tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15320927961962162042024-02-08T11:04:22.907+08:00TeaA cup of tea for a taste of life...
The main purpose of this blog is to share on the tea knowledge and the benefits of tea. Thank you for your support and comments!Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-23137488925734362152006-12-19T11:36:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:03.991+08:00My Purple Clay YiXing Teapot 宜兴紫砂壶These are the pictures of my 1960's YiXing Teapot which is made of real purple clay.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010077842354943602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeywFN9ezwQqyJ5UOtFFnVZ0Q7jv36hnwfFk4NkWKY9MNwjRLj2mCF-sWKSCcKkriJPFcpWiS7V-Qd9EwxidEJNQNFeWKH74XO8GIN0kEmDSnoudt1BAKP-TQ63rHSINKJWnuOuDECZPVz/s320/DSC02112.jpg" border="0" />The clay of this teapot is fine, and it has not been used yet. It'll look nicer and shinier after being used for a period of time. Will post the pictures again in future.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010077911074420354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwr3Cq9xwErbVELvEAwOKitszxqzD3T72yKFeXFisYxRY7CMVzUZACzIR_A-fxaG_s8ixM_hLcfMx-Dp08Ny1zM5HK5rVEttvWJXdtVaPZ0-rISwevVsaTmDGB6E0Hu6xuc0Xchy17sPC/s320/DSC02113.jpg" border="0" />It's not even my palm size.</div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-38659179421747517802006-12-19T11:15:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:04.139+08:00YiXing Teapots 宜兴壶<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy2Wzh0x5PrPlFc0T8N14EzfFdsmGRfNJmtCYQu7Un2XchWxHNfSwJPKPpzt8BWfUvjNLpePwEXqbSFI8Hg4NCizXWfymYUJCrulzg-x-KwbLX-3YMY5qKATMT4_dL0GK7VxhmDvDn3xW/s1600-h/f106.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010073839445423698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy2Wzh0x5PrPlFc0T8N14EzfFdsmGRfNJmtCYQu7Un2XchWxHNfSwJPKPpzt8BWfUvjNLpePwEXqbSFI8Hg4NCizXWfymYUJCrulzg-x-KwbLX-3YMY5qKATMT4_dL0GK7VxhmDvDn3xW/s320/f106.jpg" border="0" /></a>YiXing 宜兴 (pronounced ee-shing) teapots first appeared during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279) in the YiXing region of China, located in the Jiangsu province, about 120 miles northwest of Shanghai. The Jiangsu province is the world's only source for the unique clay from which YiXing teapots are made, called purple or red clay. YiXing teapots were relatively unknown for many years until the late Ming Dynasty (1600s) when their use and production began to flourish. Demand from Europe and throughout China fueled an active industry in which many artists developed their craft to high levels of mastery. For the next three hundred years, YiXing teapots attained renown throughout China and Europe. Although the Europeans strove to imitate the YiXing teapots, they could not compete with the unique purple clay only found near YiXing, China.<br /><br />PURPLE CLAY 紫砂 (ZISHA)<br />Purple clay's unique properties make it ideal for brewing tea. The quality most immediately apparent is the attractive color of purple clay. This color, sometimes augmented by natural pigments, is never hidden on YiXing teapots by glazes. Similarly, the inside of YiXing teapots are always left uncoated. The porous nature of purple clay absorbs the flavor, smell, and color of the tea that is brewed in it. Over time, YiXing teapots develop a seasoning from repeated use, making the tea brewed from a well used teapot a special treat. For this reason, most people will dedicate a single flavor of tea to a specific YiXing teapot, so that the seasoning is not disrupted by cross-brewing.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Copied from <a href="http://www.yixing.com">www.yixing.com</a> </div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-22396361767142105552006-12-13T10:31:00.000+08:002006-12-13T10:33:55.079+08:00Gargling with tea to avoid flu<div align="justify">Usually spring comes with outbreak of flu. It is reported by People's Daily that according to Japanese investigation, catechins of tea is able to restrain the activity of flu virus. So that keeping on gargling with tea can effectively help people avoid infection of it. </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Flu stems from virus proliferation in nose and throat, on protuberant cells of mucous membranes that may be covered by catechins consisting in tea. Therefore tea acts as a vaccination against flu when used as a mouthwash. In this aspect, green tea has the best effect, said by researchers. We can see clearly in experiment that virus of flu becomes not infectious in 5 seconds when mixed with 4 times diluted solution of ordinary green tea. </div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-86029952508016051842006-12-12T11:48:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:04.414+08:00Herbal Tea- Jiao Gu Lan 绞股兰<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDATwHCyRLrVJeEIuZRgTvnh1l2Tyxhi8qhbikF1Wt7BL8rYglMn12Ug7EzLl3xViVyqebANa5kwUJIa3PpKnpCc4YleoHIjapx3WAOwmqR8n_Nhv5vy_b7GoNJ6Wod1jEetAZeyW4Tg0/s1600-h/jiaogulan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5007483870706283906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDATwHCyRLrVJeEIuZRgTvnh1l2Tyxhi8qhbikF1Wt7BL8rYglMn12Ug7EzLl3xViVyqebANa5kwUJIa3PpKnpCc4YleoHIjapx3WAOwmqR8n_Nhv5vy_b7GoNJ6Wod1jEetAZeyW4Tg0/s320/jiaogulan.jpg" border="0" /></a>I heard about Jiao Gu Lan tea from a friend a few days ago and I did a little finding as below:<br /><br />Jiao Gu Lan 绞股兰 which is also known as Miracle Grass or "Longevity tonic" due to its many health-giving qualities and anti-aging effects. Jiao Gu Lan is indicated for anti-inflammation, detoxification, cough remedy, as an expectorant and as a chronic bronchitis remedy. Other traditional uses as a medicine have been anecdotally said to be for heart palpitation and for fatigue syndromes. </div><div align="justify"><br /><br /> </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrnjKTD3GO1GgnX1TY5tJCqmzv4RhleXLY5oWMRqhyphenhyphenUAUdqsNyiVTXeoHsF_BrsO_5IDO3TtvMO71R2hWnVh-lAke8WYBK7hcO52DsrX4njj8F0FHO2he8LWW8hDODrWY_ED1EQwADfs_/s1600-h/jiao-gu-lan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5007483582943475058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrnjKTD3GO1GgnX1TY5tJCqmzv4RhleXLY5oWMRqhyphenhyphenUAUdqsNyiVTXeoHsF_BrsO_5IDO3TtvMO71R2hWnVh-lAke8WYBK7hcO52DsrX4njj8F0FHO2he8LWW8hDODrWY_ED1EQwADfs_/s320/jiao-gu-lan.jpg" border="0" /></a>Jiao-gu-lan (gynostemma pentaphyllum)</strong><br />This herb, native to the mountainous areas of southern China, Japan and South East Asia is receiving a lot of recognition for its use as an anti-aging tonic and adaptogen. The tasty tea made from the stems and leaves of this herbaceous perennial vine have 4 times more ginseng-like saponins than either American or Asian Ginseng. It has been used in Chinese Medicine to delay the aging process and increase energy.<br />Research in Japan shows that the herb has a powerful effect on numerous body systems. It has been used in Chinese medicine to maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, enhance circulation, increase energy without being over-stimulating, improve focus and memory, support a strong immune system and can increase stamina and endurance for athletes.<br />This vigorous perennial vine is hardy to 10 degrees and can climb 20 to 30 feet in a season. Jiao Gu Lan prefers a moist, partly shaded location and responds well to a fertile garden soil. Quite easy to grow and will produce a large crop to harvest for tea.