You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'terroir' category.
Posted by: Ed
A few weeks ago, while I was in the famous oolong tea producing area of Wuyi in China, I dropped into the Buddhist temple near the shrine to the 400 year old big red robe (da hong pao) tea trees. I was lucky enough to have tea with the Abbot of the monastery and to drink some of the delicious Big Red Robe tea made by the monks.
Da Hong Pao temple
I asked the Abbot of the monastery about what, for him, is the relationship between Buddhism and tea.
Chatting to the Abbot of the monastery
He said that firstly, preparing and drinking tea is a way to help make the mind quiet and focused. Tea is good for health and makes you feel calm and relaxed. In today’s busy world of constant distractions, taking time to sit down and enjoy tea is a good way to make a space for calmness and relaxation.
Secondly, he said that tea is a product of man and nature. The tea trees and their growth, picking, and processing depend on both man and nature. The knowledge and methods behind the way the tea is made has been developed over centuries and represent local history and culture. The environment expresses itself in the tea leaves. Through drinking the tea, you are actually in touch with nature, history, culture, past, present and future (as the effects of changes in the environment and culture will show in the leaves). The form and taste of tea tea that you drink communicates all this information, especially if you are aware of it.
Gong fu tea at the Da Hong Pao temple
As we drove down the hill and back to a near by-tea garden, we were all silent as we though about what he had said. Tea represents so many things. Depending on what you want and what your attitude is, it can be just a way to take a few moments to relax, it can be a connoisseur experience, or it is a mirror reflecting the past, present and future. It also made me think how much we owe the people who have perfected tea making methods (and continue to do so) over the centuries and how much we need to care for the environment and ourselves.
View as we drove down the hill from the temple
Having drunk tea in such a beautiful place, I thought again of how the atmosphere created by the care you take when making tea, the tea wares used and the overall environment, makes so much difference. It doesn’t have to be for spiritual benefit. Simply taking the trouble to create a simple and beautiful space certainly helps you appreciate the tea fully!
Creating an atmosphere of appreciation
There is no direct equivalent in English for the French word terroir. Perhaps the closest translation is ‘placeness’ as it refers to the effect that a particular place’s soil, aspect, climate and cultural uniqueness has on the flavour of a food or drink. The term is almost always used in reference to wine but it is equally valid for tea, cheese and ham – in fact any products that derive their uniqueness of taste from the place where they are made.
Wine producers and drinkers have noticed that vineyards positioned only a few yards from one another can produce wine of strikingly different quality and flavour due to the aspect of each field to the sun and differences in soil composition.
This effect is well noted in tea. For this reason, the names of the great teas of China are synonymous with the place in which they are grown and processed – ‘West Lake’ Dragon Well; ‘Anxi’ Tieguanyin; ‘Anji’ Bai Cha; ‘Wuyi’ Da Hong Pao; Keemun tea from ‘Qimen country
A Tea Garden in Zhejiang Province
‘;’Yi Wu’ puerh tea etc. Some of these areas are split into sub regions – for example the West Lake consists of Lions Peak, the Mei Family Slope (Mei Jia Wu) and Tiger Spring. Each of these small areas which produce varied tastes.
Take the outstandingly unique-tasting Bohea from Tingmo Village in the Wuyi Mountains. Compare this to regular Lapsang, and the character of the tea, the flavour, aroma and singularly pale gold liquor demonstrates some of the ‘placesness’ which is never found in the multi-region conventional Lapsang. I believe that anyone could clearly taste this difference, even if they feel that they do not have a good pallet.
Anji Bai Cha trees growing next to a stream in Zhejiang province
Traditionally speaking, West Lake is the place where your Dragon Well should come from. Apart from having an excellent climate, soil and aspect it also houses the most accomplished Dragon Well processing experts. This is not to say that every person you see hand-firing tea near the city of Hangzhou is an accomplished master. However, the area has been a place where knowledge and experience have come together to support the cultivation of this great tea.
I feel that we should not be too attached to the traditionally celebrated terroirs. I have found that fantastic Dragon Well is produced in a small village, which is located a short distance from the West Lake at high altitude. The region is far from any city and many of the tea mountains are organic and foster growth of wild-seeded tea trees. Abundant and varied fauna and floral contribute to a very healthy ecosystem. In terms of taste, the altitude makes the tea more rarefied, mineral and sweet and a little less rich and robust that the West Lake Dragon Well.
Picking a Jiuken Tree in Zhejiang Province
There are other benefits that emerge from seeking tea terroirs other than the most celebrated and well known. Nearly all of the tea produced in the West Lake area is made for the Chinese domestic market. The use of pesticides and fertilisers is nearly always not to European standard. Jiande tea is nearly all organic or at the very least compliant with the strictest European standards. This makes it the only choice for my customers.
Posted by: Edward
