Compressed tea

Brief Introduction of Compressed Tea

Various loose teas are processed into semi-finished products, and then steamed at high temperature and pressed into tea cakes, tea bricks, and tea balls, which are all called compressed tea. Representative varieties of compressed tea include Yunnan Tuocha, Pu'er square tea, old green brick, Fu brick, Liubao brick, Xiangjian, Jinjian, rice brick tea, bamboo tube fragrant tea, black brick tea, Xiang brick tea, flower brick tea, Kang brick and green tip, square bag tea, and round tea (seven-piece cake tea).

The raw materials of compressed tea mainly include black tea, green tea, oolong tea and dark tea. Black tea compressed tea includes Xiaojing brick and rice brick. Green tea compressed tea includes Sichuan Tuo tea, Yunnan bamboo tube tea and Guangxi Baba tea. Oolong tea compressed tea includes Fujian Narcissus cake tea. Dark tea compressed tea has rich varieties and high output, including Fu brick, black brick, Xiangjian and Hua brick in Hunan; compressed tea, cake tea, Pu'er Tuo tea, Fang tea and Qizi cake tea in Yunnan; Kang brick, Jinjian and Fangbao tea in Sichuan; Laoqing brick in Hubei and Liubao tea in Guangxi.

The processing techniques of various compressed teas are not exactly the same, and the quality styles are also different. For example, the basic process of Fuzhuan tea is raw material processing, steaming, piling, weighing, pressing and forming, demoulding, encapsulation and solidification, blooming and drying. The finished product has the quality characteristics of yellow-brown color, pure aroma, mellow taste, and bright dark red soup. The basic pressing process of Guangxi Liubao tea is: initial steaming, piling, re-steaming, basketing, storage and aging. The finished product has the quality characteristics of black color, betel nut fragrance, mellow and delicious taste, and orange-red soup.

The efficacy and effects of compressed tea

① Clear fat and reduce obesity: The polyphenols and their oxidation products in Anhua dark tea can dissolve fat and promote the discharge of lipid substances; they can also activate protein kinase, accelerate fat decomposition, and reduce the fat content in the body. Therefore, Anhua dark tea is called "slimming tea" by Koreans, "beauty tea" by Japanese, and "digestive tea" by Taiwanese.

②Cleans the stomach and helps digestion: Anhua dark tea is rich in dietary fiber, which has the function of regulating the stomach and intestines and cleansing the stomach;

And the participation of probiotics can improve the intestinal microbial environment and aid digestion. There is a tradition of using dark tea to treat abdominal distension, dysentery and indigestion in our country.

③ Clear blood vessels and reduce three highs: Anhua dark tea is rich in theaflavins

, can soften blood vessels and effectively remove atherosclerotic substances in the blood vessel walls, and is known as the "cardiovascular scavenger"

Theanine effectively inhibits the increase of blood pressure, flavonoids can relax blood vessel walls, increase the effective diameter of blood vessels and lower blood pressure; tea polysaccharides have an effect similar to insulin, lowering blood sugar levels; polyphenols and their oxidation products can dissolve fat, promote the excretion of lipid substances in blood vessels, and lower the cholesterol content in the blood.

④ Clear toxins and protect the liver and kidneys: The unique probiotic functional factors and various compound ingredients such as polyphenol oxides and catechins in Anhua black tea participate in the metabolism in the human body, have a special purification function on the internal organs of the human body, absorb toxic substances in the body (alcohol, heavy metals, body waste) and excrete them out of the body, which can deeply detoxify; it also has an inhibitory effect on pathogens and protects the liver and kidneys.

Side effects and contraindications of compressed tea

None

How to brew compressed tea

The drinking of compressed tea still follows the ancient traditional tea drinking method in my country. According to the Guangya written by Zhang Yi of the Wei Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms Period, "tea was picked in Jingba and made into cakes, and the cakes were made with rice paste." The drinking method of cake tea at that time was: "If you want to drink it, roast it first to make it red, pound it into powder, put it in porcelain, and pour it with soup." In addition, it is also necessary to "use onion and ginger to stir it" to blend the tea flavor. In the Tang Dynasty, according to the "Tea Classic" written by Lu Yu, although the tea at that time was divided into "coarse tea, loose tea, powdered tea, and cake tea", coarse tea should be pounded first, loose tea should be dry-fried first, powdered tea should be roasted first, and cake tea should be crushed first, then put into the bottle, and boiled with boiling water before it can be drunk. As for seasoning, there are more than in the Three Kingdoms period, and red dates and mint are also used. However, after the Song Dynasty, compressed teas such as cake tea and ball tea have been replaced by loose tea in most parts of my country, and since then, the use of tea has also replaced cooking by brewing. In order to pursue the "original flavor" of tea, people's custom of "drinking tea with blending" has gradually replaced the original habit of "drinking tea with pure taste", which has brought about a major change in the way of drinking tea.