<br />This is a plant quickly gaining in popularity which is all the more reason to cultivate it in our home herb gardens. </div><div align="justify">Copied from <a href="http://www.medicinalherbplants.com/jiao-gu-lan.html">http://www.medicinalherbplants.com/jiao-gu-lan.html</a> </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="left"><br />Also find out from <a href="http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/DVH/HerbsWho/0,3923,552773Miracle+Grass,00.html">http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/DVH/HerbsWho/0,3923,552773Miracle+Grass,00.html</a> </div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-72292184536896183552006-12-08T15:52:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:04.637+08:00Typical contents of a wrapped Pu'erPu’er tea is specially packaged for ease of trade, identification, and storage.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div align="justify">Typical contents of a wrapped Pu'er:</div><p align="justify"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006061271149814402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIfF-wIsxC5Dj57P-Iay_MZpypPpLsPHGD97LpINoNEEFNOfA0gAv8XOAFkwd0cK-3YtHRlcw-5hDB3uaECsKdbALbZ2jkptE3vFlw3Aj_nQZScY6cnmVvhNu-Wi38v_n4iyxVrEOAnmi/s320/Anatomy.jpg" border="0" />Nèi fēi (内飞): A small ticket originally stuck on the tea cake but now usually embedded into the cake during pressing. It is usually used as proof, or a possible sign, to the authenticity of the tea. Some higher end pu-erh cakes have more than one nèi fēi embedded in the cake. The ticket usually indicates the tea factory and brand.<br />Nèi piào (内票): A larger ticket or flyer packaged loose under the wrapper. Both aid in assuring the identity of the cake. It usually indicates factory and brand. As well, many nèi piào contain a summary of the tea factories' history and any additional laudatory statements concerning the tea, from its taste and rarity, to its ability to cure diseases and affect weight loss.</p><p align="justify">Recently, nèi fēi has become more important in identifying and preventing counterfeits. Menghai Tea Factory in particular has begun microprinting and embossing their tickets in an effort to curb the growth of counterfeit teas found the the marketplace in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some nèi fēi also include vintage year and are production-specific to help identify the cake and prevent counterfeiting through a surfeit of different brand labels. </p><p align="justify"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006077415931880162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaFIc2S51tqqqGYrQgPwzKF0izq_Zrqb0m5waJ_QMAlKoHxe5RtYhx68ieywQLamgrGIVerYi2F7XAmfP6P3w4J9pLh62VPJPo7ChGzCDprsp0I72EAp5q-oQxBRWu9UMhMbbFJrsrNWB/s320/How_to_check_the_Anti-fake_Label.jpg" border="0" /></p></div></div></div></div></div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-55728369821806037712006-12-08T14:56:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:06.193+08:00Pictures of Ancient Tea-Horse RoadThese are some of the pictures related to Ancient Tea-Horse Road I have copied from Internet:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q3BYJQVoWFIZqaThY0cmI4R5jwAs6dyyKv_jSeiWTW8xZF8DrxQGisXAcWjXUDH0kpsvG7ipg_stFZM1EZ_N5jjpCvwnEgeaBAPfxbhciI7wZF7agpPy7STJ4gR1-9X1Jfyx-tfOq9YJ/s1600-h/CMGD12.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006048240219038306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q3BYJQVoWFIZqaThY0cmI4R5jwAs6dyyKv_jSeiWTW8xZF8DrxQGisXAcWjXUDH0kpsvG7ipg_stFZM1EZ_N5jjpCvwnEgeaBAPfxbhciI7wZF7agpPy7STJ4gR1-9X1Jfyx-tfOq9YJ/s320/CMGD12.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthJGEDsMSzOQeziDonMota_nPwg3vh8CTfw9OiouBmh77-G5c_cb8ltEcDMBl3R9RM2PqoYh6791z6Mss01k__7igbq_wdldMHUlWsbxIPw1MuwOirNWU_M0X2oXBS7fo-qnFOdoygo02/s1600-h/CMGD11.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006048055535444562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthJGEDsMSzOQeziDonMota_nPwg3vh8CTfw9OiouBmh77-G5c_cb8ltEcDMBl3R9RM2PqoYh6791z6Mss01k__7igbq_wdldMHUlWsbxIPw1MuwOirNWU_M0X2oXBS7fo-qnFOdoygo02/s320/CMGD11.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8u6J6mMeRw-sZrJBCiL2z2aM-mXcXVtCUnSX_cjMVR-ScJHhrOG3SqYwrk9uGV5rr219YWqtZDk7oqY3uhMtykfW-98wSxGnsIntOP6xX8Qa6xmo9LpNEk1FB41im52TGbNG2XfmVwHv/s1600-h/CMGD6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006047376930611698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8u6J6mMeRw-sZrJBCiL2z2aM-mXcXVtCUnSX_cjMVR-ScJHhrOG3SqYwrk9uGV5rr219YWqtZDk7oqY3uhMtykfW-98wSxGnsIntOP6xX8Qa6xmo9LpNEk1FB41im52TGbNG2XfmVwHv/s320/CMGD6.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_S8i5T9GqusNc_WLHPqpYjr4b9t9rhS9Apl2H_z_qD_z5KQR_IsZSW-VzPBx7YWCKgEu3JrpVGVAZAMsUs8G032YNa8_3j1Rt_aFuzOXF2DD6QkKZJk0LySZVzwR_wHUfSPE95BWMyM95/s1600-h/CMGD10.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeX0-rX-b4zU9bOCQwV5dI1sEyLuspbctsTSjafF902QsIPw39buC36hcilflt2BhCh2akbV5jwib6llph-1qdPCMRLno2mwN0HaYiiZzSEmn-mroJ-Wpt5npfjarDYD1gRW7hyprpvJd/s1600-h/CMGD9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006047651808518690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeX0-rX-b4zU9bOCQwV5dI1sEyLuspbctsTSjafF902QsIPw39buC36hcilflt2BhCh2akbV5jwib6llph-1qdPCMRLno2mwN0HaYiiZzSEmn-mroJ-Wpt5npfjarDYD1gRW7hyprpvJd/s320/CMGD9.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzurRRGiP72EoEvfz_yjIH0SIsBs3ED5dpxLmQybLB7VngxKVxFqho4KYYweH2-XU5RV7d6Sl9Og_MyPf0hhRLGAWhgsdHZeoWHbHOrYj_QAFdIk4uTBM5cuiUE2LI7kxAyDWw26ONLgI/s1600-h/CMGD8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006047535844401682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzurRRGiP72EoEvfz_yjIH0SIsBs3ED5dpxLmQybLB7VngxKVxFqho4KYYweH2-XU5RV7d6Sl9Og_MyPf0hhRLGAWhgsdHZeoWHbHOrYj_QAFdIk4uTBM5cuiUE2LI7kxAyDWw26ONLgI/s320/CMGD8.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9g04mMZonnkGHaUgoY640orX0J2SkwPdvl7gosLwJiXVz_epQpht14vLUsC-vcwcUAXIatcbeqM47xMZuJoDChKuOtA5cB5_BRsEZdJzamDpVTf_ITT1o5xeUc3Lx982RZglot4XCbHFK/s1600-h/CMGD10.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006047961046164034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9g04mMZonnkGHaUgoY640orX0J2SkwPdvl7gosLwJiXVz_epQpht14vLUsC-vcwcUAXIatcbeqM47xMZuJoDChKuOtA5cB5_BRsEZdJzamDpVTf_ITT1o5xeUc3Lx982RZglot4XCbHFK/s320/CMGD10.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VVraYugwhe2MMcsSTFBU21QBNSLAIRgahCwPc3zB28Q5xgQqu4bK_zktB0GUgV_cGf-PuO7roQ0aYEAJmVAb4192G1mvM0DlFs7N9EiF0CDyipc3vgnWg6U381ueDLbTrgMn3ujoNiMf/s1600-h/CMGD5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006047303916167650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VVraYugwhe2MMcsSTFBU21QBNSLAIRgahCwPc3zB28Q5xgQqu4bK_zktB0GUgV_cGf-PuO7roQ0aYEAJmVAb4192G1mvM0DlFs7N9EiF0CDyipc3vgnWg6U381ueDLbTrgMn3ujoNiMf/s320/CMGD5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG81N3_ogztuXyiOG5svt-U5H-KZG5t7Q5ikG7lq7ShJjTn6SzHt1zbz_A12vxEexUlcdmDYXU7oD3DRkEVhTa8i6oKlubyTyIYxH0wYFE8wAwvpnaFy8ZRFla9gUarSWI7oY7ps5cMXGc/s1600-h/CMGD7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006047467124924930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG81N3_ogztuXyiOG5svt-U5H-KZG5t7Q5ikG7lq7ShJjTn6SzHt1zbz_A12vxEexUlcdmDYXU7oD3DRkEVhTa8i6oKlubyTyIYxH0wYFE8wAwvpnaFy8ZRFla9gUarSWI7oY7ps5cMXGc/s320/CMGD7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcWZ0R9AQ5D_hcbCfjyAJ63I1mIDAkXiolLeTP8ggNhkE3BHY1oR1cPCnw8H4tXK0WyUqvCaXlzJPEuR0fi6H2qqXErBYbj4m3rT89unGW_sXhYdPAbaEwbOVGGss76BNT0-Uv3YZcdtl/s1600-h/CMGD3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006047132117475778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcWZ0R9AQ5D_hcbCfjyAJ63I1mIDAkXiolLeTP8ggNhkE3BHY1oR1cPCnw8H4tXK0WyUqvCaXlzJPEuR0fi6H2qqXErBYbj4m3rT89unGW_sXhYdPAbaEwbOVGGss76BNT0-Uv3YZcdtl/s320/CMGD3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKZPF_Q0LSTxfhAmwQKnHZ83vfResI5WBWAgC0HJE6Ej9Yhn8H_V1PkOdQD1BhyphenhyphenxmO5vkIaytMDLaiXm1PXtClLQ2aAHGWmXmeuz_ys1rKeq44lC6fVyby2EsY78KQFjSjQRr1cot1Fqb/s1600-h/CMGD2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006046981793620402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKZPF_Q0LSTxfhAmwQKnHZ83vfResI5WBWAgC0HJE6Ej9Yhn8H_V1PkOdQD1BhyphenhyphenxmO5vkIaytMDLaiXm1PXtClLQ2aAHGWmXmeuz_ys1rKeq44lC6fVyby2EsY78KQFjSjQRr1cot1Fqb/s320/CMGD2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i1-2ssahUxSe38K40GrVr8wE0txD_qv42tLUUo8lfmzkuvbhi165TAQJPDs9jscS0K_2VFaeOd7SleQQSL5i1tS4phhkNQ6hhERWEsJctxEo4LabvUokr2jAEs1fT3NlvOR8hX919LNs/s1600-h/CMGD4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006047226606756306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i1-2ssahUxSe38K40GrVr8wE0txD_qv42tLUUo8lfmzkuvbhi165TAQJPDs9jscS0K_2VFaeOd7SleQQSL5i1tS4phhkNQ6hhERWEsJctxEo4LabvUokr2jAEs1fT3NlvOR8hX919LNs/s320/CMGD4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3IPJDZankM1vXxH1_QzpYYcGNGIpfQU3c8nnbrfWHeQcUD7Ncx6WjZiPLvhOhfjAWMi83v4i19yYFrhSEcSLsZ4kQTJL4QJeaAMdCFJt_v1Xi-5WwFangbyn7cRoJQsQ_TPX6W7OfS1F/s1600-h/CMGD1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006046689735844258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3IPJDZankM1vXxH1_QzpYYcGNGIpfQU3c8nnbrfWHeQcUD7Ncx6WjZiPLvhOhfjAWMi83v4i19yYFrhSEcSLsZ4kQTJL4QJeaAMdCFJt_v1Xi-5WwFangbyn7cRoJQsQ_TPX6W7OfS1F/s320/CMGD1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div><div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-54527910538470751862006-12-08T11:22:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:06.280+08:00Six Major Routes of Ancient Tea-Horse Road<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlrw-2k8DjkK_E4FFZoAx7-aPafpoJPy9aBR0_aug5i4M2rUqDLvcDhqfUm0Fk7rpavVubxGQti2jDm8SD9ieNdUc-m3j6V9HELyR4_qZXePm81I9175YXL_aM_u02wu4148It3QKDvqa/s1600-h/ancient_tea_horse_road.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005993122903728530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="249" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlrw-2k8DjkK_E4FFZoAx7-aPafpoJPy9aBR0_aug5i4M2rUqDLvcDhqfUm0Fk7rpavVubxGQti2jDm8SD9ieNdUc-m3j6V9HELyR4_qZXePm81I9175YXL_aM_u02wu4148It3QKDvqa/s320/ancient_tea_horse_road.jpg" width="260" border="0" /></a>A Chinese expert researching the Ancient Tea-Horse Road recently found a complete map of the road drawn more than 150 years ago by a French missionary. The map reveals that the road traversed a series of towering mountains, with rivers flowing in between from the south to the north. There were six main routes:<br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong>Route One</strong>: Begins in Xishuangbanna and Simao, home of Pu-erh tea via Kunming to other Province in China into Beijing.<br /></div><div align="justify"><strong><br />Route Two</strong>: Begins in Pu-erh (via Simao, Jinhong, Menghai to Daluo) in Yunnan Province into Burma, then from Burma into Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hongkong.<br /></div><div align="justify"><strong><br />Route Three</strong>: Begins in Pu-erh via Xiaguan, Lijiang, Zhongdian into Tibet, then from Lhasa into Nepal and India.<br /></div><div align="justify"><strong><br />Route Four</strong>: Begins in Pu-erh via Jiangcheng in Yunnan into Vietman, then from Vietman into Tibet and Europe.<br /></div><div align="justify"><strong><br />Route Five</strong>: Begins in Pu-erh via Simao, Lanchang, Menglian in Yunnan into Burma.<br /></div><div align="justify"><strong><br />Route Six</strong>: Begins in Pu-erh via Mengla in Yunnan into Burma.<br /></div><div align="justify"><br />Tens of thousands of traveling horses and yaks created a definite path with their hoofs on the once-indiscernible road. Today, although even such traces of the ancient road are fading away, its cultural and historic values remain.</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br />Copied from <a href="http://tuochatea.com/ancientteahorseroad.htm">http://tuochatea.com/ancientteahorseroad.htm</a> </div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-34737230440778327142006-12-08T10:53:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:06.327+08:00Ancient Tea-Horse Road 茶马古道<div align="justify"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005984477134561666" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzhpQFg5Y3H_IXiQh5h0q0mLmuDG0_GRakHdnw9pca-KuL_1yGFrOSPKKatfNiGVV4x_mQvtjNPXFWVWMtzPZ7UVcIqM_RTQrN-cJYN2ImG6-slpr1X7w0Zrah7hI5uNJwcdXZ7S51m6F/s320/t_fig1.gif" border="0" />The name of the road (Chamadao 茶马道 in the Chinese records meaning “the tea and horse road”) indicates its importance in the trade of tea and horses, but other products passed along it as well. One can trace the history of the Tea and Horse Road back to the period of the Tang dynasty (618-907) and Tibetan regime. Tea was introduced to the Tibetan area during the Tang dynasty.<br /><br />The Tibetan people had been in close communication with the Tang and the various ethnic groups of southwest China for a long time; so it is very likely that the tea of Sichuan and Yunnan had already reached Tibet. As early as the seventh century Tibetan military power had conquered the ethnic tribes scattered in the present areas of Lijiang 丽江 and Dali at Yunnan, and also had established a military administration in northwest Yunnan. The military route used by the Tibetans to reach Yunnan was closely related to the contemporary tea and horse route. Yunnan is one of the places where tea plants are native. Since 1949 scientists have found many wild and cultivated tea trees that are more than a thousand years old in the Nannuo Mountains and Bada Mountains of Menghai County as well as Yiwu Mountains and Xiangming Mountains of Mengla County, Xishuangbanna 西双版纳. The local people call these ancient tea trees the “Tea Tree Kings.”<br /><br />The development of large-scale commerce in tea and horses between the Chinese dynasties and Tibet and the development of the caravan road for the tea and horse trade probably dates to the Song dynasty (960-1279). During that period, the demand for tea would have gradually increased as tea became an important drink in the daily life of the Tibetans. The Song court then started to be involved in the shipping of tea to Tibet. The Song required a large number of warhorses from Tibet to defend against the invading northern nomadic Liao, Jin and Xixia. The court established the Chamasi [Ch’a-ma ssu] , Tea and Horse Office, in charge of the tea and horse trade in the seventh year of Xining (1074) and also set up many markets for selling tea and buying horses in Northwest China.1 Every year the government transported huge amounts of tea, obtained mainly from Yunnan and Sichuan, to exchange for warhorses with the Tibetan tribes. According to one study, more than 20,000 warhorses per year were exchanged for tea during the Northern Song (960-1127) dynasty. Of the total annual output of tea in Sichuan, 30,000,000 Jin or 15,000,000 kilograms, at least half was sold to Tibet.