All admirers of incredible taste and unsurpassed aroma in tea should discover Bilochun tea (green). After Longjing tea, this variety can be safely called the most beloved and used in China. The classic of green tea from the Middle Kingdom in translation sounds like "emerald spirals of spring." Who doesn’t want to enjoy this spring in his bowl - the aroma of the sun and fresh greenery? Bilochun tea, or rather the drink obtained from the leaves, will open your mind to a charge of vivacity, freshness created by the nature of the Celestial Empire, aroma, heady and alluring. True tenderness is hidden in the taste and sensations experienced by the tea-pot tasting this truly magical drink.
Choose top grade
Not everyone reads Chinese characters, but much more people in our country have to drink tea. How to understand what kind of Bilochun tea is in front of you? We look at the size of tea leaves in the package. There are at least seven varieties of this type of tea. A variety is determined by the appearance of the leaf, albeit folded: the more leaves, the lower the grade of dry tea "Bilochun"
To enable fans of ceremonial tea drinking to enjoy the more refined qualities of the finished drink and to renounce everything earthly, only very small (young) leaves and tips (buds) fall into the baskets when collected.
Where does magic tea grow
For many centuries, raw materials for the drink (tea bushes themselves) have been grown in Dongtingshan. Plantations are located in Jiangsu province. The taste and appearance are strongly influenced by the climate of these places. They say about such a climate that it is warm and humid, but not hot and damp - an ideal, golden mean for the growth of Chinese Bilochun tea.
Raw materials are harvested from one of the early March morning hours. Before the April rains came, you need to have time to collect as many tender leaves with white "cilia" -types as possible.
Production Rules and Secrets
Bilochun green tea will get its unique taste and aroma only in one case, when all technological processes, from the collection of leaves to their drying, take place on the same day as the separation of tender leaves from the branches of the tea bush. For this reason, this tea is considered a drink of one day. Thanks to this fast processing, the drink retains many benefits.
Harvesting takes place in the morning, but by noon all leaves with buds should be sorted right there. Not very bright leaves during this procedure are mercilessly deleted. At this point, the collected leaves immediately undergo natural fermentation (they are oxidized by the intervention of oxygen).
To stop the oxidation process, the raw materials are fried in small batches.
Now begins the formation of the very spirals of which "Bilochun" consists. To do this, the leaves gently crumple into lumps and roll them (lumps) many times.
Features of the content of tea leaves before brewing
As you can see, it takes a lot of work so that tea ceremony lovers have the opportunity to enjoy a drink that even emperors once treasured. But to preserve the beneficial properties of Bilochun tea, it is necessary to store dry raw materials at home, based on some rules:
- The safety of tea will be ensured by a ceramic container in which raw materials for brewing the beverage will be stored. Porcelain will also do an excellent job with this important mission.
- The product should not be where other bright odors dominate. Such a mistake will easily deprive Bilochun of its unique delicate aroma.
- The place where the vessel with tea leaves will be located should be dark and cool. Wet places should also be avoided.
Useful properties of Bilochun tea
Like all green teas, it will enrich the body with antioxidants. The drink has a decent dose of vitamins and minerals. Taming the "bad" cholesterol tea "Bilochun" in strength. Phosphorus and calcium help teeth stay strong for a long time. The same goes for bones.
After a cup of a freshly brewed drink, blood circulation improves and vitality increases markedly. It is because of the excellent effect of toning that it is recommended to drink this tea in the morning, or at least in the first half of the day, so that in the evening the surplus of vigor has time to disappear from the body. The drink has a rather noticeable diuretic effect.
Brew "Bilochun" correctly
At the time of preparation of the drink from dry tea "spirals of spring", you must remember the rules that allow you to extract from the leaves all the benefits that they have.
Tea Rules:
- Only soft water is allowed. The heating temperature does not exceed seventy to eighty degrees.
- 2-3 grams of dry tea leaves go for a hundred milliliters of hot water.
- First, boiling water is poured into the teapot, and only then the necessary rate of dry raw material is poured into the water. Tea is immersed in the bowels of the brewing tank and there, at its bottom, begins to open and come to life, giving all the benefits of clean water.
- The kettle should be made of glass, ceramic or porcelain.
- Do not keep the drink in this form for more than 15-18 seconds. For the first moment of brewing, the leaf instantly gives out taste, usefulness and its aroma to the water. You can start tasting. Pour hot water (70-80 degrees), these tea leaves can be six more times. After that, tea ceases to be useful.
The romance of taste
Drink the drink, of course, should be without sugar and other supplements, if you want to catch its real delicate taste. Experts say that the taste of the drink is sweet and delicate, with bursts of fruit aftertaste. Also in the tea there are honey and floral shades.