Bai Ji Guan Tea
Bai Ju Guan tea is one of the rarest kinds of Wu Yi Oolong tea found anywhere in the world .This tea is rumoured to have got its name from a brave rooster who died while protecting his young child from the ferocious attacks of an eagle. A monk, who was witness to the noble death of the rooster and was deeply touched by it, buried him at a particular spot in the ground, and the Bai Ji Guan tea plant sprung up from that very spot.
There are five different kinds of Wu Yi tea plants found in this world and Bai Ji Guan is considered to be the best kind of Oolong tea out of all of these. Its rareness comes as a result of the difficult procedure required in processing this exquisite Oolong tea. The processing has to be done with extreme caution and can only be handled by professionals, yet, the professional too are often reluctant to manufacture this tea since it requires a lot of care and patience. One small error in the production of the dried tea leaves could leave the Oolong tea leaves dark brown in colour like other Wu Yi teas. Oolong tea must be, rather than the ideally required dark green colour for the Bai Ji Guan tea.
This tea like other Wu Yi teas comes from the Wu Yi Shan range lying in the Fujian province of South Eastern China. Another name for Bai Ji Guan tea is White Cockscomb. The tea leaf is harvested in the spring season every year, on days when there is very little moisture in the air and there is no dew. The leaves of this Oolong are very long and curled up and closely resemble iron shards.
These Bai Ji Guan tea leaves are then rolled diligently by hand and then pan fried until the aroma of the tea leaves reaches its strongest point. The pan frying is done till this point only so that oxidation can be stopped midway. The deep green colour of the tea is obtained when the leaves are fired above charcoal; it is at this step that maximum care has to be taken to prevent the tea leaves from becoming too dark. Before this point the unfired tea leaves are deliciously sweet smelling but now acquire a soft, smooth and malty texture.
Brewing of the Bai Ji Guan tea must be done using purple clay or even porcelain tea cups. The tea cup and tea pot must first be rinsed thoroughly with hot water. The tea pot must then be half filled with the dry Wu Yi tea leaves. These leaves now must be steeped with hot water at about 95 degrees Celsius for approximately one minute. The subsequent brewing must be carried out for comparatively longer periods of time after each steeping.
The taste of this Oolong tea is different from any other, and in fact, the tea can also be very easily distinguished from its own family of Wu Yi teas. Bai Ji Guan starts off with a refreshing and quite sweet taste. It is uniquely fruity with a toasted, floral and honeyed aroma emanating from it. The oolong tea finishes on a hint of mellow fruit and honey note which lingers in the mouth for a long while. Thus, the taste of Bai Ji Guan tea is one of the most complex flavoured teas known to man.
- Shishir Rao
Tags: bai ji guan tea, dried leaf, oolong teas, tea, wu yi teas
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