</div><div align="justify"><br />The Yüan dynasty (1271-1368) also paid great attention to the trade of tea to Tibet and established the Xifanchatijusi, meaning the bureau in charge of tea trade to Tibet. At first, tea was sold through the government bureau, but later it gradually was handled by individual traders. The most prosperous period for the tea and horse trade between Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet was under the Ming dynasty (1369-1644). The Ming court established the office of Chakesi [Ch’a-k’o ssu], the bureau in charge of tea and horse trade. The quality of the horses offered to the court by the Tibetans as “tribute” determined the quality of the tea. Given the importance of tea in the daily life of the Tibetans, the Ming court was able to use the tea trade as a means of maintaining some political control over the Tibetan leaders and lamas.</div><div align="justify"><br />During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), the tea trade between Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet continued to develop. Although the court stopped buying horses from the Tibetan area in 1735, it eased the restrictions on the tea trade, and huge amounts of tea were exported there. In 1661, the fifth Dalai Lama asked the Qing court to set up a large market for the tea and horse trade in Beisheng (present Yong-sheng, Yunnan), and his request was approved by the central court. From that time there was a rapid increase in the amount of Yunnan tea transported to Tibet along the Tea and Horse Road. In just one year, 1661, 30,000 dan or 1,500,000 kg of Yunnan tea were sent to Tibet. Tea also served as an important gift from the Qing court to the Tibetan elite: for example, the court allocated 5000 jin (2500 kg) to the Dalai Lama and 2500 jin to the Panchan Lama each year. During the Republic Period (1911-1949), although the Chinese government did not play an important role in the tea trade, it continued to prosper in the hands of private traders who still traveled along the ancient Tea and Horse Road.</div><div align="justify"><br />During World War II, especially in 1942 when the coastal cities of China and Burma were occupied by the Japanese army, blocking any remaining highways for international trade, the Tea and Horse Caravan Road became a significant transportation link supplying inland China from India. According to one source, more than 25,000 horses and mules were used and more than 1200 trading firms were to be found along the road. </div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-74604278911400420672006-12-07T11:23:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:07.463+08:00Pu'er Tea in different shapes<table><tbody><tr><td><p align="justify"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005625331969269986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMSgjKbREGMoZqvLoLJ6Ox5nJGG8xazK8L9KIjtKZSeOf5mI6GxiZHHc71uxfAmVAM35VIhGiVMX2JI2S26lKVJxUZSgdOMgtDpSUjSysY4FhkKxUzFzri-sBI45vdWyAQs8gkCm9yvBM/s320/gold_bud_beeng_cha_1.jpg" border="0" />Size ranges from as small as 100g to as large as 5000g or more, with 357g, 400g, and 500g being the most common. Depending on the pressing method, the edge of the disk can be rounded or perpendicular.<br /></p></td></tr><p align="justify"><p align="justify"></p><tr><td><p align="justify"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005626302631878946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-pfveeTGMONW-uv-_Ixor4e8BvV0nQqCu550ByeKLGsFu4gz3hYfaJETiPG_hXGrcNhLScpoSeUdk65Aiqup38ZuCbwTrgI_dZmPWA9e2RmoVQcICSVRhM9GWI6Lgnkg2uf6iIbC2Pvh/s320/4g_pu-erh_tuocha_1.jpg" border="0" />A convex knob shaped tea. Size ranges from 7g to 3000g or more, with 100g, 250g, 500g being the most common. It the name for tuocha is believed to have originated from either the round top-like shape of the tea brick or from the old tea shipping and trading route of the Tuojiang River. In ancient times, tuocha cakes had holes through the center so that they could be tied together on a rope for easy transport.<br /></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="justify"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005625770055934210" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ5h3TII5zPx1Z9VcnTPeRr4fdpgbZdZ_zWaOsLx2ejwzyBXzvctYGLesLglQ-9W4zJNYahXkff_Y9C01f9i5im_paTThSwFaOjBfgoFk1b-3ybWn43GQMGPSVYcKVTAV3_5QEb5PZvLm/s320/yunnan_pu-erh_brick_1.jpg" border="0" />A thick rectangular block of tea, usually in 100g, 250g, 500g, and 1000g sizes. Zhuancha bricks are the traditional shape that was used for ease of transport along the Ancient tea route in horse caravans.<br /></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="justify"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005627316244160834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehbGSLQ6vAhxbPl9NrV9G9H2SOmCbypCzzcOVCzCeRg-A4eo0yM8J-XFUnVPTOPIo1p6VfXKY9ZVbgbqAWoGlLtLrIr-fo2132FGQRNG7PvJRsEjDRZ0L2g-eICbFxjAHYHCQ4lindSVj/s320/high_plateau_pu-erh_1.jpg" border="0" />A flat square of tea, usually in 100g or 200g sizes. Often contain words that are pressed into the square.<br /></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="justify"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005627595417035090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuwxDvp6KGdGQ8RV_AdnrkDqal5OkfbZGqCZ7EuMrYoJWjZfx0KOcnVC6FjN9xu_4woG9jnRVYBAzrue_Hf25xS6NznbzL9S3zaRy__-WWruELlnV_mndl4HGafzMpRzVlhNs-dv_xmC9/s320/xiaguan_baoyan_jincha_1.jpg" border="0" />Literally meaning "tight tea," the tea is shaped much like a túo, but with a stem rather than convex hollow, quite similar in form to a mushroom. This shape is generally produced for Tibetan consumption, and is usually 250g or 300g.<br /></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="justify"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005652463277678962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoGO1Xjlvr5_7cS929MjX8YFcS7DQtS8Y_Srneo3FU4yR0zvWhlhEb_IjyupTNPzOY_jp49_gcJ4Iafw0HwRBacwGhD8w-Odh4ljAvjUVhOA9G56Qv8qUhaAhA7ngRMJOY5XIs0REqB_Z/s320/150px-Golden_melon.jpg" border="0" />A shape similar to túochá, but larger in size with a much thicker body that is decorated with pumpkin-like "stripes". This shape was created for the famous Tribute Tea that was made expressly for the Qing Dynasty Emperors from the best tea leaves of Yiwu Mountain.<br /></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="justify"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005625993394233618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZUACYNcdLHxnG-03sqTKH7FpejQJfQksA8Eg2VmfY2zgDXXAVwBT3LELUQQ5URzMHN8RtOoXgTnNHZKCWeXb_6mTSLMM2TvfGFigJ_mQAzDw1A_48I6n07QsBPPvis5YWse3Lr1R_vpB/s320/yunnan_pu-erh_1.jpg" border="0" />Loose Leaf Pu'er<br /></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="justify"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005629227504607586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimsMokaOyGr0keD-OhiDundN_RJpNjHnvqKSsK_dZz8qXe0nEaj_HbDHyBnTXl9HNqFTcYJFeE3HAQkWBT9XSvH4F3ig43dGdwLw6c2VEyEWDnWaZIn2MgRnfRhyy40gWBvxZb5EW2Lya/s320/bamaoo_pu-erh_1.jpg" border="0" />Pu'er Bamboo Tea<br /></p></td></tr><p align="justify"></p></tbody></table>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-73603858639108290722006-12-06T11:50:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:07.872+08:00Pu'er Tea 普洱茶<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimFddYm35_FiT_Zs2XYJaQ-QfOreDN47ED7ZSiapS2lBcREtA6wfURtKbAdtkqDCNkSc-4yu92QSQ_fC9Dyq1WgGjpxYxba8QUMVCiQkGphhQQodsMu9hL5UuYi2r66RKgu08xX2EHOfu/s1600-h/7572.