novelaction Chapter 1308 Linhu Sparrow Tongue
Chapter 1308 Linhu Sparrow Tongue
It's the weekend again.
He Xu has a project that needs to be completed in time, so he needs to work overtime.
On Saturday morning, Su Xing went to the new house by himself.
The new house has been cleaned very thoroughly, and air purifiers and plants have been installed.
This week, whenever Su Xing and He Xu had free time, they would browse shopping platforms and order some things.
The main reason is that they don't have time to go to physical shopping malls, so they order many things from official websites, flagship stores on shopping platforms, and other apps.
The two usually work and go to school, and sometimes their aunt helps them put away their belongings.
I had some big things to install today, so I woke up and waited for the installer. I also took the opportunity to check out my new house.
In fact, the companies that renovate for them can also install home appliances and soft furnishings throughout the house according to the customer's requirements.
However, Su Xing and He Xu both felt that since they would be living in this house for several years, they would prefer to add things to it little by little, which would suit their tastes better and make it more comfortable to live in.
Su Xing spent the morning busy in the new house.
I returned to the studio in the afternoon.
She gave her employees a one-hour tea lesson.
Today is a day off, and only a few employees are in the studio. This is because they went out to handle personal matters during the weekday and came to make up for their work hours on Saturday.
So Su Xing held a video conference to give everyone a tea lesson.
The employees at the company listened to her live teaching.
Those who are not at their workplace can attend the class via video conference.
The prop she used in class today was the Linhu Sparrow Tongue.
This is an early-harvested green tea from Yibin, Sichuan Province. The first harvest begins in mid-February, but the first harvest is always limited in quantity and high in price.
Mass production began in late February, and the market supply was expected to stabilize after March.
The tea that Su Xing uses as teaching props was all mailed to her by her grandfather.
Although Grandpa Su is an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of making Lushan Yunwu tea, as a veteran tea expert in the tea industry, he has a wide network and can get his hands on any batch of high-quality tea.
This Linhu Sparrow Tongue tea is a premium pre-Qingming tea from the core production area.
However, this tea is actually quite niche. Many people who have been drinking tea for years may not have heard of it, or may have heard of it but never tasted it.
Therefore, in terms of price, it is not as high as the high-end grades of those well-known famous teas.
The tea that Grandpa Su mailed to Su Xing costs about three thousand yuan per kilogram on the market.
If it's ordinary quality everyday tea, the price is only three to five hundred yuan per kilogram.
The company's break room didn't have a large table for Su Xing to use as a teaching space, so the meeting room was used as a temporary teaching venue.
A light beige linen tea mat was laid out on the conference table.
Sunlight streamed in through the blinds, casting its light on the neatly arranged white porcelain covered bowls, glass fairness cups, and transparent teacups on the table.
Su Xing lightly tapped the tea caddy in the center of the table with her fingertips. Inside were tender green tea leaves shaped like sparrow tongues, all single buds, with uniform buds and leaves covered in fine white down.
She raised her hand and turned the tea caddy towards the crowd, speaking calmly and slowly: "It is the core representative of Yibin's early morning tea, belonging to the flat-shaped pan-fried green tea category. The true core production area is the high-mountain tea region in Gaoxian County, Yibin, where only the cloud-shrouded environment at an altitude of over 800 meters can cultivate this fresh chestnut aroma..."
She picked up a dried tea leaf and held it in front of the camera, gently unfolding the bud with her fingertips: "Look at its shape, it's flat and straight, with slightly pointed ends, just like the tip of a bird's tongue. That's where the name 'Sparrow Tongue' comes from. High-quality Linhu Sparrow Tongue dried tea has a tender green color with a yellowish tinge, and the white down all over it is a sign of high amino acid content. It takes more than 5 buds to make one pound of tea, so the dried tea has a distinct fragrance without any off-flavors."
Employees who weren't at the office stared at their phones, leaning closer to examine them closely.
The people in the meeting room gently inhaled the aroma of tea as Su Xing handed them the tea scoop.
Huang Wenwen whispered, "It really smells like chestnuts..."
Su Xing smiled and nodded: "The aroma will be more prominent after brewing."
Next, she began to explain the brewing method.
"Green tea is sensitive to heat. The buds and leaves of Linhu Que She tea are tender, so the water temperature must be controlled at around 80 degrees Celsius. Boiling water cannot be used, otherwise the buds and leaves will be scalded and the freshness will be ruined."
She picked up the silver teapot on the table, and the spout slowly poured the hot water into the glass. The hot water warmed the teaware first, and then she poured the water out.
