The production process of Longjing tea is a delicate and complex process, and its quality is closely related to the production process. The following are the main steps for making Longjing tea:
1. Picking
Time selection: The picking time of Longjing tea is very important. High-end West Lake Longjing tea has always emphasized early picking. Among them, the quality picked before Qingming is the best, which is called "Mingqian tea", and the quality picked before Grain Rain is called "Yuqian tea". Tea".
Picking standards: The emphasis is on tenderness and completeness when picking. Generally, one kilogram of the best Mingqian West Lake Longjing requires at least 80,000 tender buds and leaves. The picking standards are one bud and one leaf, or one bud and two leaves. The buds are longer than The total length of leaves and buds is about 1.2 cm.
2. Spread out
Purpose of spreading: The fresh leaves collected are spread thinly indoors, with a thickness of about 1 cm. After being spread for more than 2 hours, part of the water will evaporate, emitting grassy smell, enhancing tea aroma, reducing bitterness, increasing amino acid content, improving freshness, and making the fried Longjing tea smooth in appearance and emerald green in color.
Screening: The spread fresh leaves need to be screened and divided into three grades: large, medium and small, and fried separately to ensure that different grades of raw materials are fried with appropriate pot and gentle gestures.
3. Finishing
Process description: Greening, also known as green pot, is the process of greening and preliminary shaping. When the pot temperature reaches 80-100°C, apply a little vegetable oil in the pot and add about 100 grams of spread leaves. At the beginning, the hand gestures of grasping and shaking are mainly used. After a certain amount of moisture is distributed, the hand gestures such as pressing, pressing, shaking, and throwing are gradually used for preliminary shaping. The pressure increases from light to heavy, until straightening into strips and flattening are achieved. Purpose. Stir-fry until 70% to 80% dry, then take off the pan and cook for 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Resurgence
Purpose and operation: After greening, the tea leaves need to be placed in a cool place for thin spreading to regain moisture. After cooling, sift out the tea powder and shake off the debris, which lasts about 40 to 60 minutes.
5. Huiguo
Process description: The tea leaves after regaining moisture are poured into the pot, further shaped, fried and dried to complete the shape. Usually four pots of green pot leaves are combined into one pot of Hui, the amount of leaves is about 250 grams, the pot temperature is 60-70°C, and it takes 20-25 minutes. The pot temperature is divided into three processes: low, high and low, and the hand pressure gradually increases, mainly using techniques such as grabbing, buckling, grinding, pressing and pushing. Fry until the hairs fall off, become flat and smooth, and the tea aroma comes out, then break when broken.
6. Subsequent processes
Sieve: Use a sieve to sieve the tea leaves, remove the yellow flakes, and sift the tea powder to make the finished product uniform in size.
Straighten the head: Put the larger tea leaves sifted out into the pot again and straighten them for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Stacking and storage: Divide the finished products into packages of different weights and store them separately. The fried Longjing tea is very susceptible to moisture and deterioration. The finished tea after being piled needs to be put into a jar with lumps of lime on the bottom (lime that has not absorbed moisture and weathered), covered and sealed for about a week. In this way, the Longjing tea will be better. The aroma will be more fragrant and fragrant, and the taste will be more fresh and refreshing. After this treatment, Longjing tea can still maintain the quality of "green color, rich aroma, sweet taste and beautiful shape" when stored in a dry environment at room temperature for one year.
7. Processing methods
There are three main ways to make Longjing tea: machine processing, semi-manual and full manual frying. The traditional production process of West Lake Longjing tea is all manual frying. Its tedious production process and fine techniques give West Lake Longjing tea its unique quality and flavor. Machine processing and semi-manual processing improve production efficiency to a certain extent, but may not fully reach the quality level of manual frying.
West Lake Longjing tea is one of the top ten famous teas in China. It is a kind of green tea. West Lake Longjing tea is a tea made without fermentation. It is famous for its "green color, rich fragrance, sweet taste and beautiful shape". Known as the "Queen of Green Tea". West Lake Longjing tea has eleven major functions and functions, mainly including the following aspects:
Improve oral health: When bad breath occurs, food residues form methyl mercaptan compounds under the action of enzymes, causing odor. West Lake Longjing tea soup can inhibit the activity of this enzyme, eliminate bad breath, keep breath fresh, stimulate the secretion of more digestive juices, help decompose starch, protein and fat, and aid digestion.
Prevent dental caries: Longjing tea contains fluorine. Fluoride ions have a great affinity with the calcium in teeth and can turn into a kind of "fluoroapatite" that is relatively insoluble in acid, just like adding a protective layer to teeth. layer, improving the ability of teeth to resist acid and caries.
Antioxidant and anti-aging: The polyphenols in Longjing tea are effective antioxidants that can scavenge free radicals in the body and slow down the aging of cells. Protect the skin and body from damage from the external environment and ultraviolet rays, improve skin elasticity, brightness and firmness, making skin look younger and smoother.
Protect cardiovascular health: The polyphenols in Longjing tea help reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The tea polyphenols and vitamin C in Longjing tea can activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis to prevent arteriosclerosis, prevent arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, improve blood circulation, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Eliminate fatigue: The catechins, caffeine and other substances in Longjing tea have the effect of stimulating the central nervous system, which can effectively help people boost their spirits, improve their thinking, eliminate fatigue, and improve work efficiency.