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005257226721175266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimFddYm35_FiT_Zs2XYJaQ-QfOreDN47ED7ZSiapS2lBcREtA6wfURtKbAdtkqDCNkSc-4yu92QSQ_fC9Dyq1WgGjpxYxba8QUMVCiQkGphhQQodsMu9hL5UuYi2r66RKgu08xX2EHOfu/s320/7572.jpg" border="0" /></a>As all the tea leaves originated, Pu'er 普洱 also comes from the same tea plant which is Camellia Sinensis. It is an ancient and classic tea which is a favorite of a lot of people from south west of China and is highly respected by the whole nation in recent years. The processes that go into making the classic pu'er tea are strictly guarded secrets for centuries. It is an after fermented tea which is compressed into hard cakes or bricks for delivery, storing purpose in the ancient times and is a kind of tea which the value goes up along with its aging. Pu'er can be drunk immediately or aged for many years. As such, Pu'er teas are often now classified by "year" and "region" of production much like wine vintage. The longer Pu'er aged the better the taste and quality of the tea becomes. Years and years of fermentation endues the Pu'er tea with silky mouth feel and very typical mellow aroma.<br /><a title="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/茶 wiktionary:茶" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/è¶"></a><br />All types of Pu'er tea are created from maocha(毛 茶), a mostly unoxidized green tea processed from a "large leaf" variety of Camellia Sinensis found in the mountains of southern Yunnan. Maocha can undergo "ripening" for several months prior to being compressed to produce ripened Pu'er, or be directly compressed to produce raw Pu'er. Raw Pu'er tea (生 茶 or 青 茶), also known as "uncooked Pu'er " or "green Pu'er," is simply maocha(毛 茶) tea leaves that have been compressed into its final form without additional processing. Ripened Pu'er tea (熟 茶) is pressed maocha specially processed to imitate aged raw Pu'er. Although it is more common known as "cooked Pu'er," the process does not actually employ cooking to imitate the aging process.<br /></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpehJ0eVKtMW2RZzdrpYSdYLh-f6zDt72lkDJd97l86SwNsh2eCCFNcfigKA_844taGezZILktPhzkCfrHBlDndHgta_NjEX4o_yVZhwL4P3TIajTmS9i7g-wXmGpQkYtPVARlK9_g_qp/s1600-h/150px-P1080401-Detail.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005257518778951410" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpehJ0eVKtMW2RZzdrpYSdYLh-f6zDt72lkDJd97l86SwNsh2eCCFNcfigKA_844taGezZILktPhzkCfrHBlDndHgta_NjEX4o_yVZhwL4P3TIajTmS9i7g-wXmGpQkYtPVARlK9_g_qp/s320/150px-P1080401-Detail.jpg" border="0" /></a>Raw/ Green Pu'er 青普洱</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RVVY9btLRs_o8GDDGdAbeknhi43ERz_Qu1apvsAs-9P4aYtzbxPcuUoovbCBK1IWAigEU6IhZatysPoTEgpLyZ1zuoupY8n-VGu3-LUIXf5CZed6H5grhSpUpdQjihvqz60PndY6CvH-/s1600-h/150px-Shu_puer_with_neifei-Detail.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005258588225808130" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RVVY9btLRs_o8GDDGdAbeknhi43ERz_Qu1apvsAs-9P4aYtzbxPcuUoovbCBK1IWAigEU6IhZatysPoTEgpLyZ1zuoupY8n-VGu3-LUIXf5CZed6H5grhSpUpdQjihvqz60PndY6CvH-/s320/150px-Shu_puer_with_neifei-Detail.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ripened Pu'er 熟普洱 </div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-58636448547237162472006-12-05T11:35:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:08.064+08:00Green Tea Benefits<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004883775019820722" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 190px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 135px" height="142" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbF4bZCn7yskMbtaFBnj7kwa1g5R23286znmRr8f4sJiZA4CmFdz5QYZacIBSe2v10FzgoIamh_Nws7Un_fbicWAA1rsmrZ_V03ax4HM08G5TppQFInVOtST5lSvzERB9MMV3MG5EZQXI/s320/tea_green01.gif" width="192" border="0" />Green Tea is the well-known “wonder drug” known to give its drinkers a host of health benefits. Among the most widely held beliefs are the following:<br /><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong>Green Tea Benefit 1:</strong> Green Tea Lowers the Risk of Cancer. </div><div align="justify">Many studies have shown that people who drink green tea have significantly lower risk of cancer. Green Tea polyphenols are potent antioxidants, especially in the brain. Some studies show that the polyphenols most prevalent in green tea, the catechins, are far more potent in suppressing free radicals than vitamins C or E.<br />The ability of green tea to prevent cancer is so well established that new studies are testing green tea as a potential cancer therapy. Green tea may be especially protective against lung cancer in former and current cigarette smokers.<br />Green tea has been shown to counteract both the initiation and promotion of carcinogenesis. Some studies have shown that green tea blocks the formation of certain tumors. If green tea's only benefit were to reduce the risk of cancer, it would be well worth taking as a beverage or supplement.</div><div align="justify"><br /><a name="cholesterol"></a><strong>Green Tea Benefit 2:</strong> Green Tea Lowers Cholesterol. Thus, The Risk of Stroke and Heart Diseases.<br />Green Tea has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels. The potent antioxidant effects of green tea inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the arteries. It plays a major contributory role in the formation of atherosclerosis.<br />The formation of blood clots, also known as thrombosis, is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke. Green Tea has been proven to exhibit abnormal blood clot formation as effectively as aspirin. When looking at coagulation risk factors in the blood, green tea specifically inhibits platelet aggregation and adhesion via effects that differ from those of aspirin.<br /><br /><a name="blood"></a><strong>Green Tea Benefit 3:</strong> Green Tea Lowers Blood Pressure.<br />Green Tea blocks the effects of angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE), an enzyme secreted by the kidneys, which is a significant cause of hypertension. By blocking the effects of ACE, blood pressure is reduced significantly, and with it, the risk of heart attacks and strokes.<br />Published studies have shown lowered blood pressure in animals and humans that are given green tea extracts. If you will be using green tea to treat hypertension, do so only under the supervision of a competent medical professional. Regular testing of your blood pressure is mandatory.<br /><br /><a name="decay"></a><strong>Green Tea Benefit 4:</strong> Green Tea Prevents Tooth Decay.<br />The formation of dental plaque, bacterial colonies that form on tooth surfaces causing tooth decay, has been shown to be inhibited by catechins. Tea has been shown to inhibit Streptococcus mutants, major bacteria involved with decay. A reduction of the bacterial cell membrane fluidity, induced by the catechins, will result in the anti-plaque activity. Tea also has been shown to have a positive effect in fighting gum disease.</div><div align="justify"><br /><a name="viruses"></a><strong>Green Tea Benefit 5:</strong> Green Tea Inhibits Viruses.<br />Green tea has been known to lower blood sugar levels. It can also kill certain bacteria. Green tea inhibits several viruses including viral hepatitis. Green tea, via catechins and theaflavins and its gallates, have shown antibacterial properties.<br />Others have shown that catechins effectively kill almost every kind of bacteria which causes food poisoning. It also inactivates the toxins that are produced by those bacteria. At the same time, it enhances the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. There is evidence that green tea also inhibits the flu virus. It has been proven by lab studies that green tea extract protects against many common degenerative diseases.