effects of traditional white tea. I personally highly recommend this cult tea to all tea lovers.


Dedicated to my beautiful Piemonte Tour Mates XJ and JJL.

 



雲南保山一千五百年單株單樅2020 春茶

每50克 HKD980


Yunnan Baoshan 1500 years Ancient Tree Single Arbor Dan Chong

2020 Spring Harvest Tea

HKD980/50gm


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