Basic Introduction to Elephant Nest Tea
“Elephant Nest Tea” is a well-known specialty product in Xinxing County, Guangdong Province, named after the Elephant Nest Tea plantation in the county. It is a Chinese National Geographical Indication product with a long cultural history. Its quality is excellent, with low tea polyphenol content and high amino acid content. Elephant Nest Tea comes in three major categories: Black Tea, Green Tea, and Oolong Tea, all of which are rich in flavor, produce a fresh sensation upon entering the mouth, and have a strong aftertaste.
Nutritional Value
Modern scientific separation and identification have found that tea contains over 400 organic chemical components and more than 40 inorganic mineral elements. The organic chemical components and inorganic mineral elements in tea contain many nutritional and medicinal components. Organic chemical components mainly include: tea polyphenols, plant alkaloids, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, pectin, organic acids, lipopolysaccharides, sugars, enzymes, pigments, etc.
Product Characteristics
It is characterized by its beautiful shape, clear color, rich aroma, and mellow taste. It is highly praised for its fresh and fragrant aroma, delicious and sweet taste, and bright green-yellow infusion.
Historical and Folklore
The Gongcheng Dongshui area in Xinxing County, Guangdong Province, is located in the Tianlu Mountain range, with an altitude generally above 500 meters, making it a high mountain region. However, due to its proximity to the sea, the area is shrouded in mist year-round with high temperature and humidity, providing ideal geographic conditions for growing High-mountain tea. As such, tea production has been ongoing here. In ancient times, local residents transplanted wild tea trees from the mountains, cultivated them, and made small-leaf green tea known as “Water Source Tea,” although the total output was limited. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, during the collective economy period, the Gongcheng commune established the Elephant Nest Tea plantation, introducing tea varieties from Yunnan to begin large-scale tea tree cultivation. Since then, “Elephant Nest Tea” gradually gained a reputation.
Manufacturing Method of Elephant Nest Tea
1. Processing process: Fresh leaves → spreading → fixation → rolling → drying → sorting → fragrance enhancement → packaging and storage.
2. Process requirements:
(1) Spreading: Fresh leaf thickness of 5 to 15 cm, spreading time of 4 to 8 hours, water loss rate of 15% to 20%.
(2) Fixation: Temperature controlled between 240°C and 300°C.
(3) Rolling: Tea strip formation rate ≥ 95%.
(4) Drying: Moisture content of the dried rough tea should be less than 5%.
(5) Fragrance enhancement: Temperature controlled between 70°C and 80°C, time of 2 to 3 hours.