Basic Introduction to Guiping Xishan Tea
Xishan Tea is a specialty of Guiping City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and is a Chinese national geographical indication product, one of the famous teas in China. It is highly regarded by customers for its tight and evenly slender buds, exposed tips, olive-green color, jade-green infusion, and unique flavor. There is a saying that it has “beautiful scenery on the mountain and fine taste in the tea.” In the Guangxi section of “China Famous Tea Chronicles,” there is a piece titled “Guiping Xishan Tea Manuscript” written by Chen Aixin. This tea is recognized as an excellent Green Tea and is exported to Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia.
Xishan Tea is also known as Chessboard Tea or Chessboard Immortal Brew. Its leaves are dark green with a lustrous appearance, evenly slender with exposed tips, coiled like dragons with silver tips covered in downy hairs, and have a lingering fragrance. The infusion is pale green and clear, and the leaves at the bottom of the cup are bright green. The taste is smooth, refreshing, and sweet, with each season's tea having its own distinct aroma: spring tea is fresh and fragrant, summer tea has a pear-like aroma, autumn tea is mellow, and winter tea is lotus-scented. It is very reinfusable and leaves a lasting aftertaste.
Locals pick fresh leaves before the beginning of summer and after the beginning of autumn. The picking is done by hand, and the leaves must be intact, fresh, and uniform, without scales or fish leaves. They are not picked by stripping or grasping. The process of making Xishan Tea involves eight steps: “fresh leaves – withering – pan-firing – rolling – initial drying – shaping – final drying – scenting.” During this process, temperature and time control are crucial to produce high-quality tea.
The Xishan Tea gardens are scattered across hills, valleys, and slopes in the Xishan Mountain range. Ancient trees tower over the gardens, which are shaded by lush vegetation and nourished by clear springs, providing an ideal environment for tea plants. Guiping City has a subtropical climate with an average annual temperature of 21.5°C, 337 frost-free days, and an annual rainfall of 1,778.5 millimeters, with the rainy season mainly from April to September. The soil surface is granite-derived yellow-red soil, and the slopes are sandy loam with a pH value of 4.5-5.5. The abundant rain, sweet spring water, fertile soil, and diffused sunlight create a favorable natural and geographical environment for the high quality of Xishan Tea. The weather in Xishan is mild in summer but hot in autumn, mild in winter but cold in spring, forming a scenic tourist area with “beautiful scenery on the mountain and fine taste in the tea.”
Nutritional Value
1. Antiviral and antibacterial
Tea polyphenols have a strong astringent effect, effectively inhibiting and killing pathogenic bacteria and viruses. They have a significant effect on reducing inflammation and diarrhea. Medical units in China have used tea preparations to assist in treating acute and chronic dysentery, amoebic dysentery, and influenza, achieving cure rates of around 90%.
2. Beauty and skincare
Tea polyphenols are water-soluble substances. Washing your face with them can remove facial oiliness, tighten pores, and have disinfectant, antibacterial, anti-aging, and sun protection effects against ultraviolet radiation.
3. Arousal and refreshment
Caffeine in tea stimulates the central nervous system, enhancing brain activity and promoting mental alertness and clarity. It is effective in alleviating migraines.
4. Diuretic and fatigue relief
It aids in diuresis and fatigue relief. Caffeine in tea stimulates the kidneys, promoting rapid urination and increasing the filtration rate of the kidneys, reducing the retention of harmful substances in the kidneys. It also helps eliminate excessive lactic acid in urine, accelerating the recovery from fatigue.
5. Anti-aging
It helps delay aging. Tea polyphenols are potent antioxidants and have physiological activity, acting as scavengers of free radicals harmful to the human body. Research shows that 1 milligram of tea polyphenol can eliminate the same amount of free radicals as 9 micrograms of superoxide dismutase, significantly higher than other similar substances. Tea polyphenols can interrupt lipid peroxidation reactions and deactivate active enzymes.
6. Fatigue relief
Green tea contains powerful antioxidants and vitamin C, which not only eliminate free radicals in the body but also stimulate the secretion of hormones that counteract stress and tension. The small amount of caffeine in green tea can stimulate the central nervous system and invigorate the spirit. For this reason, we recommend drinking green tea in the morning to avoid affecting sleep.
Product Characteristics
Sensory characteristics: Appearance: tightly twisted and evenly slender buds with exposed tips. Infusion: jade-green and clear with a bright hue. Aroma: fruity and floral with a lingering fragrance. Taste: full-bodied and reinfusable. Leaves at the bottom of the cup: bright green and intact.
Chemical characteristics: Tea polyphenols ≤28%, amino acids >2%.
Historical Folklore
The beautiful West Mountain in Guiping City, Guangxi, is renowned for producing famous tea. According to “The Annals of Guiping County,” “West Mountain tea grows below the chessboard rock, Milk Spring Well, and Guanyin Rock on West Mountain. Small bushes are scattered and planted, their roots absorbing stone essence, their leaves reflecting the morning sun, so the taste is sweet and rich, and the aroma is fragrant.” Legend has it that there is a giant chessboard rock on West Mountain, surrounded by towering trees, making it a perfect place to escape the heat. Immortals often came here to play. One day, the East Heaven Immortal and the West Heaven Immortal came to play chess. They agreed that the loser would be punished and must fulfill any request made by the winner. After a long match without a clear victor, both immortals became thirsty. The West Heaven Immortal blew a breath to conjure a cup of fragrant tea; the East Heaven Immortal also blew a breath to conjure a cup of spring water. As they drank, the West Heaven Immortal was entranced by the aroma of the tea when the East Heaven Immortal took advantage and checkmated him. Just then, several monks passed by and asked about the source of the fragrant smell. Upon learning that it was the fragrant tea, the East Heaven Immortal punished the West Heaven Immortal to scatter tea seeds here, so that fragrant tea would grow on the slope for people to enjoy. The West Heaven Immortal blew a breath, and countless tea seeds were scattered on the mountain. The East Heaven Immortal followed with another breath, causing many springs to appear, the water of which was milky white. Everyone exclaimed, “Milk Spring!” The milk spring nurtured the immortal tea, the tea plants thrived, the buds sprouted together, and the aroma was intense. Later, everyone said that West Mountain tea was a gift from immortals, which is why it is especially fragrant and sweet.
Preparation Method of Guiping Xishan Tea
In the scorching heat of summer, the purpose of Drinking Tea is to cool off, quench thirst, and relieve heat. Holding a large bowl and drinking quickly is considered drinking tea. However, continuous brewing and drinking with gulps is also called drinking tea.
However, Han Chinese Tea drinking, although different in methods and purposes, mostly advocates pure drinking. The method is to directly brew tea with boiling water without adding ingredients like ginger, pepper, salt, or sugar to the tea infusion. This is a pure Tea drinking method that maintains the original flavor and essence of the tea, believing that pure drinking preserves the “purity” and represents the “essence” of tea.
Awards and Honors
In 1987 and 1984, it was rated as one of China's famous teas twice.
In 1986, Xishan Tea received the praise “its color is emerald and glossy, the infusion is jade-green and clear, the taste is sweet and rich, the aroma is lingering and fragrant, leaving a lasting aftertaste, and refreshing the palate,” scoring