"Warming the teaware is not only for cleaning, but also to ensure that the tea leaves come into contact with a stable temperature, which helps to release the aroma more evenly. The amount of tea leaves should be determined according to the capacity of the cup or gaiwan. For this type of cup, no more than 3 grams of dry tea leaves are sufficient..."
After warming the cup, she poured in 70% hot water and chose the top-pouring method to brew the tea.
Because this tea is of premium quality, with particularly tender buds, the top-pouring method can protect the cell walls of the tender buds to the greatest extent, retaining the highest amino acid content and maximizing the freshness of the tea soup.
Moreover, the visual effect of the buds and leaves standing upright and floating is more dynamic, making it suitable for observing the shape of the tea.
Just like now, the buds and leaves first float on the surface of the tea soup, with the tips of the buds covered with fine white hairs slightly upturned, like the tongues of sparrows just spreading their wings and lightly touching the water surface. A layer of light chestnut-scented tea mist will condense on the surface of the cup, and the fresh aroma will spread instantly.
After about five seconds, the bud began to slowly sink vertically with the tip pointing upwards and the root downwards.
During the process, the white downy hairs gently infuse into the tea soup, causing a fine mist to condense on the pale yellow-green tea liquor, clear and with a warm luster, without a trace of impurity...
"Wow...so beautiful..." Li Yinuo exclaimed softly.
Yuan Lei then picked up his phone, took two photos, and started recording a video.
Several employees watching the live video stream also carefully observed the shape of the blades in the water.
"Look at the color of this tea soup. A bright, tender green is the standard for high-quality Linhu Sparrow Tongue tea. If the color is dark yellow or cloudy, it is either old tea or there is a problem with the processing."
Su Xing brewed a few more cups of tea, gesturing for everyone to smell the aroma before tasting the tea.
"Can you smell the distinct chestnut aroma? Mixed with a hint of orchid fragrance, this is a unique aroma layering of high mountain tea regions, and it is also the key to distinguishing it from river valley production areas. The Sparrow Tongue tea from river valley production areas has enough freshness, but the aroma is more singular."
Everyone then joined in the tasting.
Huang Wenwen couldn't help but ask, "This tea has a slightly sweet taste. Is it because it has a high amino acid content?"
“That’s right,” Su Xing nodded approvingly. “The amino acid content of Linhu Sparrow Tongue tea can reach more than 6%, which is 2-3 percentage points higher than that of ordinary green tea. So it is fresh and sweet on the palate, without any bitterness. If you carefully feel the texture on the tip of your tongue, can you feel the subtle ‘downy aroma’? This is the flavor brought by the tea downy hairs, and it is also its signature taste.”
Several people picked up their teacups and drank tea.
What is that "fragrant" thing?
Zhang Xueyan smelled the aroma of the tea, took two sips, and savored it carefully.
Then she pushed up her glasses and said, "The aroma from the cup is sweet and fresh, like the refreshing feeling of biting into a fresh bamboo shoot. When you drink it, your mouth is full of this fresh and sweet taste. After swallowing, a faint fragrance lingers on the tip of your tongue. It's not a strong fragrance, but a light and refreshing sweet taste. Is this... a kind of 'hao xiang' (a type of aroma)?"
Su Xing smiled and said, "Pretty much. From the perspective of tea evaluation, the dry tea has a prominent and fresh aroma of downy hairs, with a tender flavor that is sweet and delicate. It blends harmoniously with the aroma of chestnuts from the mountains. The aroma is high but not overpowering, and it is fine, sharp and long-lasting. After brewing, it is warm and refreshing, with a tender, sweet, and sharp downy flavor that is distinct from the chestnut flavor. The downy aroma is the base, while the chestnut flavor is the main flavor. The aroma is pure, the downy aroma is prominent on the palate, and the aftertaste lingers after swallowing."
Everyone: "..."
I got eye irritation from listening to mosquito coils...
The people watching the video were anxiously waiting on the other side.
It looks amazing, but I don't really know what it tastes like!
Su Xing put down his teacup, picked up a pencil, and quickly sketched on the paper.
"Aroma is abstract, but it can be expressed visually. For example, you can draw a wisp of chestnut-colored smoke and label it 'High Mountain Chestnut Aroma,' or have a character smile with their eyes closed and caption it 'Fresh and sweet aftertaste, no astringency.' There are also brewing scenes; the water temperature of 80-85 degrees Celsius can be represented by a thermometer symbol. The technique of pouring from a high position and then pouring from a low position, the way to use the gaiwan and the water cup—these professional details can make the comic more convincing..."