天娜茶語 錯作丫鬟的六堡茶
很多朋友都搞不清楚何謂熟茶，何謂生茶？其實。生茶與熟茶這個概念。是相對黑茶而言（即後發酵茶）的。在製作黑茶的過程中。我們要經過。渥堆這個步驟。這是將經過殺青以及揉捻的茶葉鋪在地上，避開陽光，使用天然的濕度，平衡茶葉的呼吸作用和發酵作用。所謂後發酵茶其實是茶葉的發酵作用依然在繼續進行中。生茶是指在渥堆的過程中，發酵只是進行了一部分。茶葉裡的茶多酚和兒茶素繼續在進行發酵的程序。普洱茶以往都是崇尚生茶。亦即是說說渥堆的過程中沒有100%完全發酵。而是透過時間的沉澱讓茶葉天然完成發酵。所謂熟茶，就是渥堆這個程序中，發酵的程度相對較高。讓茶葉去盡了青澀味。使茶多酚大量的轉化為葡萄糖，使兒茶素純化。茶葉中的咖啡因也會變弱。不會令人胃部不適和睡不著。
很多茶友都愛喝熟普洱，因為青普洱比較霸道；身子虛寒的朋友受不了。說起來熟普洱在六堡面前只是個初哥而已。因為。廣西梧州的蒼梧六堡茶已有1500年的歷史。而普洱熟茶技術，頂多不超過70歲。也許老一輩的朋友會聽過：原來不只煮中藥會有翻渣的情況；以前的老茶居，為了節省成本，他們也會將青普洱茶翻渣； 泡完茶後，瀝乾水份曬乾，其實這是自製的“渥堆”，普洱茶經過自行渥堆以後會變得更甜更滑，只不過衛生條件是另外一個問題。
很多香港的飲家都不知道六堡茶。早在百多年前六堡茶在新加坡和馬來西亞十分受歡迎。因為他的渥堆技術十分成熟和高超。所以有紅、陳、醇、滑的美譽。六堡茶有去濕、驅風、消暑、解毒和化痰的昭著功能。位處赤道的茶友豈能不愛？因為深受錫礦礦工的愛戴，所以又被人稱做“苦力茶”。真可憐！明明是產量遠低於普洱茶，而且又有這麼多的保健功能。淡淡的檳榔花香、芝麻香、和糯米香。又甜又滑，分明是大家閨秀呀！怎麼叫她做苦力茶咧？
六堡茶雖則是熟茶， 她的窖藏潛力絕對不亞於普洱。上百年的六堡茶對付老人家的犯痰喘功效神奇。我的茶道師兄弟姐妹,都備有一兩斤古舊六堡茶放在家裏看門口。
80年代末90年代台灣房地產巔峰的日子，香港的普洱茶都給寶島茶友搜刮殆盡。寂寂無聞的苦力一下子被炒貴了！超過40年的六堡茶，如今被炒到八千元一斤。情況猶如七零年代末勞司萊斯減產加價，平治一夜間給炒貴了一樣。小伙伴們如果有興趣收藏就趕快入貨了。反正二三十年很快就過。
有一個香港老茶商，囤積居奇，蓄了一手質量十分高的六堡茶。打算陳上六七十年后出售。怎料卻給蟲蛀了。一百斤只剩下不到十斤。沒想到塞翁失馬，焉知非福？那些排泄物。竟然像麝香貓咖啡一樣珍貴，有著一股十分幽雅的青樟香，而且對舒緩久治不癒的胃病十分見效。
我真的有茶緣， 有幸配得一丁點，打算跟有緣人分享。有興趣的朋友不要錯過！
蒼悟六堡茶午宴
日期：2023年3月18日 星期六
時間：中午12時至下午3時
地點：九龍旺角上海街555號康得思酒店明閣
費用：HK$1,088+10%
菜單：
Tina’s Tea talk_ A Fair Lady Mistaken as a Chaperone
Many tea lovers do not know the difference between raw tea and cooked tea. The notions of raw and cooked happen in the making of dark tea (post fermented tea). There is a process called heaping when we make dark tea. After the frying and rubbing, tea leaves are piled on the floor in pilons. Avoiding lights and wind, and making use of the natural humidity, the fermentation and respiration are well balanced during the heaping process. Indeed, the fermentation keeps going on. Raw tea means that during heaping, tea is not completely fermented, but it keeps on in a slow way while ageing. Cooked tea means that during heaping, fermentation is literally completely done. Such fermentation softens the leaves and eliminates, green bitterness of tea. Majority of the polyphenol is converted to glucose, Catechin and Caffeine become mellow. Therefore, tea will be more agreeable to your stomach, and you won't stay awake all night long. Most tea lovers enjoy drinking cooked Pure tea because raw tea is very aggressive and weak people will feel dizzy (a sign of intoxication) after drinking.
