Cloud tea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cloud tea (Chinese: 雲雾茶; pinyin: yún wù chá; pronounced [y̌n û ʈʂʰǎ]) is a Chinese green tea that originally comes from Nanyue Mountain. It is named for the clouds of Le Mountain (南岳山; nányuè shān) where it is produced. In ancient times, it was called Le tea. During the Tang dynasty, it was used as tribute to the emperor. Cloud tea grows in the area of Guangji Temple, Tiefu Temple and Huagai Peak at an altitude of 800 to 1,100 metres (2,600 to 3,600 ft) with a mild and wet climate. Meanwhile, rich organic matter in the soil is extremely suitable for the tea's growth. The Chinese great tea master, Lu Yu in the Tang dynasty, once mentioned it in The Classic of Tea, which provides for the reputation of cloud tea in Le Mountain. In general, it is famous not only for its thin leaf and beauty, but also the fresh colour, cool taste and attractive smell. It has won an outstanding reputation in both Hunan Province and abroad.
It is said that Sun Wukong, the "Monkey King" (referred to in Journey to the West), often ate peaches and drank wine on Huaguo Mountain. One day he got tired of his usual food and drink, and decided to go to heaven to enjoy the tea usually enjoyed only by the emperor and the heavenly queen mother. In the sky as he flew towards heaven, he saw a branch of a tea tree which he did not recognize. It was harvest time, but the Monkey King had no idea how to harvest the tea. Thankfully, a flock of birds passed by and asked the king what was the matter. The king said that he thought Huaguo Mountain was nice, but lamented its lack of tea trees. Hearing this, the birds helped him to harvest tea seeds. Each bird carried some seeds towards Huaguo Mountain. They passed through the high mountains, through the clouds and along the river. While they were flying above the Mount Lu, they were struck by its majesty and could not help singing. As a result of their distraction, they dropped their seeds on Mount Lu. Tea trees soon took root, and grew evermore on the cloudy mountain.
Brief introduction
Cloud tea belongs to the green tea family. With a standard of one bud, one leaf about 3 centimetres, it is usually picked from Grain Rain (6th solar term) to Beginning of Summer (7th solar term). After a series of complex processes, the finished tea looks lustrous and beautiful.