What Kind of Tea Is Biluochun? Benefits, Effects and Price per Jin Explained

Drinking tea is one of the habits the Chinese have kept from ancient times to the present, and many friends love to drink tea in daily life. As one of China's top ten famous teas, Biluochun has always been a favorite. So what kind of tea is Biluochun? What are the benefits and effects of Biluochun? And how much is Biluochun per jin? Let me answer these one by one for you.

1. What kind of tea is Biluochun?

It is mainly produced in Dongting Mountain on Lake Tai in Wu County, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province (now Wuzhong District, Suzhou), so it is also called “Dongting Biluochun.” Dongting Biluochun tea is produced on Dongting East and West Mountains; it has many buds, a tender fragrance, a clear liquor and a mellow taste, and is one of China's top ten famous teas. Biluochun tea has a history of more than 1000 years. Folk people first called it “Dongting tea,” and also “Xiaosharenxiang” (frighteningly fragrant). Legend has it that a Buddhist nun went up the mountain to enjoy spring, picked a few tea leaves along the way, and after brewing the tea found the fragrance astonishing, blurting out that it was “fragrant enough to frighten people,” so the locals called this tea “Xiaosharenxiang.” In the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi inspected and tasted this famous tea with a green liquor curled like a snail, praised it greatly, but felt that the name “Xiaosharenxiang” was inelegant, so he named it “Biluochun.” From then on it became a tribute tea presented every year.

2. Effects and benefits of Biluochun

Biluochun is a green tea, so it has all the general benefits of green tea:

1. American researchers point out that after people eat a high-fat diet, blood vessels become hardened; if green tea is drunk at the same time or after the meal, it can soften the blood vessels and improve blood flow. The theanine and catechins contained in green tea can improve blood flow and have a certain effect in preventing obesity, stroke and heart disease.

2. The tender buds of general green tea are relatively rich in theanine, and are suitable for soaking in cold boiled water for about half an hour to dissolve out the theanine; regular drinking gives satisfactory results in preventing obesity, stroke and heart disease.

3. The old leaves of green tea are picked in the later growth stage, have a longer sun exposure time, and are also low in price; they contain more catechins, and the dissolution rate of catechins increases as water temperature rises, so they are suitable for brewing with boiling water. Catechins have a relatively strong anti-free-radical effect and are beneficial for cancer prevention and treatment. Research by the Japanese Vegetable and Tea Industry Research Institute has confirmed that green tea not only prevents the formation and proliferation of cancer cells, but also has some effect in inhibiting cancer cell metastasis.

4. In addition to having the benefits of Longjing tea, Biluochun is better than Longjing at refreshing the mind and strengthening the stomach, and has preventive and therapeutic effects on upper respiratory tract infectious diseases and digestive tract diseases.

5. Stimulating effect: the caffeine in tea can stimulate the central nervous system, helping people lift their spirits, improve thinking, eliminate fatigue and increase efficiency.

6. Diuretic effect: the caffeine and theophylline in tea have a diuretic effect and are used to treat edema and water retention tumors. Using the detoxifying and diuretic effects of black tea with sugar water can treat acute icteric hepatitis.

7. Cardiotonic and antispasmodic effect: caffeine has the effects of strengthening the heart, relieving spasms and relaxing smooth muscle; it can relieve bronchial spasms and promote blood circulation, and is a good auxiliary medicine for treating bronchial asthma, relieving cough and resolving phlegm, and myocardial infarction.

8. Effect of inhibiting arteriosclerosis: the tea polyphenols and vitamin c in tea both have the effect of invigorating blood and resolving stasis and preventing arteriosclerosis. Therefore, among people who often drink tea, the incidence of hypertension and coronary heart disease is relatively low.

9. Antibacterial and bacteriostatic effect: the tea polyphenols and tannic acid in tea act on bacteria, can coagulate bacterial proteins and kill bacteria. They can be used to treat intestinal diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and enteritis. For skin sores, ulceration and pus, or broken skin from trauma, washing the affected area with strong tea has an anti-inflammatory and sterilizing effect. For oral inflammation, ulceration and sore throat, treating with tea leaves also has a certain effect.

10. Weight loss effect: various compounds in tea such as caffeine, inositol, folic acid, pantothenic acid and aromatic substances can regulate fat metabolism; oolong tea in particular has a good decomposing effect on protein and fat. Tea polyphenols and vitamin c can lower cholesterol and blood lipids, so drinking tea can help with weight loss.

11. Anti-caries effect: tea contains fluorine, and fluoride ions have a great affinity for the calcium in teeth, and can become a kind of “fluorapatite” that is relatively difficult to dissolve in acid, just like adding a protective layer to the teeth and improving the teeth's ability to resist acid and caries.

12. Effect of inhibiting cancer cells: according to reports, the flavonoids in tea have varying degrees of anti-cancer effects in vitro

3. How much is Biluochun per jin?

Before 1959, Biluochun tea had first-grade first-class, first-grade second-class, second-grade third-class, second-grade fourth-class, third-grade fifth-class, third-grade sixth-class, fourth-grade seventh-class, fourth-grade eighth-class, and fifth-grade ninth-class, a total of five grades and nine varieties. After 1961 it was changed to seven grades and thirteen classes. Special first-grade Biluochun is 1500 to 2000 yuan per jin; special second-grade Biluochun is about 1000 yuan per jin; first-grade Biluochun is about 600 to 800 yuan per jin; second-grade Biluochun is about 400 to 500 yuan per jin; third-grade Biluochun is about 200 to 300 yuan per jin.