</div><br /><div align="justify">Copied from <a href="http://www.teabenefits.com/green-tea-benefits.html">http://www.teabenefits.com/green-tea-benefits.html</a> </div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-84943178588884427052006-12-05T09:43:00.000+08:002008-12-09T08:32:08.972+08:00West Lake Long Jing 西湖龍井<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdLvl7-g7qZ0VqiRzLhU5MfbKjVr69ltoVrXHQm4iidx3evJIeeSvI7NYTH8KDYEVgw9dhsNmS7dVdUvHNuIMkr0V64d9We4QA_xQYwjCyHhRCmNIaoG_TDwe6B3ktc8LO7D0LGaN9luq/s1600-h/WestLake.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004854526292534866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdLvl7-g7qZ0VqiRzLhU5MfbKjVr69ltoVrXHQm4iidx3evJIeeSvI7NYTH8KDYEVgw9dhsNmS7dVdUvHNuIMkr0V64d9We4QA_xQYwjCyHhRCmNIaoG_TDwe6B3ktc8LO7D0LGaN9luq/s320/WestLake.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvl5xd1aKpf98sGl6p5dPy26fwVBlPKuEr_SZexErW_8MHLd6vd__prkiqfrckbuBbOwgBevwuU-r2FvAysqBNobqankay8dEDl7ndlJlbU5Hk7MQ5k7Wyhni9tCkqmQb0bR093xb4r1d/s1600-h/300px-Thewestlake.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004854749630834274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvl5xd1aKpf98sGl6p5dPy26fwVBlPKuEr_SZexErW_8MHLd6vd__prkiqfrckbuBbOwgBevwuU-r2FvAysqBNobqankay8dEDl7ndlJlbU5Hk7MQ5k7Wyhni9tCkqmQb0bR093xb4r1d/s320/300px-Thewestlake.jpg" border="0" /></a>Long Jing is unquestionably one of the most famous green teas in China, with a history that began 1200 years ago. Long Jing (Dragon Well) from Xi Hu 西湖, Zhe Jiang 浙江 province of China is named in accordance with its place of origin Long Jing (Dragon Well), a village locates at Xi Hu of Zhe Jiang province of china. West Lake (Xi Hu) Long Jing, grown alongside the scenic West Lake near Hang Zhou, being the most sought after by many enthusiasts of premium tea; both in China and the West. Long Jing tea was a favorite of many emperors of China. Most notable is Qian Long. It was widely known that to achieve the best taste from Long Jing, spring water from the "Hu Pao Quan" was to be used. Water is boiled then cooled to about 80 degrees Celsius before being used to brew the tea leaves.</div><div align="justify"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0IWOTW5azhlngcdx6DfHgmAeaj7dPwspd2jZjioK_qnBu256veriL6hcN-y3kPaGxZUCCFgyNT7tGdIdq90WUdaEDcIrPSr0nOCUgaFmQIMprx_kG0qm-YouTyZrSyQEIhz4gQhx007X/s1600-h/xhlj.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004856355948603010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 205px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" height="184" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0IWOTW5azhlngcdx6DfHgmAeaj7dPwspd2jZjioK_qnBu256veriL6hcN-y3kPaGxZUCCFgyNT7tGdIdq90WUdaEDcIrPSr0nOCUgaFmQIMprx_kG0qm-YouTyZrSyQEIhz4gQhx007X/s320/xhlj.jpg" width="217" border="0" /></a>Being one of the ten most famous Chinese teas, Long Jing (Dragon Well) tea has long been praised of having the four best characteristics of an ideal tea: beautiful in shape, crystal green in color, pleasant in smell and rich and mellow in taste. The best Long Jing tea leaf is straight stripe which looks like an orchid s petal and its olive feather of the bud can still be seen. Long Jing tea soup is crystal green in color, giving off pleasant smell like jasmine. Its refreshing and sweet taste of Long Jing (Dragon <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFeGNXRcjzzN4nkeSmLLxWQU_n8lIyN1mL_5wdr8MXcM_2W3NL30SOEdxl5FVIIzFlvx3_5PLd_qb70TktPBRyGKq-SG-pcFF8Z4u_aj5BLcYoTuMB4OkICn1aKR66xPIYHDPZ9tb4IHQ/s1600-h/xhlj.jpg"></a>Well) tea is charming and long-lasting.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirckmAezOdM2E62ESgj-AASnU-aDiLJuhg9PwdVFl7DEq29SGIrS_yC7L8rYOMF72ZYz4xVPUHQC3CzHmbbBaKYV6P-rceHtUmamepzxr7umVaN2j7_leb9a4mJRVmL9OIjaqMUl5xbSqC/s1600-h/180px-Stir_frying_Xi_Hu_Longjing.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004856759675528866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirckmAezOdM2E62ESgj-AASnU-aDiLJuhg9PwdVFl7DEq29SGIrS_yC7L8rYOMF72ZYz4xVPUHQC3CzHmbbBaKYV6P-rceHtUmamepzxr7umVaN2j7_leb9a4mJRVmL9OIjaqMUl5xbSqC/s320/180px-Stir_frying_Xi_Hu_Longjing.png" border="0" /></a>Long Jing tea leaves are pan fried (unlike most other teas, which are steamed) to stop the fermentation process. In the world of tea, the term "fermentation" refers to the drying of the freshly picked leaves, resulting in enzymatic oxidation. This oxidation is stopped by frying or steaming the leaves before they completely dry out. As is the case with other green teas, Long Jing tea leaves are unfermented. When steeped, the tea produces a yellow-green color, a gentle, pure aroma, and a rich flavor. The tea contains Vitamin C, amino acids, and the highest concentration of catechins among teas.</div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-4270305594936506982006-12-01T13:55:00.000+08:002006-12-01T15:30:21.980+08:00Green Tea 綠茶<div align="left"><div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/107160/180px-Green_Tea.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/497628/180px-Green_Tea.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>Green tea 綠茶</strong> is the palest in color, ranging from light green to light yellow in color. Green tea is not oxidized; the leaves are steamed or baked immediately after being plucked. They are then rolled and dried allowing the leaves to remain green in color. Green tea is made from both new buds as well as young leaves.<br /><br />Green tea, which is unfermented tea, remains the most popular tea in Asian countries such as China and Japan. In fact, up until the eighteenth century, it was also the most popular form of tea in Britain as well. Imports of green tea into the United States outpaced black tea until about 1915. Much of the tea dumped into the Boston harbor during the Boston Tea Party, was in fact green tea. Thus it is unlikely that the harbor turned to a copper color!<br /><br />Most popular green teas from China are Dragon Well/ Long Jing 龙井茶, Tai Ping Hou Kui 太平猴魁, Bi Luo Chun 碧螺春, Liu An Gua Pian 六安瓜片, and etc. On the other hand, popular green teas from Japan are Gyokuro 玉露, Matcha 抹茶, Sencha 煎茶, and etc. More details on different types of green tea will be illustrated in coming blogs.<br />Examples of green tea:<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/539990/dragonwell.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/322196/dragonwell.jpg" border="0" /></a> Long Jing 龙井茶<br /></div><div> </div><div></div><div><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/185588/dongting-piluochun.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" height="114" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/278647/dongting-piluochun.jpg" width="131" border="0" /></a> Bi Luo Chun 碧螺春<br /></div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/894248/guapian.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/557790/guapian.jpg" border="0" /></a> Liu An Guo Pian 六安瓜片<br /></div><div><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/180790/taipinghoukui.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/218131/taipinghoukui.jpg" border="0" /></a>Tai Ping Hou Gui 太平猴魁 </div><div> </div></div></div></div><br /></div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-82266845718492453042006-11-30T15:33:00.000+08:002006-11-30T16:12:57.171+08:00Most popular tea from our tea plantation- Ruan Zhi Oolong/ Oolong #17<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/151883/Ruan%20Zhi%20Oolong.