What Is Bi Luo Chun Tea ?

Dicotyledonous plant class Camellia, one of the top ten famous teas in China.

Biluochun tea is a traditional Chinese famous tea and one of the top ten famous teas in China. It belongs to the green tea category and has a history of more than 1,000 years. Biluochun is produced in the East Dongting Mountain and West Dongting Mountain (now Wuzhong District, Suzhou) in Taihu Lake, Wu County, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, so it is also called “Dong Ting Biluochun”.
It was listed as a tribute in the Tang Dynasty, and the ancients also called Biluochun “Kung Fu Tea” and “New Blood Tea”. High-grade Biluochun requires 60,000 to 70,000 tea buds for 0.5 kg of dry tea. After frying, the dried tea sticks are tightly knotted, the pekoe is exposed, the color is silver green, the green is attractive, and it is curled into a snail. It is produced in spring, hence the name “Biluochun”. After the tea is brewed, the white clouds roll over in the cup, and the fragrance is striking. It is a famous tea in China. The main process is to fix the green, knead, rub the group to show the centimeter, and fry the green.

The history and origin story of Biluochun tea

Biluochun tea has a history of more than 1,000 years. The local folks first called it Dongting tea, also known as frightening fragrance. Legend has it that a nun went up the mountain for a spring tour and picked a few pieces of tea leaves. After brewing the tea, the aroma was fragrant, and she blurted out “the fragrance is frightening”, so the locals called this tea “frightening fragrance”. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi tasted this famous tea with green soup color and curling like snails when he inspected it. Regarding the origin of this tea name, in addition to the personal gift of Emperor Kangxi when he visited Taihu Lake, there is also a legend that Biluochun had a tea name in the Ming Dynasty. There is also an ingenious explanation. Collected from these characteristics of Biluo Peak, it was named Biluochun. This tea has a long history, and it has become a tribute tea every year during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty.

Dongting Biluochun production area is a famous tea and fruit intercropping area in China. Tea trees and peach, plum, apricot, plum, persimmon, orange, ginkgo, pomegranate, Quancheng red, Quancheng green, and other fruit trees are planted alternately. The tea tree and fruit branches are connected with each other, the roots and veins are connected, the tea absorbs the fruity aroma, and the flower scented tea tastes the natural quality of Biluochun’s flowery and fruity flavor. As stated in “Tea Solution” of the Ming Dynasty: “The tea garden should not be mixed with evil wood, only osmanthus, plum, Xinyi, magnolia, rose, pine, green bamboo and the like are planted in between, which is enough to cover the frost and snow and the autumn. Yang.” Tea trees and fruit trees are planted alternately, making Biluochun tea unique with a natural tea fragrance and fruity flavor and excellent quality. The finished tea has a compact shape, slender strands, tender green and emerald green, fragrant and elegant, fresh and refreshing, the soup color is green and clear, the bottom of the leaves is soft and even, and it is sweet after drinking.
Biluochun tea strips are tightly knotted, curled like a snail, the pekoe are exposed, silvery green is hidden green, the leaf buds are tender, the tea leaves stretch slowly after brewing, fly up and down, the tea is silvery and green, with a fragrant fragrance, cool and sweet taste, fresh and refreshing As early as the late Tang and early Song Dynasty, it was listed as a tribute. Biluochun, named as its tea, is green in color and looks like a spiral. It is produced in early spring.

The origin distribution of Dongting Biluochun tea

Biluochun is produced in Dongting Mountain in the east and Dongting Mountain in the west of Taihu Lake, so it is named Dongting Biluochun. In 2002, it was approved by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China, and obtained the protection of the geographical indication product of origin.
Twelve administrative villages in Xishan Town (now Jinting Town) grow tea. The key tea areas are in Bingchang, Shigongtangli, Dongcun, Yaluli, Donghe, and Yimiao Village, and other villages in Dongcai, Linwu, Tingshan, Jiangdong and Yuanshan are also distributed. The tea garden covers an area of ​​965 hectares. Among the twelve administrative villages in Dongshan Town, the tea areas are mainly distributed in the five villages of Moli, Biluo, Shuangwan, Yangwan and Luxiang in the mountainous area.

The grade standard of Biluochun tea

According to the national standard, Dongting Biluochun tea is divided into five grades: special grade, special grade two, grade one, grade two and grade three, among which special grade one and special grade two are the most valuable. The buds and leaves gradually increase with grades 1 to 7, and the hairs gradually decrease. The temperature of the frying pan, the amount of leaves thrown, and the degree of force increase with the decrease of the level, that is, the lower the level, the higher the temperature of the pan, the more leaves thrown, and the heavier the force when shaping. Biluochun tea is picked around the vernal equinox every year, and ends around the Grain Rain. The quality of Biluochun tea from the spring equinox to Qingming is the best. Usually, one bud and one leaf are used for the beginning of development, and the bud is 1.6-2.0 cm long. Generally, after April 20, the local people will not call it Biluochun, but Chaoqing.
Extra grade: slender cords, curled into snails, covered with hair, silver green and emerald green, fresh in color, tender and fragrant, sweet and refreshing in taste, bright green in soup, tender and even with many buds at the bottom of the leaves. The fresh leaves are selected from Biluochun tea, one bud and one leaf (commonly known as one chess, one xxx bud, like xxx leaf, such as a flag), and it is changed to single bud.
Special Class II: The cord is slender, curled into a snail, covered with hairs, silvery green and emerald green, fragrant and elegant, rich in alcohol, fresh and refreshing, with a long aftertaste. The leaves are tender and even with many buds. The second grade tea is the top grade in Biluochun.

Level 1: The rope is still slender, curled into a snail, and the Pekoe is covered, evenly, tender and fragrant, the taste is fresh and mellow and refreshing, the soup color is green and bright, and the bottom of the leaves is tender, green and bright. It is known as “one tender (bud and leaf) and three freshness” (color, aroma and taste) by picking one bud and one leaf and frying it.
Level 2: Curly like a snail, the pekoe are exposed, silvery green and green, the leaf buds are tender, the tea flavor spreads slowly after brewing, and the tea is clear and green.
Level 3: The cord is slender, curled into a snail, covered with velvety hair, silvery green and emerald green, fragrant and elegant, rich in glycol, fresh and refreshing, and has a long aftertaste. It is the first choice for daily tea in the office and at home.
Special grade: The price of fried green tea is low, and the production period is about April.
First-class fried green tea: The appearance is still snail-like, and the color is dark green. It is still intact, with a little green shell fragments, the taste is still pure, the soup color is yellow-green, the bottom of the leaves is still tender and uneven, slightly green, and the green is slightly darker.

The value function of Biluochun tea

Biluochun is one of the representative products of green tea. According to the research on the health effects of tea in traditional Chinese medicine and modern pharmacology, it is believed that tea is bitter, sweet, cool in nature, and has five channels of human heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney and five meridians. Tea bitterness can purify, dispel dampness, and reduce fire; sweetness can nourish and relieve; coolness can clear away heat and purify fire and relieve the exterior. Tea contains a lot of compounds that are beneficial to human health. Such as: catechins, vitamins C, A, caffeine, flavanols, tea polyphenols, etc.
The efficacy of Biluochun Tea ingredients have various physiological and pharmacological effects on the human body. To sum up, they mainly have the following eight health-care effects:

