Fo Shou Tea

Yongchun Fo Shou Tea, also known as ‘Golden Fo Shou’, is one of the most precious varieties of Oolong tea, produced in Yongchun County, Fujian Province, China. The tea leaves are tightly bound and plump, and Yongchun Fo Shou Tea is curled and shaped with a dark green color. It gives off a heavyflavour aroma and has a sweet, thick, and long-lasting taste that is resistant to brewing. When brewed, it gives off a rich and fragrant aroma, as if the house were filled with fine fruits such as Fo Shou and fragrant citron, and the aroma is refreshing. Although Yongchun Fo Shou Tea is not as well-known among Oolong teas as Anxi Tieguanyin and Wuyi Dahongpao, it is unique in its own right with its distinctive aroma, and has become a famous product among Fujian Oolong teas with a unique flavour.

Fo Shou Tea Details:

Product Name: Yongchun Fo Shou Tea
Place of Origin: Fujian Province, China
Net Weight: 250g
Shelf Life: 540 days
Storage: Cool, Refrigerated, Drying, Protect from Light and Odours

Fo Shou Tea Picking and Production:

Yongchun Fo Shou tea is picked and produced throughout the year in four seasons. Spring tea is picked from mid-April to mid-May; summer tea is picked from early June to late June; summer tea is picked from early July to late August; autumn tea is picked after September. The standard for picking tea-making raw materials is to pick two or three leaves when the top bud forms a resting bud when the new shoots unfold four to five leaves. It is usually picked in the afternoon and processed in the evening. Fo Shou tea is made in the same way as regular Oolong tea, but because the cuticle on the surface of the Fo Shou leaves is thin, the stomata are large and sparsely distributed, the tea polyphenol content is high, and the polyphenol oxidase activity is strong, withering under normal temperature and humidity conditions should be done lightly, not heavily. Aroma-Developing Leaf Shaking and the thickness of the leaves should not be left to rest for too long or too thick. When the fermentation is moderate and the aroma reaches its peak, the leaves are then fixed at a high temperature. After Fixation, the leaves are rolled, initially fired, and initially rolled. Then, in view of the characteristic of Fo Shou leaves, which are large, the leaves are repeatedly dried and rolled for three or more times, which is more than the usual number of times for Oolong tea, so that the tea strips roll into a dried (dried shrimp) shape. Generally, high-quality Fo Shou is made after 3-4 consecutive clear days, with a slight northerly wind, a temperature of about 24°C between the greens, and a relative humidity of about 75%.

Fo Shou Tea Brewing Method:

1. ‌Warm the cups‌: Use boiling water to warm the tea set once, which can not only remove the odour from the tea set but also raise the temperature of the tea set, which is beneficial for subsequent brewing of the tea.
   
2. Put tea leaves into the teapot‌: Put the prepared Yongchun Fo Shou tea leaves into the teacup or teapot.
3. ‌Pour water‌: Use boiling water close to 100℃ for brewing. Remember to pour the water along the edge of the teaware to avoid direct impact on the tea leaves, which can reduce the bitterness of the tea.
   
4. Waking the tea‌: The first brew is usually used to wake the tea, i.e., after pouring in the water, it is allowed to steep for a short time and then quickly poured off to remove impurities on the surface of the tea leaves and wake up the tea.
5. ‌Brewing‌: Starting from the second brew, control the steeping time according to personal taste and preferences.
6. ‌Pouring the tea‌: Pour the brewed tea into a teacup and then divide it into smaller cups. When pouring the tea, try to drain the tea as much as possible to avoid affecting the taste of subsequent brews.
7. ‌Sipping the tea‌: Once the tea has reached the right temperature, you can start sipping. When sipping, first smell the aroma to see if the tea has a heavyflavour that lasts; then taste it to experience whether the tea is mellow and thick, sweetandfresh.

Characteristics of Fo Shou Tea:

‌Appearance:‌ Yongchun Fo Shou tea is made into firm, plump, curled tea leaves with a dark green color and a lustrous sheen. The appearance of the tea leaves is plump, curled, or round and plump.

‌Aroma:‌ Yongchun Fo Shou tea has a heavyflavour or long-lasting, rich aroma. High-quality Yongchun Fo Shou tea has an aroma similar to that of a snow pear, while top-quality Yongchun Fo Shou tea has an aroma similar to that of a fragrant roof beam. When brewed, it is even more fragrant and ethereal, like the lingering fragrance of a few good fruits such as Fo Shou and incense rafters placed in the room, which is heartwarming.

Taste‌: Yongchun Fo Shou tea has a mellow and thick aftertaste with distinctive varietal characteristics. It produces saliva in the mouth and is sweet and nourishing in the throat, leaving a lasting aftertaste.

‌Soup colour‌: Its soup colour is orange-yellow or light goldenyellow, bright and clear, as attractive as amber.

Infused leaf: The infused leaf is fat, thick, soft, and shiny, with a distinct red edge, which is also an important characteristic of Yongchun Fo Shou tea.

Fo Shou Tea Benefits:

Beauty and skin care‌: The vitamins and trace elements in Fo Shou tea can nourish the skin and increase its elasticity.

Promotes digestion: Fo Shou tea stimulates the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, promotes the secretion of digestive juices and relieves gastrointestinal spasms.
Lowers blood lipids and blood pressure: The active ingredients in Fo Shou tea, such as flavonoids, can lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and help stabilise blood pressure.

Refreshes the mind: The caffeine in Fo Shou tea can stimulate the central nervous system, enhance alertness and concentration.