Clear away heat and diuresis: Longjing tea is cold in nature and is suitable for people with strong physiques and those who are prone to getting angry. The caffeine and theophylline in Longjing tea have diuretic effects and can be used to treat edema and hydrodemuloma.
Antibacterial and antibacterial: The tea polyphenols and tannic acid in Longjing tea act on bacteria, coagulating bacterial proteins and killing them. If the skin develops sores, ulcers and pus, or if the skin is broken due to trauma, rinse the affected area with strong tea, which has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effects. Oral inflammation, ulceration, and sore throat can also be treated with tea, which also has certain effects.
Weight loss and beauty: The caffeine, inositol, folic acid, pantothenic acid and aromatic substances in Longjing tea can regulate fat metabolism. Tea polyphenols and vitamin C can lower cholesterol and blood lipids, so drinking Longjing tea can help you lose weight.
Cardiotonic and antispasmodic: The caffeine in Longjing tea also has the effects of strengthening the heart, relieving spasm, and relaxing smooth muscles. It can relieve bronchospasm and promote blood circulation.
Treat night blindness and resist dry eye disease: Longjing tea contains a certain amount of vitamin A. The eyesight-improving effect of Longjing tea is closely related to vitamin A.
Inhibit cancer cells: Longjing tea contains about 15% catechins, and the antioxidant power of catechins is 40 to 100 times that of vitamin C. It can inhibit the aging of blood vessels and thereby purify the blood.
It should be noted that although West Lake Longjing tea has a variety of effects, you should also pay attention to the appropriate amount when drinking to avoid excessive drinking that may cause gastrointestinal discomfort or other adverse reactions. At the same time, specific groups of people, such as pregnant women and patients with gastrointestinal diseases, should drink it under the guidance of a doctor.
West Lake Longjing tea is a high-quality green tea. Drinking it in moderation is beneficial to the human body, such as refreshing the mind, diuresis and swelling, sterilization and disinfection, weight loss and fat reduction, and protection of teeth, etc., and there are no obvious side effects. However, if you drink Longjing tea excessively, it may cause the following symptoms:
1. Insomnia and nervous system effects
The caffeine in tea can excite the cerebral cortex. Longjing tea contains a certain amount of caffeine, which has the effect of refreshing the mind. If you drink it for a long time, it may cause excessive excitement of the brain nerves, thereby affecting sleep and causing insomnia. In severe cases, it can cause convulsions.
2. Gastrointestinal discomfort
West Lake Longjing tea is a cold drink. If you drink it for a long time, it may irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa and cause decreased gastrointestinal function, thereby causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating and other gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms.
3. Cardiovascular disease
Caffeine can stimulate the rhythm of the heart, which is inconsistent with the physical condition of heart patients. Therefore, excessive drinking will aggravate cardiovascular disease.
4. Drinking on an empty stomach
The nature of tea enters the lungs and will cool the spleen and stomach, which is equivalent to inviting wolves into the house. Drinking tea on an empty stomach is not conducive to gastrointestinal motility and the digestion and absorption of nutrients. You should avoid drinking Longjing tea on an empty stomach.
5. Drinking hot tea
Tea that is too hot can strongly irritate the throat, esophagus and stomach. If you drink too hot tea for a long time, it may cause lesions in these organs. According to foreign studies, people who often drink tea with a temperature of more than 62°C are more likely to have damaged stomach walls and stomach problems. The temperature of tea should be below 56°C.
6. Drinking overnight tea
Due to the long time of overnight tea, vitamins have been lost. In addition, the protein, sugar, etc. in the tea will become nutrients for the reproduction of bacteria and mold. Of course, unspoiled overnight tea still has its role in medicine.
One touch: determine the dryness of tea leaves. Pick a piece of dry tea at random, place it between your thumb and forefinger and twist it vigorously to form a powder, which means the dryness is sufficient; if it is small pieces, the dryness is insufficient, or the tea has absorbed moisture. Tea leaves that are not sufficiently dry are difficult to store and have low aroma.
Second look: Check whether the dry tea meets the basic characteristics of Longjing tea, including shape, color, uniformity, etc.
Three sniffs: Smell the level and type of aroma of dry tea, and identify whether there are bad smells such as smoke, burnt, sour, rancid, mold, etc. and various mixed bad smells.
Four tastes: When the moisture content, shape, color, and aroma of the dry tea meet the requirements, the soup will be evaluated. Take 3 to 4 grams of Longjing tea in a cup and bowl, pour in 150 to 200 ml of boiling water, smell the aroma after 5 minutes, then look at the color of the soup, taste carefully, and then comment on the bottom of the leaves. This link is more important.
Distinguishing old and new tea leaves
The difference between Mingqian new tea and Yuqian new tea is mainly caused by the picking time of the two. New tea before Ming Dynasty is picked before Qingming, and tea before rain is picked after Qingming and before Grain Rain. The quantity of Mingqian tea is scarce and the tea soup is more fragrant. Although the tea soup of Yuqiancha is slightly bitter, Yuqiancha is rich in nutrients.
"The fresher the tea, the better", this is a paradox. Because the phenolic substances, aldehydes, and alcohols in fresh tea have not been completely oxidized, drinking new tea for a long time will cause diarrhea and other uncomfortable symptoms. If the tea has been stored for more than one and a half years or has become moldy and spoiled due to improper storage, it cannot be drunk.