Cooked Puer tea is like a kindergarten student when compared with the Liu Bao tea from Guangxi province. It has got a history of 1500 years. The technique of cooked Puer tea developed massively less than 70 years ago. Perhaps you may have heard of recycling of Chinese herbal tea. Some old Chinese Dim sum restaurants recycle the raw Puer tea. In order to save costs, the used raw Puer will be drained and sun dried. This type of “heaping” will cooked raw Puer to achieve a result of a sweeter and smoother on the palate. Well, of course, hygiene is another issue.
Many Hong Kong tea lovers have not heard of Liubao tea. A couple of centuries ago, Liu Bao tea was very popular among Singapore and Malaysia. Their technique of heaping is very sophisticated, and it is praised for its beautiful brick colour, ambience of well aged, smoothness and mellowness. Liu Bao tea can cool you down, prevent sun stroke, fight fatigue caused by humid climate, detox, ease Rheumatism and help get rid of phlegm. How can one living on the equator refuse it? It is very popular among the pewter miners. Some gave it a nickname of the “Cooli Tea”. Poor thing! The production of Liu Bao tea is far less than that of Puer. Moreover, it has got so many healthy functions. It's got very subtle aromas of betel nut flower, sesame and glutinous rice. The aftertaste is sweet and smooth. She is utterly a fair Lady! How can one imagine that it is associated with Coolie?
Although it is a kind of cooked tea. The cellar potential of Liu Bao is second to nothing. Well aged Liubao tea of more than a hundred years old is super effective for elderlies’ Phlegm Asthma. All my tea ceremony classmates keep a catty or two home just in case elderlies need it.
During the late 80s and early 90s, when the real estate market in Taiwan was at her peak, all the fine and rare Puer tea in Hong Kong was purchased by Taiwanese tea lovers. In all of a sudden, the less famous Liu Bao was speculated and the price sky-rocketed to HKD8000 per 500 grams of 40-year-old tea. The situation is very much similar to the dramatic price rise of Mercedes Benz when Rolls Royce cuts its production. My dear young friends, if you are interested in collecting fine tea, please make haste! It does not take too long to pass a decade or two.
20 years ago, there was an old tea merchant who tried to speculate around 100 catties of high-quality Liu Bao tea. He intended to sell it at less half a century later. Unexpectedly the tea was eaten up by beetles. And there were less than 10 catties of beetle litter left. It was very dramatic that bad lucks turned into good as the beetle’s litter turned up to be as rare and fine as Kopi Luwak coffee. This “Kopi Luwak Tea” has got a very subtle aroma of green camphor wood and it is super effective of easing severe stomachache!
I am the very fortunate one to get a tiny allocation and I would like to share with real tea lovers. So please do not miss the chance of testing this rare tea in our upcoming tea lunch event.
Date : 18 Mar 2023 Sat
Time: 12:00 to 15:00PM
Venue: Ming Court, the Cordis Hong Kong, 555 Shanghai Street, MK.
Cost: HK$1,088+10%
Menu: