Basic Introduction to Yu Yao Waterfall Immortal Tea
Yu Yao Waterfall Tea, also known as Yu Yao Immortal Tea or Fragrant Tea, is produced in the Daoist Mountain area of the Si Ming Mountains in Zhejiang Province. The mountain is located halfway up Waterfall Ridge at an altitude of over 400 meters. Surrounded by lush trees and bamboo, with crisscrossing streams, the tea plants are bathed in clouds and mists throughout the year, forming a unique natural quality. In his book “The Classic of Tea,” Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty mentioned that the tea made from the buds and leaves of large tea trees in Yu Yao was of exceptional quality and had gained a prestigious reputation during the Tang Dynasty. Lu Yu referred to it as “Immortal Tea,” hence its name, Yu Yao Immortal Tea. The mountain is located halfway up Waterfall Ridge at an altitude of over 400 meters. Surrounded by lush trees and bamboo, with crisscrossing streams, the tea plants are bathed in clouds and mists throughout the year, forming a unique natural quality. During the Ming Dynasty, poet Huang Zongxi wrote a poem titled “Yu Yao Waterfall Tea,” including the famous line: “After the late night roasting, we still try the newly divided waterfall spring.”
Nutritional Value
Growing wild on the Si Ming Mountains, also known as Immortal Tea or Fragrant Tea, it is a historically renowned tea. Drawing moisture from the waterfall and bathed in cloud and mist, this tea boasts excellent color, aroma, and flavor. It contains a high amount of tea alkaloids, Caffeine, fragrant oils, and vitamins. Not only does it have the effects of alleviating fatigue, refreshing the mind, quenching thirst, and aiding urination, but it also has some inhibitory and therapeutic effects on chronic diseases such as hypertension, hepatitis, and nephritis. The Waterfall Tea is rich in ingredients, with a high content of tea polyphenols, caffeine, and various vitamins. Medical appraisals have confirmed that Waterfall Tea can be effective against conditions like hypertension, kidney disease, and dysentery. Foreign guests who tasted the Waterfall Tea praised it, saying, “Originally a thousand-year-old longevity elixir, now it is once again the subject of admiration.” This tea, having vanished for a century, was later revived.
Product Characteristics
The Yu Yao Waterfall Tea has a compact appearance, slender and slightly flattened, with a green and lustrous color, a fresh aroma, a fresh and mellow taste, a bright green infusion, and tender, even leaves. After being lost following the Ming Dynasty, production was revived after the founding of the People's Republic of China and, in 1979, it was reintroduced. In 1980, it won the title of first-class tea in Zhejiang Province.
Historical and Folklore
Yu Yao Waterfall Tea, also known as Yu Yao Immortal Tea or Fragrant Tea, is produced in the Daoist Mountain area of the Si Ming Mountains in Zhejiang Province. The mountain is located halfway up Waterfall Ridge at an altitude of over 400 meters. Surrounded by lush trees and bamboo, with crisscrossing streams, the tea plants are bathed in clouds and mists throughout the year, forming a unique natural quality. In his book “The Classic of Tea,” Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty mentioned that the tea made from the buds and leaves of large tea trees in Yu Yao was of exceptional quality and had gained a prestigious reputation during the Tang Dynasty. Lu Yu referred to it as “Immortal Tea,” hence its name, Yu Yao Immortal Tea. According to “Jia Tai Hui Ji Shan Zhi” (1201-1204) during the Song Dynasty, “Among Hui Ji teas, only Wo Long and Ri Zhu are comparable, while the next best is Yu Yao's Hua An Waterfall Tea.” The Yu Yao Waterfall Tea is produced at Bai Shui Chong and Hua An Mountain. Bai Shui Chong Waterfall Tea originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished during the Tang Dynasty. It is the “Waterfall Immortal Tea” named by Lu Yu, as the tea plants grow in the mountain's ash soil, absorbing the moisture from the waterfall, resulting in tea leaves that are jade-like in color, highly aromatic, and of exceptional quality.
Hua An Mountain Waterfall Tea was already very famous during the Song Dynasty. Historian Huang Zongxi from Zhejiang East praised it in his poem “Praising Yu Yao Waterfall Tea,” saying: “The eaves' dripping of pine wind has just been swept away, and the light shade is the right time to pick tea. We are invited straight to the peak of the solitary mountain, and everyone is competing to harvest before the Grain Rain. The tea is divided into stalks and leaves in two baskets, and the family gathers around a single lamp. The roasting of Green Tea continues long after nightfall, and we still try the newly divided waterfall spring.”
Manufacturing Method of Yu Yao Waterfall Immortal Tea
Due to its long history, there is no way to verify the ancient processing techniques of the Waterfall Immortal Tea, and some believe they have been lost. However, traditional tea-making methods are still preserved in Bai Shui Chong Village in Liang Nong. The Waterfall Tea is harvested before the Grain Rain. Each pound of tea contains approximately 20,000 buds, and the harvesting standard is one bud and one or two leaves. The processing involves four steps: killing the green, light kneading, shaping during the second green stage, and drying. The main techniques include hand-tossing, shaking, shaping, pressing, rolling, cutting, grabbing, flipping, and tossing. The shaping during the second green stage is a critical step in the processing of Waterfall Tea, achieving a slender and elegant shape through the shaping process.
Awards and Honors
Production was revived in 1979. In 1980, it won the title of first-class tea in Zhejiang Province.