Basic Introduction to Guling Tea
Guling Tea is produced in Guling Village, Dongmen Town, Fusui County, Chongzuo City, Guangxi. The village is nestled amidst the mist-shrouded foothills of the Great Ten Thousand Mountains. Guling Tea, produced in Guling Village, Dongmen Town, Fusui County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is located in the mist-enveloped foothills of the Great Ten Thousand Mountains. Guling Tea has the effects of stopping diarrhea, strengthening the stomach, aiding digestion, reducing heat, invigorating the spirit, and eliminating oral odor. It is a natural health product suitable for home and travel. Regular consumption of Guling Tea can enhance appetite, effectively regulate bodily functions, strengthen the body, and delay aging. Guling Tea has a long history of cultivation and a rich cultural background, having once been a tribute item during the Qing Dynasty. Dongmen Town produces 1,500 kilograms of Guling Tea annually.
Nutritional Value
It possesses high health benefits such as cancer prevention, lowering blood lipids and high blood pressure; it aids in digestion, warms the stomach, beautifies the skin, and has astringent properties that help stop diarrhea. It is nourished year-round by beneficial trace elements like potassium, zinc, and selenium, giving it a naturally excellent quality. It has the effects of stopping diarrhea, strengthening the stomach, aiding digestion, reducing heat, invigorating the spirit, and eliminating oral odor.
Product Characteristics
Since Guling Tea is processed by the tea farmers themselves, its appearance may not be very appealing, but its flavor and aroma are abundant, with a pleasant aftertaste that endures through multiple infusions, retaining fragrance even after ten steepings. The leaves of Guling Tea are dark in color and tightly curled; when brewed, the liquor is golden-yellow, clear, and bright; it is robust and pure in taste, smooth on the palate; the cup retains a lingering aroma reminiscent of honey.
Historical Folklore
Guling Tea has a long history of cultivation and was once a tribute item during the Qing Dynasty. Legend has it that one day, an ancestor of the Zhuang people living near Guling suffered from severe abdominal pain and diarrhea, seeking medical help far and wide without improvement. In the dead of night, he had a strange dream where a celestial being pointed him towards a tea tree beside the “Mystery Spring” that could cure his ailment. Upon waking, following the directions in his dream, his family hurriedly picked some young shoots from the spring's side and brewed them into a decoction. As the water boiled, a rich aroma filled the valley and the village, and the weakened ancestor, after drinking a bowl of the tea, soon found his abdominal pain completely alleviated, feeling refreshed and strong enough to rise from his sickbed. Not long after recovering, the ancestor led his clan to relocate to the foot of Guling Mountain. News of the miraculous efficacy of Guling Tea quickly spread throughout the surrounding villages. Since then, the locals have referred to the tea trees as “Fairy Tea” and “Longevity Tea.” Later, to reflect Guling Tea's healing properties, it was renamed “Guling Tea” (meaning: Fairy's Healing Tea). Over time, the villagers named their village Guling and even the mountain itself became known as Guling Mountain, a name still used today.
Tasting and Preparation Methods for Guling Tea
The water temperature for brewing depends primarily on the type of tea being prepared. For high-grade green teas, especially those with delicate buds and leaves (such as famous green teas), boiling water at 100°C should not be used; a temperature around 80°C is more appropriate. The finer and greener the tea leaves, the lower the water temperature should be. This results in a tea liquor that is tender-green in color, fresh and smooth in taste, and with fewer destroyed vitamin C contents. At higher temperatures, the tea liquor tends to turn yellow, tastes more bitter (due to the easy extraction of caffeine in the tea), and has a significant reduction in vitamin C. As commonly said, high water temperatures “overcook” the tea leaves. For brewing various flower teas, black teas, and medium-to-lower grade green teas, boiling water at 100°C is required. If the water temperature is too low, the permeability decreases, resulting in less effective extraction of active ingredients and a bland tea flavor. For brewing Oolong tea, Pu'er tea, and flower teas, where larger quantities of older tea leaves are used, boiling water at 100°C is necessary. Sometimes, to maintain and increase the water temperature, teaware is preheated with boiling water before brewing, and additional boiling water is poured over the teapot afterward. For ethnic minorities drinking brick tea, even higher water temperatures are required. They break the brick tea into pieces and boil it in a pot.