Only by returning to tradition can Tieguanyin endure; "authentic flavor" remains the star of the tea market
In recent years, the most popular word in the Tieguanyin market has been "authentic flavor," and more and more tea lovers have begun to long for that original taste of Tieguanyin. Drinking tea is a sensory pleasure, and returning to tradition and experiencing nature is an inevitable trend in market development. So, what is traditional authentic-flavor Tieguanyin? And how should it be identified? To answer this, the reporter interviewed Li Chaomin, a senior tea taster and tea processing specialist.
"Authentic-flavor Tieguanyin is made with traditional craftsmanship, with a fermentation level of about 50%, full of floral and fruity aroma rather than a grassy taste," Li Chaomin told the reporter. More than 10 years ago, influenced by external tea-making techniques and population movement, lightly fermented tea became widely popular on the market, and many people liked the taste of tea with a fermentation level of about 20%, some even lower.
In addition, the craftsmanship of Tieguanyin is divided into 3 types: zhengchao, xiaoqing, and tuosuan. The so-called zhengchao means that in the making of the tea, the fresh leaves picked at noon the previous day are spread thinly on the ground to wither in the sun, then rocked in the evening, and fixed the next morning. Li Chaomin told the reporter that only Tieguanyin made by zhengchao has a unique orchid fragrance. However, the dry tea made by zhengchao appears brown, with a darker and less vibrant color, and looks relatively poor visually, while the dry tea of xiaoqing generally appears emerald green, with a generally higher vibrancy of color and a better visual appearance. "Many people who do not understand tea think the greener the better. To cater to consumers' psychology, tea farmers will subject the tea to xiaoqing and only fix it after noon the next day," Li Chaomin said. Although such tea looks good, its aroma and taste are much worse.
During the interview, Li Chaomin also brewed two kinds of tea for the reporter, one being a first-pick spring authentic-flavor tea and the other a xiaoqing tea. The two teas indeed showed obvious differences in color, and most people would find the xiaoqing tea more attractive. However, after tasting it, the reporter found that the xiaoqing tea had a grassy and astringent taste, with a strong astringency on the palate; while authentic-flavor Tieguanyin had a soft, smooth mouthfeel, delicate body, obvious returning sweetness, and the typical characteristics of Guanyin charm.
In addition, authentic-rhyme tea has a subtle fragrance, with a long-lasting aroma. The first infusion's aroma is as elegant as a flower bud about to bloom, the second and third infusions have a naturally formed aroma, and after several brews it still retains a lingering fragrance; although the first infusion of non-authentic-rhyme tea has a striking aroma, its staying power quickly falls short.
"The difference between authentic-flavor Tieguanyin and xiaoqing tea also lies in the brewed leaves, that is, the leaves after brewing," Li Chaomin said. The dry tea of authentic-flavor tea is not necessarily all emerald green, and is more often sandy green and dark, oily, and moist. It is by no means that the greener the better. After brewing, it gradually turns golden yellow. In terms of the texture of the brewed leaves, because of excellent quality, the leaves are soft and thick, and the edges often curl like a satin surface, while the brewed leaves of non-authentic-rhyme tea appear rough and hard after brewing.
Some veteran tea drinkers cannot help asking: why can many teas on the market no longer deliver the feeling of the original days? In fact, many people nowadays find traditional authentic-flavor Tieguanyin tasteless. To cater to these people's palates, tea merchants and tea farmers go to great lengths to make tuosuan tea, whose sourness is very obvious, but at the same time they also abandon the unique charm inherent to Tieguanyin.
Li Chaomin said that people who do not understand tea, or those who usually prefer stronger flavors, will like "non-authentic-rhyme" tea; while those who are used to eating lightly will like the authentic flavor, because such people have more sensitive taste cells and can experience the unique charm of traditional authentic-flavor Tieguanyin. In a year when the overall tea situation was poor, first-pick spring tea instead saw steady sales growth.
In his view, authentic-flavor Tieguanyin still needs continuous promotion. "Only tradition will truly endure. We cannot make Tieguanyin lose its traditional charm just to cater to customers," Li Chaomin said.