Introduction to Youxi Green Tea

Green tea is one of the main types of tea in China. It refers to products that are made by using typical manufacturing processes like withering, fixation, or shaping and drying, with fresh leaves or buds of a tea tree and without fermentation.

Youxi County is the "National Pollution-free Tea Production Base County" and one of the top ten tea-producing counties in Fujian Province. Among the 250 villages in the county, 156 are suitable for tea planting, with a mountainous area of more than 200,000 mu. It is the first county in terms of tea area, yield and output value in Sanming City, accounting for one-third of Sanming City.

What Is the Nutritional Value of Youxi Green Tea?

Green tea is known as the "national drink" of China. Modern scientific research has shown that tea does contain biochemical components that are closely related to human health. Tea not only has pharmacological effects such as refreshing the mind, clearing heat, resolving phlegm, reducing fat, calming the mind, detoxifying, producing saliva, relieving thirst, reducing inflammation, and stopping diarrhea, but also has certain pharmacological effects on modern diseases such as radiation sickness, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. The main components of tea that have pharmacological effects are tea polyphenols, caffeine, lipopolysaccharides, and theanine.

What Is the History of Youxi Green Tea?

According to legend, green tea originated from Chibi City in Hubei Province. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Hongwu led a peasant uprising, and tea farmers from Yangloudong went to the border with Xinjiang and Mongolia with the army. They brought the green tea from Puqi to soldiers who suffered from abdominal pain after meals. After taking the tea, the patients recovered one after another. Zhu Hongwu learned about this and remembered it. After becoming emperor, he and his prime minister Liu Ji went to Puqi to find the hermit Liu Tiande and met Liu Xuan, the eldest son of Liu Tiande, who made this tea. Liu Xuan asked Emperor Zhu to name the tea. Emperor Zhu saw that the tea was green and resembled pine peaks, and had a good fragrance. He named it "Songfeng Tea" and named the mountain with tea trees "Songfeng Mountain." In the 24th year of the Ming Dynasty (1391), Zhu Yuanzhang, who was used to drinking Yangloudong Songfeng Tea, ordered:"Stop making dragon balls and only collect tea buds." Therefore, Liu Xuan became the first person to make green tea in the world, Zhu Yuanzhang became the first person to promote green tea in the world, and Yangloudong became the first place in the world where green tea was made.

How Can You Identify Authentic Youxi Green Tea?

Fresh Green Tea and Aged Green Tea

The appearance of fresh green tea is bright green and has a luster. It has a strong tea scent when **elling it. The tea soup is blue-green with fragrant aroma, like that of orchids, ripe chestnuts, etc. It tastes sweet and refreshing, and the tea leaves are fresh and bright green.

The appearance of aged green tea is yellowish and dull without luster, with low aroma and a cold sensation when it is applied to the mouth with warm air. The tea soup is dark yellow, and the taste is mellow but not refreshing. The tea leaves are yellowish and not bright.

How Can You Taste and Consume Youxi Green Tea?

1. When brewing green tea, the water temperature should be controlled at around 80℃-90℃. If brewing green tea powder, use warm water at 40℃-60℃. The amount of green tea powder should be 2 grams per 450 milliliters of water.

2. Do not drink the first brew when brewing tea. After adding hot water, shake it and pour it out.

3. Do not brew green tea for too long, as it may affect the secretion of gastric juice. It is best not to drink green tea on an empty stomach.