What Tea Is the Internet-Famous Xiao Qing Gan? A Full Breakdown of Its Benefits and How to Drink It

Xiao Qing Gan is actually short for Xiao Qing Gan Pu'er tea. It has been extremely popular in recent years, and its popularity is not due to hype but because it is truly very unique. Let's take a look below at what the “internet-famous” Xiao Qing Gan is, how to drink it, and what effects it has.

1. What tea is Xiao Qing Gan?

Xiao Qing Gan originated in Xinhui, Guangdong, and belongs to the category of ganpu tea; it is Xiao Qing Gan Pu'er tea. This tea is made by hollowing out the flesh of green tangerines from Xinhui chazhi gan (Citrus reticulata 'Chachi') at 7-9 months, filling them with Yunnan palace Pu'er tea, and processing them by sun-drying or oven-drying. The main characteristics of Xiao Qing Gan are a mellow, sweet entry with a unique floral fragrance and aged aroma. This is because the fruit fragrance of Xinhui tangerine is particularly distinctive, and the Pu'er tea absorbs the fruit fragrance of the tangerine peel over time. Its health benefits are prominent, bringing out the “regulating qi” effect of Xinhui chenpi (aged tangerine peel).

2. How do you drink Xiao Qing Gan?

Brewing Xiao Qing Gan is simple. You can brew it whole, poke holes in it, break it into pieces, or boil it. The brewing methods are varied, which is why it is pursued by many young people.

1. Whole-fruit brewing: Cut the wrapping paper of a whole Xiao Qing Gan into four, then lift off the top lid, put the lid and the tea fruit together into a cup, first rinse the tea and moisten it, then begin brewing. When the liquor turns deep golden yellow, it is ready to taste. With the lift-the-lid brewing method, the tangerine fruit withstands many infusions well, the peel flavor blends well with the Pu'er tea liquor, and it is easy to handle. However, since boiling water seeps in through the lid opening, the Pu'er tea dissolves rather slowly and unevenly.

2. Broken-peel brewing: Wrap the Xiao Qing Gan in tissue paper, crush the whole fruit, then brew with boiling water. The amounts of tea leaves and chenpi can also be adjusted flexibly to your taste. However, chenpi is rather hard and may be difficult to crush. During brewing, because the Pu'er tea dissolves quickly, the number of infusions it withstands decreases, while the chenpi releases its substances more slowly, so the peel aroma is fainter and the taste balance is insufficient.

3. Multi-hole brewing: Before brewing, use a tea knife to drill multiple holes around the sides and at the bottom of the Xiao Qing Gan, with 9 holes being best. Then put it into a gaiwan or pot and pour in boiling water. Wait for the tea to slowly infuse out and blend with the fresh fragrance of the peel; it drinks with a lightly sweet, moderate taste. Compared with the previous two methods, this method is more complicated, but the brewed tea liquor is deep red and rich, with a fresh fragrance rushing to the nose, good taste and long-lasting infusability. For the tea knife, it is recommended to choose a conical tip, and control the force appropriately to avoid hurting your hand. Flat tea knives easily cause the tangerine peel to crack, so please pay attention to the force and direction. You can also drill some cute expressions according to your preference.

3. What effects does Xiao Qing Gan have?

1. Refreshing the mind and boosting alertness: Xiao Qing Gan has the effect of reducing fatigue, and it is convenient to brew. In daily work, just brew a cup casually to relieve the tiredness of long hours of continuous work.

2. Whitening and nourishing the skin: The peel of Xiao Qing Gan contains phenolic acids, which can effectively sterilize, and can also whiten the skin, nourish yin and beautify, and clear heat and reduce internal heat, making it suitable for female friends to drink.

3. Reducing blood lipids and losing weight: Xiao Qing Gan can oxidize fat and effectively help with weight loss. It contains many active ingredients such as tea polyphenols, which can help digestion and fat dissolution.

4. Regulating qi and strengthening the stomach: Xiao Qing Gan has small fruits and green tangerine quality, with a relatively high content of volatile oils. It has the effects of resolving phlegm, moistening the lungs, and regulating qi, and also helps resolve food stagnation and strengthen the stomach.

5. Detoxifying and clearing the lungs: Long-term smoking damages the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and blood vessels. It is harmful to the health of smokers, and secondly harmful to the health of others. For smokers who find it difficult to quit the pain of smoking for the time being, drinking tea is the best way to reduce the harm of smoking. In ganpu tea, components such as the tea polyphenols in Pu'er and the vitamin C in tangerine peel have a degrading effect on various harmful substances contained in cigarettes. Toxins can be continuously removed with tea drinking and excreted from the body through feces.

Xiao Qing Gan is small and exquisite, round and rolling, very cute. Holding it in your palm to play with and smell its fragrance cannot help but make people feel affection for it, and it is very popular in the market.