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/633128/Ruan%20Zhi%20Oolong.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;">Ruan Zhi Oolong or Oolong #17</span></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="justify">Mae Salong Ruan Zhi Oolong or Oolong #17 is crafted from the leaves of the Ruan Zhi (soft stem) tea variety growing at Mae Salong in the Northern part of Thailand. The tea leaves are cultivated and hand picked using only new growth 1st grade top two leaves and bud. At the elevation of 1,200 to 1,400 meters above sea level, the mountainsides rich soils are covered with mist or clouds which are ideal weather conditions for growing High Mountain Oolong tea. Our processing method produces a tea that is very close to Green as it is only oxidized at 20%, yet having a much more complex, rich flavor than Green Tea. </div><div align="justify"><br />A very rare specialty tea, our High Mountain Ruan Zhi Oolong is regarded as Thailand’s best and most popular tea product. This well balanced and flavorful tea is a new strain which has a deep and rich Oolong flavor. The tender leaves and buds are carefully processed to produce a deep golden cup with a superb zest and a subtle natural fruity aroma. It lasts for many infusions and is very memorable.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-56951286978102909452006-11-30T15:29:00.000+08:002006-11-30T15:33:07.994+08:00Tea History of Thailand<div align="justify"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/174720/pic_teapickers.jpg" border="0" />The soil, altitude, and prevailing weather conditions all affect the complex flavor of a tea. Thailand has over the years developed high quality teas the same way places such as California, Chile and Australia have over the years developed high quality wines - by bringing the plant varieties and know-how from overseas and improving on it.<br /><br />Following the Chinese revolution and the defeat of the KMT at the hand of the Chinese communist party in 1949, thousands of KMT soldiers and their families were forced to flee China. At the welcoming of the Thai government, many of the Chinese ex-KMT soldiers and sympathizers were invited to settle in the Northern part of Thailand. In doing so, these Chinese migrants also brought with them their language, culture and many traditions including their love for the cultivation and making of teas.<br /><br />In the 1980s, Taiwanese tea experts from the Taiwan Tea Agricultural Research center were invited to Thailand to assist upgrade the tea plantations originally set by the Chinese migrants. The Taiwanese experts brought with them high-quality tea plant hybrids that had been developed by the center as well as the processing technique specifically developed to produce quality High Mountain Oolong teas for which Taiwan is renowned.<br /><br />Our tea masters took charge from there and continued with the tradition. Benefiting from the rich soil and ideal weather conditions of Doi Tung and Doi Mae Salong mountains, they maintained the high-quality hybrids in tea gardens located at an altitude of more than 1,200 meters above sea level which remains an essential factor in producing what many connoisseurs consider the ultimate in Chinese tea, Organic High Mountain Oolong teas. The teas have a subtle floral aroma and a deep rich flavor that is satisfying, refreshing and endlessly complex. </div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-79373435358556110372006-11-29T21:18:00.000+08:002006-12-01T01:13:35.500+08:00Famous Five Rock Teas of Wuyi Mountain<div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/756896/Mount%20Wuyi%201.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/919556/Mount%20Wuyi%201.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>Mount Wuyi 武夷山</strong> is the home of many famous oolong teas including the Famous Five Rock Teas (五大岩茶). The Wuyi Mountain Range, usually called Greater Wuyi Mountain, straddles the border of Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, stretching over 500 kilometers. The average height of the peaks is over 1,000 meters above sea level.<br />It has ideal conditions for growing oolong tea. The Wuyi Mountain range acts as a natural barrier against cold northern winds while also retaining the warm moist air from the south. Shu Xian tea is grown at an altitude of about 800 meters in a fog enshrouded environment that received plenty of rainfall. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/921474/dahongpao.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 181px" height="184" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/512430/dahongpao.jpg" width="216" border="0" /></a><strong>Da Hong Pao 大红袍</strong> is the king of the Famous Five Rock Teas in the Wuyi Mountain of China. This tea is legendary. Records of its existence date as far back as the early 18th century (Dao Guang Era). During Qing Dynasty, Da Hong Pao was entitled "King of Tea". Da Hong Pao is one of the most expensive teas sold in auction history. In 1998, the Chinese government put it up for sale for the first time and was sold to a group of auctioneers for almost $900,000. This special made Da Hong Pao is fully hand processed using traditional method passed down from many generations to members of the "Ge" family.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/52254/rougui.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 142px" height="153" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/660334/rougui.jpg" width="216" border="0" /></a><strong>Rou Gui 肉桂</strong> is the latest tea added to Wuyi's famous five bushes (previously only four consisting of Tie Luo Han, Shui Jin Gui, Da Hong Pao and Bai Ji Guan; referred to as Si Da Ming Cong). All these teas originate from Mount Wuyi in Northern Fujian of China. They are also called Yan Cha (Rock tea) due to the pristine rocky areas where the tea bushes grow. In the early 80s, Rou Gui growing area is only a few Mu (6 acres = 1 Mu) but has increased to 30,000 Mu today, a testament to its quality and popularity.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/252525/shuijingui.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 215px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 190px" height="198" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/842261/shuijingui.jpg" width="216" border="0" /></a>One of Wuyi top five teas, <strong>Shui Jin Gui 水金龟</strong>, which means "Golden Turtle" is strong and rich tea with a very slight hint of fruity aroma. According to Chinese legends, Shui Jin Gui tea plant is a transmigration of a turtle god. Despite achieving godhood after a thousand years of meditation, the turtle god soon felt discontented as his hard effort as the Heaven's Tea Gardener often went unnoticed. One morning, he awoke to the noise of tea farmers celebrating their harvest of first flush tea leaves happily. Upon seeing this, the turtle god realised that he would be better appreciated as a tea plant and thus he gave up his immortality to become the Shui Jin Gui tea plant.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/756329/tieluohan.jpg"></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/622786/tieluohan.