1. Excitatory effect: The caffeine in tea can excite the central nervous system, help people invigorate the spirit, improve thinking, eliminate fatigue and improve efficiency.
2. Diuretic effect: The caffeine and theophylline in tea have diuretic effect and are used to treat edema and water stagnation. The detoxification and diuretic effects of black tea and sugar water can be used to treat acute jaundice hepatitis.
3. Heart-strengthening and antispasmodic effect: Caffeine has the functions of strengthening the heart, relieving spasm and relaxing smooth muscle, can relieve bronchospasm and promote blood circulation.
4. Inhibition of arteriosclerosis: Tea polyphenols and vitamin C in tea have the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis to prevent arteriosclerosis. Therefore, among people who drink tea regularly, the incidence of hypertension and coronary heart disease is lower.
5. Antibacterial and bacteriostatic effects: Tea polyphenols and tannic acid in tea act on bacteria, and can solidify the protein of bacteria to kill bacteria. It can be used to treat intestinal diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, enteritis, etc. If the skin is sore, festering and pus, the skin is damaged by trauma, and the affected area is washed with strong tea, which has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effects. Oral inflammation, ulceration, and sore throat can also be treated with tea.
6. Anti-caries effect: Tea contains fluorine, fluoride ion has a great affinity with the calcium of teeth, and can become a kind of “fluorapatite” which is more insoluble in acid, just like adding a protective layer to the teeth, Improves the ability of teeth to resist acid and caries.
7. Inhibition of cancer cells: It has been reported that flavonoids in tea have anti-cancer effects in vitro to varying degrees. The stronger ones are vitexin, morin and catechin.
8. Relieve athlete’s foot:
9. Before going to bed every night, take 10 grams of Chinese prickly ash, 10 grams of Biluochun, and 50 ml of mature vinegar, add 2500 ml of water to boil, let it warm and soak your feet for half an hour each time, and then dry your feet with a clean towel. Insist on soaking your feet once a night, and the athlete’s foot will be relieved after a week.

How to store Biluochun tea

The storage conditions of Biluochun are very particular. The traditional storage method is to wrap the tea leaves in paper, pack lime in a bag, place the tea and the ash in a jar at intervals, and seal it with a lid for hygroscopic storage. With the development of science, in previous years, three-layer plastic fresh-keeping bags were also used, which were tightly packed in layers, isolated from the air, and stored in a refrigerator or refrigerator below 10°C. Like new tea, fresh and refreshing.

High-quality Biluochun tea identification method

Look at the appearance and color: the color of Biluochun without pigment is soft and natural, and the color of Biluochun with pigment is bright, green, and has obvious coloring.
Look at the color of the tea soup: After brewing Biluochun with boiling water, the color of the soup without pigments looks clearer, softer and brighter, and the color of the tea soup with pigments is brighter and obviously green.

Appearance characteristics of Biluochun tea

The cords are slender, curly, and spiral-shaped, with hairs all over the body, silver-green in color and emerald green, and the tea buds are tender and complete, without petioles, “pants feet”, yellow leaves and old pieces.

How to brew Biluochun tea

The brewing method of Biluochun has different brewing methods according to different tea qualities:

Tea with a tight and heavy appearance

After the cup is scalded, first pour the water of the appropriate temperature into the cup, then take the tea and put it in without the lid.

After a period of time, the tea soup is cool enough to taste, and you can enjoy the tea. This is a bubble. In the tea evaluation, the temperature for drinking and smelling the tea soup is 45-55 ℃. If it is higher than 60 ℃, the mouth will be hot and the nose will be hot; if it is lower than 40 ℃, the aroma will be lower and the taste will be more astringent. This time is not easy to grasp. If you use a glass cup, generally hold the cup with your hand and feel that the temperature is suitable for drinking immediately; if you use a cover bowl, pour a little tea soup to the back of your hand to check its temperature.

If there is one third of the tea soup left for the first time, you can refill the water. This is the second bubble. If the tea leaves are thin and weak, the second tea soup is strong, the tongue will be sweet after drinking, the teeth and cheeks will be fragrant, and the aftertaste will be immeasurable. After drinking for three brews, the general tea flavor has faded.

Tea from Tiao Suosong Exhibition

After the cup is hot, take the tea into the cup. At this time, the higher cup temperature has faintly baked the tea fragrance.

Pour in water at a suitable temperature to one-third of the cup’s capacity (it can also be less, but it needs to cover the tea leaves). This kind of tea itself is more stretched, and it does not need to use the impulse of water, but it is easy to scald the young leaves. The method adopted is to pour water along the edge of the cup, such as a glass cup, and to cover the bowl with the lid on the side of the teacup, pour the water into the lid and make it go down along the edge of the cup. Then gently shake the teacup to fully soak the tea leaves.

Stop for about two minutes, wait for the dry tea to absorb water and stretch, and then flush until full. Flush as before. At this time, the tea leaves are wandering and dancing, or wandering between the ups and downs, which has a unique tea interest.