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Very interesting, and these things help me to understand a little more about the traditional culture. It’s interesting that oolong and black teas seem to have been used as substitute teas for visiting laypeople as well.
Actually, I have often thought that green tea has a certain effect that is helpful for meditation. It seems to help clarify the mind, helping to energize it a little while keeping it balanced and refreshed. Of course, not all green teas have exactly the same effects, but those are general impressions I have gotten, at least. Most other types of tea have not done the same for me. Maybe exceptions to this would be certain green oolongs and dancong oolongs.
I did not know that Longjing also was developed by monks. I guess a certain lifestyle can be conducive to the development of refined teas. To at least a certain extent, they would have made the teas that they enjoyed the most.
It looks like these teas are not the typical low or medium quality commonly sold in the West, but are actually quite special varieties — Leo’s choice picks. As such, they may have a little higher price, since higher grades will naturally have a higher price than a lower grade.
There are also numerous inexpensive but beautiful teas there that also look interesting. For example, the Zhenghe Bai Mudan white teas, and some of the more obscure green teas. Those are what I am interested in. For example, Longjing is an excellent premium type of green tea, but I’ve had it so many times… I would prefer to try a Yun Wu (Cloud and Mist) green tea and maybe find something new and special. 🙂
Wow, so much interesting information here! The responses here actually fit well with the other topic that I asked about recently, the “drying” effects of certain teas and the relationship to TCM warmth. The passage about the foundation of the tea drinker being important, and the concept of “dissipating surface-invasion” helps me a lot to understand more about tea and health in the general sense too.
Also, it is very interesting to find comparisons between these green teas such as Dinggu Dafang and Kaihua Longding, and between Mengding Ganlu and Huangshan Maofeng. It seems that the way I was thinking of green tea was a bit oversimplified, and there are some other very important factors to consider.
It seems like TCM research will also need to take place, along with research undertaken by scientists. From what I can tell so far, the basic way to determine these things is just empirically, trying different varieties of tea for ourselves (part of the fun, I suppose).
Ah, thank you all for your input. This has given me quite a bit of food for thought, and it is interesting to learn that even within a particular style, the firing and strength of the tea can really make a big difference. I actually like the drying effect a lot, and it seems like it is beneficial for me. To me, the worst effect is a feeling of internal dampness, which probably corresponds to stagnant qi.
In some ways, I have heard similar findings from others about the way tea makes them feel. Often westerners who do not have familiarity with TCM or concepts of qi will still talk about how green tea makes them feel good, and how the actual feeling they get from drinking it is different and special. I have heard this quite a few times from young people in the U.S.
This website actually introduced me to Kaihua Longding. I was interested after reading the description (which is also very accurate). When I initially got some Longding, I compared it side by side Zhuye Qing, Huangshan Maofeng, and Longjing. In my taste test, the Kaihua Longding won, and it is still my favorite. 🙂
No, this cup is used only for tea, and is cleaned regularly. I’ve encountered this phenomena since then also, with other brands, and I think that confirms the view that it comes from the tea bag. It seems that around boiling temperature, water tends to break down the tea bag material itself a little.
For what it is worth, this is where I tend to buy loose leaf Chinese tea:
https://stores.ebay.com/Dragon-Tea-House
It seems like they are a fairly big dealer, so they have to maintain a general level of quality and customer satisfaction, and they have a wide selection with pictures of the actual leaves, which is important in judging relative quality. I haven’t tried their Biluochun, but I have a bag of Longjing, and that is tasty. The green tea that I often prefer, though, is Kaihua Longding. 🙂
Ah, I don’t mean to correct you, Leo. Your point #7 was clear enough for me, and helped to illustrate what to look for in a good Bai Mudan. Of course, if I post anything useful, feel free to use it as you please. 🙂
It’s interesting to me that categories of tea like white tea and pu’er already have the interests of quite a few westerners. When I was in China, I always got the feeling that green tea was the most popular and almost the “standard” for fine tea.
Thank you, Leo. I started thinking about this after I saw the Bai Mudan page on this site, and saw the similarities between the fresh Fuding Bai Mudan and the green tea Bai Mudan. I believe your point #7 is the difference here visually: the leaves should have a clearly oxidized appearance, although there may be some green left in the leaves.
