Mellow and sweet is the Insect Tea.

This tea consists of black颗粒, resembling rapeseeds. Place a few into a glass cup with hot water; initially, some颗粒 float, then release brown filaments that gradually diffuse like morning mist, spreading throughout the cup. The liquor turns amber, emitting a fresh aroma. A sip reveals a mellow, sweet taste.

Insect Tea is made from the dried droppings of the larvae of the Pyralid moth, produced in Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Hunan, with the best quality from Chengbu, Hunan, available for export. Tea leaves or sweetgum leaves are placed in baskets, sprinkled with rice-washing water. The fermented scent attracts Pyralid moths, which mate and lay eggs. After two weeks, larvae hatch, and their dried droppings become Insect Tea. It contains various nutrients and active substances, can relieve summer heat, aid digestion, refresh and quench thirst, and also has therapeutic effects on hemorrhoids and gum bleeding.

Refreshing body and mind is "Glutinous Rice Scented Tea".

Glutinous Rice Scented Tea is refined by blending Yunnan large-leaf tea with leaves of a wild plant called "Nuomixiang" (glutinous rice scent). Brew a little, and the liquor is golden yellow. A sip offers a sweet, mellow taste.

Books say "Nuomixiang" is produced in Xishuangbanna, a herbaceous plant growing under forest cover, about 30 cm tall, with branches bearing mint-like green leaves the size of fingernails, possessing a strong glutinous rice fragrance. The Dai people pick and dry them for storage at home, adding a few leaves to the tea bowl when drinking, feeling refreshed afterward. The Dai people enjoy this tea, so they plant it around their bamboo houses for easy picking.

Among non-tea teas, there is also Eucommia Tea, made from Eucommia leaves from the Qinba Mountains, combined with Shaanxi Ziyang selenium-rich tea, which has anti-cancer and anti-aging properties. It can tonify the liver and kidneys, strengthen bones, and lower blood pressure. Eucommia Tea blends with tea leaves to correct flavor, and "Nuomixiang" similarly serves this purpose when mixed with tea.

First bitter, then sweet: Snow Tea.

Snow Tea resembles loofah络, gray-white. Brew a cup; shortly, the water turns bright yellow. A small sip tastes like the Chinese herb Sterculia lychnophora, also similar to Prunella vulgaris tea, mellow and palatable without any grassy smell. Among non-tea teas, Snow Tea is one of the more delicious kinds.

In Naxi language, Snow Tea is called "Geleng," meaning "tea growing on rocks." It is a lichen, belonging to the Usneaceae family. Its name comes from its snow-like color and its growth on snowy mountains—on damp rocks and mossy ground near the snow line at altitudes of 4000-4200 meters. It is a precious local product of Lijiang. Similar tea exists on Taibai Mountain in Shaanxi.

There is also a rust-colored "Red Snow Tea." When brewed, the liquor is light red, with a taste similar to White Snow Tea, slightly bitter at first but quickly turning sweet.

Snow Tea has medicinal uses: clearing heat, promoting fluid production, calming the heart, clearing the liver, and improving vision. It can treat sore throat, oral ulcers, pneumonia, cough, neurasthenia, hypertension, diabetes, etc. Dosage: 2-4 grams per serving. Can be brewed alone or with tea leaves.

Unusual delight in the cup: Qin Fish Tea.

Qin Fish Tea is made by scalding small fish in boiling water with seasonings, then spreading them on bamboo utensils for roasting.

Dried Qin fish are about the size of small dried anchovies but slightly plumper. They have narrow fins and curved bodies, unremarkable in appearance, but when alive, they have tiger-like heads, phoenix-like tails, thick lips and gills, and beautiful silvery-white fine scales. Qin fish are only found in Qinxi, north of Jing County, usually hiding in rock crevices, appearing only for about ten days around Qingming Festival. Since the Tang Dynasty, they have been a tribute item. Research indicates Qin fish belong to the genus Ctenogobius, the same category as Lushan stone fish.

Qin Fish Tea lacks tea flavor, offering instead a fishy, salty, and umami taste. The姿态 of the small fish in the cup is quite观赏性. It seems Qin fish are more suitable as a tea snack or for making soup. However, the various休闲小食 (small dried fish) in food stores are not only more colorful but also tastier.