However, for more than a thousand years, this ancient way of drinking tea is still loved by the ethnic minorities in the border areas of my country. This traditional custom of drinking tea is still preserved by the ethnic minorities in the border areas of my country, except that the current compressed tea processing technology and drinking method have been improved and innovated.

At present, most of the compressed tea produced in my country is brick tea. Because brick tea is different from loose tea and is very compact, it is difficult to extract the tea juice by brewing it with boiling water. When drinking, the brick tea must be crushed first and cooked in an iron pot or aluminum pot. Moreover, sometimes during the cooking process, it is necessary to stir continuously to allow the tea juice to fully soak out. In addition, the ethnic groups that drink compressed tea are mainly concentrated in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia. They belong to plateau areas with low air pressure. Water boils at less than 100℃. If you use the brewing method to brew brick tea, the tea juice is even more difficult to extract. This is one of the reasons why compressed tea cannot be brewed, but must be cooked before it can be drunk. It is only because of different regions, different nationalities, and different customs that the preparation methods of compressed tea are different.

Tibetan compatriots are used to mixing compressed tea into butter tea for drinking, but their preferences for compressed tea vary. People in Lhasa like to drink Sichuan Kangzhuan and Yunnan compressed tea, while people in Qamdo like to drink Sichuan Jinjian. When they mix butter tea, they first crush the brick tea, boil it in a pot, filter out the tea juice, pour it into a tea barrel with butter and salt, and then insert a special stirring tool into the tea barrel and stir it continuously to mix the tea juice, butter and salt into a white slurry, then pour it into a tea bowl and drink it. When herders go out to graze, some also crush the brick tea into a small earthenware pot, add clean water, cooking oil and milk, boil it, and then stir it continuously with a bamboo stick to mix them together, and then pour it out and drink it. This kind of tea is called milk tea by the Tibetans. In normal times, some Tibetan families use a simpler drinking method, which is to crush brick tea, add water, add some salt, and then boil for more than 10 minutes, then slowly stir a few times, and after the tea juice is fully leached, pour it into a tea bowl and drink it. This kind of tea is called salt tea by Tibetan compatriots. However, during festivals, Tibetans must prepare butter tea and drink it deliciously.

Mongolian brothers living in Inner Mongolia, especially herders there, love to drink compressed tea. However, herders in Xilingol League and Yikezhao League mostly love to drink green brick tea, while herders in Ulanqab League, Bayannur League and Hui people in Hohhot love to drink black brick tea. Although the methods of drinking compressed tea vary slightly from place to place in Inner Mongolia, the common drinking method of most herders is to first split and smash the brick tea, then grab a handful and put it into an aluminum teapot, then add water and boil it, then add milk and salt, and stir it a little to make salty milk tea, which can be drunk three times a day in the morning, noon and evening. Although most of the ethnic groups in Xinjiang like to drink compressed tea, they have different requirements for compressed tea, so the drinking methods are also different. The Uyghurs mainly drink Fuzhuan tea. However, the practice in southern Xinjiang is to break up the Fuzhuan tea, put it into a long-necked copper teapot, add a little ground cinnamon, cloves, pepper and other seasonings, then add an appropriate amount of water to boil, mix it into fragrant tea, and drink it with three meals a day; the practice in northern Xinjiang is to break up the Fuzhuan tea, put it into an iron pot, add an appropriate amount of water, boil it, then add fresh milk or milk lumps and a small amount of salt to make milk tea for drinking. Kazakh, Kirgiz, Uzbek and other compatriots are accustomed to drinking rice brick tea. The practice is to first break up the rice brick tea, put it into a pot, add water, cook it on the stove into a strong tea juice, then pour the strong tea juice into the tea bowl, add a little salt and an appropriate amount of milk skin, and finally pour it with freshly boiled water to make it a salty and delicious milk tea, which can be drunk. Sometimes, they also drink sweet tea without salt and milk skin but with sugar cubes. Hui brothers mainly drink Fuzhuan tea, and some like to drink black brick tea. The method is to crush the brick tea into small pieces, put it into a pot, add water, boil for 3-5 minutes, and then drink it. This kind of tea is called drinking clear tea by Hui brothers. However, there are also people who like to drink milk tea. If you want to drink milk tea, then just pour the boiled clear tea into the boiled milk, and then add some salt.

Compared with many other drinking methods, the drinking method of compressed tea is different in at least three aspects: first, the compressed tea leaves must be broken into pieces before drinking; second, it is not suitable for brewing, but must be cooked to extract the tea juice; third, most of the time, seasonings are added during cooking, and the tea is drunk in a mixed drink manner.

Medicinal value of compressed tea

Lowering blood pressure: Theanine in Anhua dark tea can inhibit the increase of blood pressure; alkaloids and flavonoids can relax blood vessel walls, increase the effective diameter of blood vessels, and lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels; theaflavins can soften blood vessels and effectively remove atherosclerotic substances in blood vessel walls, and are known as the "scavenger" of the cardiovascular system.