White tea, why is it called one-year tea, three-year medicine, and seven-year treasure
The storage of white tea belongs to the process of processing tea with time. As the storage time is longer, the quality will get better and better. Time can naturally improve the quality of the tea. The white tea is initially processed and can be drunk, but after storage, the aroma is more and more melted into the tea soup, and it can also be converted into fruity aroma 【Milan aroma】, jujube aroma, and medicinal aroma.
The taste will increase over time, become more and more mellow, and become smoother and sweeter. The taste is also stronger, and the sweetness will be better.
White tea is not fried or kneaded. The production process is simple, but the technology is not simple. After the fresh tea leaves are picked, they are withered in the sun or indoors. They need to have suitable temperature and humidity conditions. They are withered to 80% dryness and then baked in a slow fire until they are dry enough. The processing procedure seems simple, but to make a sweet honey rhyme, you need to accurately grasp every link in the processing process.
White tea is mostly gray-green, with Pekoe attached to the surface, and most of the tea soup is fresh and mellow. It is different from green tea, green tea is not fermented, and the tea soup is relatively irritating; it is similar to Pu'er tea and can be stored for many years. During storage, the contents of the tea will slowly transform.
"One year of tea, three years of medicine, seven years of treasure" is a popular saying that praises old white tea.
It is popular among folks that white tea is "one year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure". The value of white tea is that it is a kind of tea that is extremely close to the original flavor, and it can quietly realize the transformation during the storage process. Therefore, some people say that white tea that has not been reconstituted in time is like a semi-finished product.
In the past, the Qing people’s "Min Tea Song" recorded that "the price of the deep red is three times the price, and every family is showing off the old tea in the next year." It can be seen that people in Fujian have always had the habit of keeping old tea.
As for when and where white tea "one year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure" originated, it is not known. But one thing is certain is that the quality and style of white tea will indeed change significantly through storage.
One year of tea, three years of medicine, seven years of treasure
"One year tea" refers to the new white tea of that year. Because white tea is a slightly fermented tea, the first year white tea that has just been produced has a taste similar to green tea, and the tea is colder in nature. The aroma is fresh and pure, similar to soy milk; the soup is light yellow and bright, and the soup feels refreshing and sharp, such as clear spring nectar, and the taste is relatively flat.
"Three-year medicine" refers to white tea that has been stored for three or four years, and its tea properties have quietly changed. In properly stored white tea, the internal components of the tea have begun to change in two or three years: the green gas has faded, the soup color has deepened, from light yellow to apricot or orange. New white tea has sweet fragrance and Bo fragrance, usually described as "Boxiang honey rhyme", while white tea stored for three or four years will often have "lotus leaf fragrance", the aroma has gradually become mellow, the taste is gradually soft, and the mouth is smooth , The tea nature has gradually turned from cold to calm. At this time, white tea, tea and medicine, are suitable for collection.
"Qinianbao" refers to white tea that has been stored for seven years. This is already considered old white tea. It is a very rare good tea. Everyone regards it as a treasure and is reluctant to drink it, let alone sell it. White tea that has reached seven years of age has a sweet floral fragrance and a scent of aging under the scent. With the passage of storage time, it will show a jujube fragrance, and even develop into a comfortable "medicinal fragrance".
The color of a good aged white tea soup is like amber, bright and oily; its taste is full and full, the mouth is smoother, and the sweetness and viscosity will gradually increase.
The medicinal value of white tea
White tea is included in the Pharmacopoeia. Many well-known pharmacies will buy white tea in Fuding every year, and store it for a period of time as a medicine or drug introduction. This may be a secret that many tea lovers don't know. When you go to a Chinese pharmacy, you will find that Chinese medicine has white tea, which is sold by gram.
Tea is cold in nature. White tea has not been overheated. Of course, it retains its coldness than other teas. Everyone knows that the tea polyphenols in tea can be sterilized and disinfected. White tea also retains the most tea polyphenols because of the process. These two items are enough to make white tea have unique medicinal effects in de-fire, sterilization and detoxification. Coupled with years of aging, the de-fire function is more obvious.
White tea has significant medicinal effects. White tea can sober up alcohol, clear heat and nourish the lungs, calm the liver and nourish blood, reduce inflammation and detoxification, reduce blood pressure and fat, and relieve fatigue. Especially after two or three years of aging, the inside of the white tea will slowly change, the aroma will turn to aging, and the color of the soup will be apricot yellow. The aroma is mellow when you drink it, and the taste gradually softens. The tea is mild.
If it is six or seven years old when it is aged, the white tea will become more and more mellow in its aging process. In addition to the aging fragrance, it has a unique fragrance. The taste is fragrant, the soup is amber, red and transparent. After arriving this year of white tea, drinking a few cups of hot old white tea will make you feel much more relaxed.
