Basic Introduction to Gan Pit Black Tea

The Gan Pit Black Tea from Guangze County, Minbei, has been renowned as a “Number One” brand since ancient times. Its reputation extends far and wide, and it is highly esteemed in tea circles. According to historical records of Guangze County, the Gan Pit Tea was already famous both domestically and internationally over three hundred years ago, known by the “Number One” designation. At that time, people were delighted to obtain it.

Nutritional Value

Black tea is rich in nutrients such as carotene, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, Caffeine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, glutamic acid, alanine, aspartic acid, and more. During the fermentation process, chemical reactions involving polyphenols lead to significant changes in the chemical composition of the fresh leaves, producing components like theaflavins and thearubigins. The aroma becomes notably more pronounced compared to that of the fresh leaves.

Product Characteristics

The color resembles that of agate, with a clear and fragrant aroma, a taste like sweet liquor, and it remains flavorful even after multiple infusions. When brewed, the tea water is clear and flavorful, with a taste reminiscent of longan, leaving a sweet aftertaste, a lingering fragrance, and an endless afterglow of flavor.

History and Folklore

According to legend, a young tea farmer named Gan Pit, who lived by cultivating tea, discovered this area in Guangze's Gan Pit region many years ago. He found that the tea grown here in the mountains had exceptional quality, with deep green leaves that emitted a pleasant fragrance from afar. Believing these must be fine teas, he settled down and carefully processed them, and the resulting tea was truly remarkable, filling his home with a delightful aroma upon brewing and selling out immediately when brought to market. The local government soon learned about this tea and designated it for exclusive use, prohibiting private sales. Local officials would bring this tea as gifts on their travels, which helped spread its fame. Since the tea did not have a name, people later named it after the farmer's name, calling it Gan Pit Tea, and the area came to be known as Gan Pit as well.

Production Method of Gan Pit Black Tea

Local tea farmers have specific practices for picking Gan Pit Tea and follow a unique set of techniques during processing. “Good tea requires good craftsmanship.” Each step, including plucking, rolling, fermenting, and baking, is carefully executed to ensure the tea produced has excellent color, aroma, and flavor.

Differentiating Genuine from Fake

(1) Touch Test

First, feel the weight, tightness, and thickness of the black tea strands. High-quality black tea strands tend to be tightly bound and heavier, while those that are loose and light are inferior. The primary purpose of touching the dry tea is to determine its dryness. Take a single tea strand; dry tea typically feels prickly and easily breaks, and can be ground into powder with finger pressure. If the tea is damp, it will not have these characteristics. However, when handling the tea, avoid grabbing large amounts to prevent sweat from your hands from seeping into the tea and causing dampness.

(2) Visual Inspection

Take a handful of dry tea and place it on a white sheet of paper or a white Ceramic plate. Hold the plate with both hands and rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise to observe whether the dry tea strands are uniform in shape and consistent in color. Some varieties may also need to be checked for golden tips. Strands that are tightly bound, intact, and clean, with minimal broken pieces and a lustrous dark color (some teas may also show golden tips), are considered superior. Strands that are loosely bound and discolored, with many broken pieces, dust, tea seeds, tea fruits, old branches, old leaves, diseased or insect-infested leaves, weeds, twigs, metal objects, or insect carcasses mixed in, are considered lower-grade or substandard teas. Additionally, the quality can be further assessed by observing the tea soup and leaf base after brewing. High-quality black tea produces a bright red and clear tea soup, with the leaf base fully expanded, uniform, and soft. Lower-grade and substandard teas produce a darker, murkier tea soup with a stale or moldy aroma, and the leaf base does not fully expand and appears dull and lifeless.

(3) Olfactory Test

This involves using one's sense of smell to detect any smoky, sour, stale, moldy, sun-dried, or other off-odors in the black tea. High-quality dry black tea has a sweet aroma, and after brewing, it releases a pleasant and sweet fragrance. Lower-grade and substandard teas lack these characteristics or contain off-odors. In fact, if the processing conditions (such as temperature and humidity) or techniques (such as withering and fermentation) are not properly controlled during the production of black tea, or if the finished product is stored improperly, some off-odors detrimental to the quality can occur. However, some unpleasant odors may be present in small quantities and are not easily detected when smelling the dry tea; thus, brewing is necessary to identify them. Teas containing sour, stale, or moldy odors that are not too strong can sometimes be improved through roasting.

(4) Taste Test

After assessing the dry tea's shape, dryness, color, and aroma according to the selection criteria, take some tea and chew it to further evaluate its quality based on taste. Additionally, you can conduct a tasting session. High-quality black tea primarily features a sweet and mellow taste. Small-leaf black teas have a full-bodied and refreshing taste, while工夫 black teas are characterized by freshness, intensity, mellow taste, and briskness. These qualities are less pronounced in lower-grade teas, while substandard teas have a strong and astringent taste or even off-flavors.