Ben Shan tea

Ben Shan tea is a very distinctive oolong tea, native to Anxi County in Fujian Province, China, and one of the four famous teas of Anxi. The tea leaves of Ben Shan tea are a sand-green color with a shiny sheen. After brewing, the infused leaf is a yellow-green color with a strong woody floral and fruity aroma. This unique taste makes Ben Shan tea very popular with tea lovers. Ben Shan tea was discovered in the mid-19th century, around 1870. Today, it is one of the most important representatives of Anxi oolong tea and even Chinese oolong tea. Its unique aroma, taste, and resistance to brewing make it a favorite among tea lovers. Whether you drink it yourself or give it as a gift to friends and family, Ben Shan tea is an excellent choice.

Ben Shan Tea Details:

Product Name: Ben Shan tea
Place of Origin: Fujian Province, China
Net Weight: 500g
Production Process: Traditional Craftsmanship
Shelf Life: 720 days
Storage: Cool, Refrigerated, Drying, Protect from Light and Odours

Ben Shan Tea Picking:

When picking our Ben Shan Tea, we select the tips of the shoots that have formed after the terminal bud, early unfolding leaves, or Early unfolding Leaves or Middle Unfurling Leaves. The farmers use a unique method called ‘holding the core between the palms of the hands’ to ensure that only the best leaves are picked. They strictly adhere to the principles of ‘Three No's’ (no leaves, no single leaves, no stems) and ‘Three L's’ (light, leafy, and just-ripe) to ensure that the leaves picked are of the highest quality. This picking standard ensures that the fresh leaves picked are of high quality, with tight strands and a sandy-green colour, laying a good foundation for the subsequent production process.

Ben Shan Tea Production Process:

The production process of Ben Shan tea is rigorous and rich in traditional characteristics and mainly includes the following steps:

‌Withering‌: The picked tea leaves are spread out to dry in the sun to evaporate some of the water and promote chemical changes in the leaves, preparing them for the subsequent Aroma-Developing Leaf Shaking.

Aroma-Developing Leaf Shaking: After withering, the tea leaves are shaken in a shaking machine, where they collide and scatter inside the cylinder, destroying the leaf edge cells, volatilising the grassy aroma, and making the leaves firm.

Fixation: Fixation is one of the key measures to improve the quality of tea. The fixation of Ben Shan tea is usually done by quick high-temperature frying, which quickly destroys the enzymatic activity in the fresh leaves and fixes the quality of the tea. After fixation, the colour of the tea leaves changes from bright green to dark green. The tea leaves feel slightly sticky when you squeeze them in your hand, the thick stems break without snapping, the fresh aroma disappears, and a tea aroma remains.

Rolling‌: The rolling of Ben Shan tea is mostly done using a hot rolling method. When the tea leaves have a strong adhesive force, they are rolled into a ball or grasped by the main stem of each bud and rolled one leaf at a time or several leaves at a time into a strip shape. After rolling, the tea leaves are tightly bound and bent, laying the foundation for subsequent drying and shaping.

Drying‌: The drying of Ben Shan tea usually involves roasting, which involves drying the tea at high temperatures to remove the water inside, thereby reducing the water activity, inhibiting the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, and extending the storage period of the tea. At the same time, roasting can further promote the conversion of substances inside the tea and the formation of aromas, making the tea more mellow and thick, sweetandfresh.

How to Brew Ben Shan Tea:

‌Scald the pot and warm the cups: Before brewing Ben Shan Tea, scald the teaware with boiling water first. This not only removes any foreign odors from the teaware but also raises the temperature of the teaware, which is beneficial for subsequent brewing of the tea.

1. Put tea leaves into the teapot: Put the prepared Ben Shan tea leaves into the teacup or purple clay teapot.
   
2. Pouring water‌: Use boiling water that is close to 100 °C for brewing. The first brew is usually for washing tea, which means pouring the water out immediately after pouring it in to remove impurities and dust from the surface of the tea leaves. From the second brew onwards, control the steeping time according to personal taste and preferences. Generally speaking, the steeping time for the first and second waters is about 30 seconds, and the steeping time is appropriately extended after the third water.
   ‌Pouring the tea‌: Pour the brewed tea into the gongfu cup, and then divide it into the cups for drinking. When pouring the tea, try to drain the tea as much as possible to avoid affecting the taste of subsequent brews.
   
3. Drinking‌: Once the tea has reached the right temperature, you can start drinking. When drinking, first smell the fragrance to see if the tea has a heavyflavour and a long-lasting aroma; then taste it to experience whether the tea is mellow and thick, sweetandfresh.

Characteristics of Ben Shan Tea:

Appearance: The finished Ben Shan tea has a sand-green colour, a shiny appearance, tightly bound strands, and is heavy as iron.

Aroma: The aroma of Ben Shan tea is strong and long-lasting, with a strong woody floral and fruity fragrance.

Soup colour: The soup colour of Ben Shan tea is goldenyellow, bright and clear, and some are orangeyellow or reddishbrown.

‌Taste‌: The tea is smooth and slightly bitter at first, then sweet with a honeyed aftertaste. It is rich and mellow, with a long, lingering aftertaste.

Infused leaf‌: After brewing, the tea leaves are even and compact, with a certain degree of toughness.

Ben Shan Tea Benefits:

Stimulant effect: The caffeine in Ben Shan tea can stimulate the central nervous system, helping people to invigorate the spirit, enhance thinking, eliminate fatigue, and improve work efficiency.

Antibacterial effect: The polyphenols and tannins in Ben Shan tea act on bacteria, coagulating their proteins and killing them.

Weight loss effect: The various compounds in tea, such as caffeine, inositol, folic acid, pantothenic acid, and aromatic substances, can regulate fat metabolism. Oolong tea in particular has a good effect on the breakdown of proteins and fats.

Inhibitory effect on cancer cells: The flavonoids in Ben Shan tea have varying degrees of in vitro anticancer effects. The more potent ones are vitexin, mulberry pigment, and catechin.