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 209px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 145px" height="152" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/644373/tieluohan.jpg" width="211" border="0" /></a><strong>Tie Luo Han 铁罗汉</strong> is also one of the Famous Five Wuyi Rock Teas and also believed to be the earliest Wuyi tea; with history records dating back to Song Dynasty. The tea bush was first found in a cave (Gui Dong or Ghost Cave) in Hui Yuan Yan, one of the ninety-nine cliffs of Mount Wuyi. Legend tells that this tea was created by a powerful warrior monk with golden-bronze skin, hence the name Tie Luo Han, which means "Iron Warrior Monk".<br /></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/594995/baijiguan.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="145" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/70406/baijiguan.jpg" width="212" border="0" /></a>Legend has it that the name of this marvellous tea, <strong>Bai Ji Guan 白鸡冠</strong> (White Cockscomb) was given by a monk in memorial of a courageous rooster that sacrificed his life while protecting his baby from an eagle. Touched by the display of courage and love, the monk buried the rooster and from that spot, the Bai Ji Guan tea bush grew. Bai Ji Guan's wonderful complex taste makes it one of the best Oolong in the world.</div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-1619623287813107552006-11-29T14:31:00.000+08:002006-11-29T23:46:22.129+08:00Oolong<div align="justify">Oolong 烏龍 is a traditional Chinese tea. In contrast to oolong tea, green tea is an un-oxidized tea, and black tea is a fully-oxidized tea. The oxidation level of oolong tea gives it more flavor than green tea, but results in a lighter brew than black tea. Although oo-long has a taste more akin to green tea than to black tea, it does not have the stridently grassy vegetal notes that typify green tea. The best Oolong has a nuanced flavor profile. It should be brewed strong and bitter, yet leave one's mouth with a faintly sweet aftertaste.<br /><br />The term "oolong" means "black dragon" (or more literally "raven dragon") in Chinese; various legends describe the origin of this curious name. In one legend, the owner of a tea plantation was scared away from his drying tea leaves by the appearance of a black serpent; when he cautiously returned several days later, the leaves had been oxidized by the sun and gave a delightful brew. Another tale tells of a man named Wu Liang (later corrupted to Wu Long, or Oolong) who discovered oolong tea by accident when he was distracted by a deer after a hard day's tea-picking, and by the time he remembered about the tea it had already started to oxidize. Others say that the tea is called "oolong" because the leaves look like little black dragons that wake when you pour hot water on them.<br /><br />Oolong tea is mainly produced in China and Taiwan, but other countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and Sri Lanka also produce a small amount of oolong. Famous examples of Oolong from China are Tie Kuan Yin (鐵觀音), Shui Xian, Dan Chong (单枞), and so on. While some famous Oolong from Taiwan and Thailand will be Cui Yu Oolong (翠玉乌龙), Dong Ding Oolong (冻顶乌龙), Ruan Zhi Oolong (软枝乌龙), and so on.</div><p><br /><u><span style="color:#0000ff;"></span></u><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/624842/dongding.jpg"></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/70688/jadetieguanyin.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 121px" height="107" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/841065/jadetieguanyin.jpg" width="121" border="0" /></a><br />Example of Oolong- Tie Kuan Yin (鐵觀音)<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Processing of Oolong</strong><br />Oolong tea undergoes a few delicate processes in order to produce the unique aroma and taste. Typical Oolong tea is processed according to the following steps: </p><ol><li><div align="justify">Wilting (萎凋)- Sun dry or air dry to remove some moisture. </div></li><li><div align="justify">Yaoqing (摇青)- To bruise the edge of the tea leaf to create more contacting surface for oxidization. </div></li><li><div align="justify">Rouqing (揉青)- The tea leaves are tumbled for the next stage. </div></li><li><div align="justify">Shaqing (杀青)- Process to stop further oxidation. Depending on the quality of the leaves, they will be dried in a large pan over heat and stirred by hand (for premium tea) or by machinery.</div></li><li><div align="justify">Cooling. </div></li><li><div align="justify">Drying- To remove excessive moisture. </div></li><li><div align="justify">Grading.</div></li><li><div align="justify">Packaging. </div></li></ol>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532092796196216204.post-25053985856499804802006-11-29T12:29:00.000+08:002006-11-29T22:04:45.919+08:00Tea History<div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/328747/Shennong.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/934515/Shennong.jpg" border="0" /></a> Chinese people are believed to have enjoyed tea drinking for more than 4,000 years. Legend has it that Yan Di/ Shennong 炎帝/ 神農, one of three rulers in ancient times, tasted all kinds of herbs to find medical cures. One day, as he was being poisoned by some herb he had ingested; a drop of water from a tea tree dripped into his mouth and he was saved. For a long time, tea was used as an herbal medicine. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, tea was a religious offering. During the Spring and Autumn Period, people ate fresh tea leaves as vegetables. With the popularization of Buddhism from the Three Kingdoms to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, tea's refreshing effect made it a favorite among monks in Za-Zen meditation.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/1600/1462/335px-Lu_Yu.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/7564/187023046410670/320/282319/335px-Lu_Yu.jpg" border="0" /></a>Tea as a drink prospered during the Tang Dynasty, and tea shops became popular. A major event of this time was the completion of Tea Classics 茶经, the cornerstone of Chinese tea culture, by Lu Yu 陆羽, Tea Sage of China. This little book details rules concerning various aspects of tea, such as growth areas for tea trees, wares and skills for processing tea, tea tasting, the history of Chinese tea and quotations from other records, comments on tea from various places, and notes on what occasions tea wares should be complete and when some wares could be omitted. </div><div align="justify"><br />Tinted by the cultural style of the Song Dynasty, tea culture at this time was delicate and sumptuous. New skills created many different ways to enjoy tea. The Ming Dynasty laid the foundation for tea processing, tea types and drinking styles that we have inherited.</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br />During the Qing Dynasty folk art entered tea shops, making them popular entertainment centers. This habit is still practiced in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.</div><div align="justify"><br />During the Tang Dynasty, a Japanese monk brought tea seeds from Zhejiang Province to Japan. Later in the Southern Song Dynasty, Zen masters brought tea procedures and tea wares from China to Japan, promoting the initiation of the Japanese tea ceremony. In the Song Dynasty, Arabic merchants exported tea from Quanzhou, Fujian Province. In the Ming Dynasty, tea was sold to Southeast Asian and South African countries. In 1610 tea went to Europe via Macau in a Dutch merchant ship. Thus tea became an international drink.</div>Highland Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12566421290527977064noreply@blogger.com0