Zhengshan Xiaozhong Tea

Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea is the originator of black tea in the world and is produced in Tongmu Village, Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, China. It is made from the fresh leaves of the local small-leaf Tea bush using traditional methods. Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea has firm tea leaves, a dark lustrous color, and a bright red, concentrated tea broth with a long, high-aroma that smells like pine smoke. The taste is mellow and thick, with a soup-like flavor of longan. Its unique quality characteristics have won the love of consumers at home and abroad. Not only does it have the benefifs of refreshing the mind and dispelling fatigue, it is also rich in anti-oxidation substances, which help maintain good health.

Zhengshan Xiaozhong Tea Details:

Product name: Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea
Place of origin: Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, China
Net content: 80g
Shelf life: 1080 days
Storage: Protect from moisture, odors, and direct light

Zhengshan Xiaozhong Tea Picking:

We have strict standards for the picking of Zhengshan Xiaozhong Tea: the picking period is from April 18th to May 30th each year, and the picking standard is one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves, leaving two or three leaves. When picking, the tea masters carefully select the fresh young leaves to ensure the quality of the tea. The freshly picked leaves are immediately sent to the tea factory, where they undergo a series of complex processing steps such as withering, rolling, fermentation, and baking, to finally become the Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea we know.

Zhengshan Xiaozhong Tea Production Process:

Withering‌: There are two methods: sun withering and heating withering. Sun-drying is carried out on sunny days, with the fresh leaves of the Zhengshan Xiaozhong variety spread out evenly on a bamboo mat. The sun's rays cause the leaves to lose some of their moisture and become soft. Heated withering is carried out indoors, with the temperature controlled to achieve the desired effect.

Rolling: Rolling is carried out after the tea leaves have been moderately withered, destroying the leaf cells and causing the tea juice to overflow. This speeds up the enzymatic oxidation of the polyphenol compounds and lays the foundation for the formation of the characteristic internal quality of black tea. Rolling also causes the leaves to curl into tight, straight strands, giving them an attractive appearance.

Fermentation‌: The tea leaves are fermented using the hot fermentation method. The moderately rolled tea leaves are placed in a bamboo basket and compressed, covered with a cloth or heavy fabric, and allowed to ferment under the action of their own enzymes. After a certain period of time, when the tea leaves are reddish-brown in color and have a clear fragrance, they can be removed for the next step.

‌Over the red pot‌: This is a unique process for Zhengshan Xiaozhong, which aims to stop the action of enzymes and stop fermentation in order to maintain the sweet and pure aroma of the small-seed black tea. After heating the iron pot to a certain temperature, the fermented leaves are added and stirred with both hands.
‌Re-kneading‌: The tea leaves after the frying pan need to be re-kneaded to tighten the loosened tea strips.

Drying: The kneaded or fermented tea leaves are broken up by the roaster and shaken to spread them evenly. They are then spread thinly on a bamboo water sieve, which is inserted diagonally into the hanging rack on the bottom floor of the roasting building. The open fire in the outdoor hearth burns pine wood, allowing the smoke and heat to enter the room for drying. During the drying process, the tea leaves continue to absorb the pine resin, giving the black tea its unique pine resin aroma.

Re-firing‌: After the dried tea leaves have been screened to remove coarse leaves and thick tea stalks, they are placed on a baking rack and baked with pine firewood to enhance the unique fragrance of the small-seed black tea.

How To Brew Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong Tea:

1. Warm the cups: Bring the water to a boil, pour it into the teapot, teacup, and other tea utensils in turn, and rinse them clean.
2. Add the tea leaves to the cups: Add 5g of Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong tea leaves to the teapot and use a teaspoon to put the tea leaves into the teacup. The tea-to-water ratio is 1:20. For an 110ml white porcelain teapot, add 5g of tea leaves. After adding the tea leaves, gently shake the teapot with the lid on, and then open the lid after a while to smell the fragrance.
3. Watering: Lift the kettle and start pouring water in a circular motion around the edge of the teapot. Do not pour water in a strong stream, and do not fill the teapot with water all at once. The water temperature should be 100°C. Pouring water around the bowl allows each strand of tea to come into full contact with the water and temperature, thereby fully stimulating the tea aroma.
4. Pouring out the tea: Pour out the tea immediately (within 5s after the water has been poured in), cover the lid of the bowl, hold the bowl upright at a 90° angle, and pour the tea into the gongfu cup or teacup to drink.

Zhengshan Xiaozhong Tea Characteristics:

Appearance‌: Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea leaves are plump, tightly bound, round and straight, with a dark lustrous color. When dry, they have a special pine resin aroma and dried longan aroma‌. Premium Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea has smaller leaves, while first-grade Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea has larger leaves, and second-grade Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea sometimes has tea pieces‌

Soup color and aroma‌: After brewing, the soup color of Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea is bright red, and it is durable, with various characteristics still obvious after four or five infusions. The aroma is very strong, with a mellow pine-smoke aroma and dried longan and candied date flavors, and the fragrance is long-lasting‌12. A good Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea has a soft pine-smoke aroma, while a poor tea has a harsh, numb or throat-cutting sensation

Taste characteristics‌: The taste of Zhengshan Xiaozhen is mellow and thick. When you take a sip, the mouth is filled with the fragrance of dried longan and honey. The fragrance is long-lasting, and the main characteristics are the mellow and thick pine smoke aroma, the dried longan aroma and the honeyed dates aroma. The tea broth is fresh and full-bodied, which is different from the strong and pungent taste of broken red tea. The aftertaste is long-lasting‌.

Zhengshan Xiaozhong Tea Benefifs:

Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefifs: The polyphenol compounds in Zhengshan Xiaozhong have anti-inflammatory effects. It has also been found in experiments that catechins can bind to single-celled bacteria, causing the protein to coagulate and precipitate, thereby inhibiting and destroying pathogenic bacteria.

Refreshing and fatigue-relieving benefifs: Medical experiments have found that the caffeine in black tea stimulates the cerebral cortex to excite the nerve center. This promotes refreshment, concentration, and sharpens thinking and memory.

Anti-oxidation and anti-aging: The antioxidants in green and black tea can completely destroy the chemical transmission pathways in cancer cells. The benefifs of black tea are roughly equivalent to those of green tea, but the antioxidants in Zhengshan Xiaozhong are much more complex than those in green tea, and are especially beneficial for the heart.

Detoxification: The theophylline in Zhengshan Xiaozhong, black tea, can adsorb heavy metals and alkaloids, and precipitate and decompose them. This is a boon for modern people whose drinking water and food are polluted by industry.