Basic Introduction to Fuling Tea
“Merchants value profits and slight farewells, last month they went to Fuling to buy tea.” More than 1,100 years ago, the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's “Pipa Xing” became widely known, which also brought fame to Fuling tea. It spread the name of Fuling throughout the country and to the world. Through the tireless efforts of many generations, Fuling tea has become renowned far and wide.
Nutritional Value
Through modern scientific separation and identification, there are over 400 organic chemical components and more than 40 inorganic mineral elements in tea. The organic chemical components and inorganic mineral elements in tea contain many nutritional and medicinal components. Organic chemical components mainly include: polyphenols, plant alkaloids, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, pectin, organic acids, lipopolysaccharides, sugars, enzymes, pigments, etc.
Product Characteristics
The shape is flat, long, and upright with a lustrous emerald green color, white down still visible, with a high, concentrated, and lasting fragrance. The infusion is bright, made from one bud and two leaves, with a tender green leaf base, leaving a sweet aftertaste upon drinking.
History and Folklore
Jingdezhen has been famous worldwide for its “porcelain first, tea second” since ancient times. As early as the Tang Dynasty, the brick tea produced in Fuling was extremely popular. According to “The Yuanhe Atlas of Prefectures and Counties,” before the eighth year of the Yuanhe period in the Tang Dynasty, Fuling produced seven million loads of tea each year, taxed at 150,000 strings of cash. Based on the tax, it can be inferred that this accounted for about one-third of the total national tea production at the time. The era when Bai Juyi wrote “Pipa Xing” was a period when the tea trade in Fuling was very prosperous. Therefore, he could write such famous lines as “last month they went to Fuling to buy tea.”
Tasting and Preparation of Fuling Tea
The “Fuling Tea Art” performance is characterized by local features: Qing tea utensils, decanters, teapots, and flower pots are selected. The tea used is Fuling's famous tea, while the water is fresh spring water from the Yao River. Accompanied by gentle bamboo and silk music, the performers dressed in flowing robes step gracefully onto the stage, poised and elegant, like fairies descending from heaven; then they cleanse their hands, wash the utensils, and wipe them dry. Next, they prepare the tea, rinse it, and pour it without looking pleased. After offering the tea, they smell its aroma, observe its color, and slowly sip and savor it.