Black Brick Tea

Black Brick Tea Introduction

Brick tea originated in the white desert of Anhua, Hunan, and production began around 1939. Because the brick surface is embossed with the eight characters "Pressed by Hunan Brick Tea Factory", it is also called "eight-character brick". Because the brick surface uses convex characters, the Lanzhou market calls black bricks "Drum-shaped famous brand Anhua black bricks". The current annual output is about 5,000 tons, mainly sold in Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang and other provinces, with Lanzhou as the distribution center.

In the past, the raw materials of black brick tea were divided into two types: sprinkled surface tea and wrapped tea. Sprinkled surface tea has good quality, while wrapped tea has poor quality. When pressing, the inferior tea leaves are pressed inside, and the better tea leaves are pressed outside. In this way, the quality inside and outside are different, and the pressing is also more troublesome. In the mid-1970s, Anhua Baishaxi Tea Factory carried out process reform. On the basis of improving the quality of surface tea and wrapped tea, the surface tea and wrapped tea were mixed and pressed, without distinguishing between surface tea and inner tea, so that the quality inside and outside were consistent, and at the same time, the procedures were simplified and the work efficiency was improved. Now the raw materials for pressing black brick tea are 80% of the third-grade black raw tea, 15% of the fourth-grade black raw tea, and 5% of other teas, with a total stem content of no more than 18%. After these raw teas of different grades enter the factory, they must be screened, air-selected, crushed, and stacked to make semi-finished products that meet the specifications, with uniform shape and pure quality. The semi-finished products are then steamed, pressed, baked, packaged, and other processes to make black brick tea. The appearance of black brick tea is a rectangular brick, with specifications of 35×18×3.5 cm. The brick surface is straight, the four corners are flat, and the mold pattern (trademark) is clear. The brick surface is dark brown, the internal aroma is pure, the taste is strong and slightly astringent, the soup color is red and yellow, and the leaves are evenly old and tender. Each brick weighs 2 kilograms.

The efficacy and function of black brick tea

① Clear fat and reduce obesity: The polyphenols and their oxidation products in black tea can dissolve fat and promote the excretion of lipid substances; they can also activate protein kinase, accelerate fat decomposition, and reduce the fat content in the body. Therefore, black tea is called "slimming tea" by Koreans, "beauty tea" by Japanese, and "digestive tea" by Taiwanese. [2]

② Clear the stomach and intestines, aid digestion: Dark tea is rich in dietary fiber, which has the function of regulating the stomach and intestines, and it also contains probiotics, which can improve the intestinal microbial environment and aid digestion. There is a tradition in my country of using old dark tea to treat abdominal distension, dysentery, and indigestion.

③ Clear blood vessels and lower the three highs. Black tea is rich in theaflavins, which can soften blood vessels and effectively remove atherosclerotic substances in the blood vessel walls. It is called the "cardiovascular scavenger"; theanine effectively inhibits the increase in blood pressure, and 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 reduce 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 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 black brick tea

(1) Pregnant women should avoid drinking black tea, especially strong black tea. Black tea contains a large amount of tea polyphenols, caffeine, etc., which have many adverse effects on the growth of the fetus in the mother's womb. In order to ensure the normal development of the fetus's intelligence and avoid excessive stimulation of the fetus by caffeine, pregnant women should drink less or no tea.

(2) For those who are too thin, malnourished, or protein-deficient, dark tea can remove fat and hinder the body's absorption of protein. Therefore, for those who are too thin, malnourished, or protein-deficient, it is best to drink tea in moderation.

(3) Women should not drink strong black tea during breastfeeding. Drinking strong black tea during breastfeeding will cause too much caffeine to enter the breast milk, which will indirectly cause the baby to become excited after sucking the breast, which can easily cause less sleep and more crying.

(4) Vegetarians cannot drink black tea. Vegetarians who drink black tea are prone to lack of vitamin B, iron, calcium and other nutrients. The ingredients in black tea will hinder the body's absorption of these vitamins, so vegetarians must drink tea in moderation.

(5) People with insomnia should not drink black tea. There are many reasons for insomnia, but no matter what the reason is, it is not advisable to drink black tea before going to bed, because the caffeine and aromatic substances in black tea are stimulants, which can excite the central nervous system and brain, speed up the heartbeat and blood flow, and make people unable to sleep for a long time.

(6) Patients with severe arteriosclerosis and hypertension should not drink black tea. Such people should be cautious when drinking black tea, at least when their condition is unstable, they should not drink strong black tea, because black tea contains active substances such as theophylline, caffeine, and theobromine, which are potentially dangerous to people with cerebral arteriosclerosis and may promote the formation of cerebral thrombosis.

(7) Anemia patients should not drink black tea. The tannic acid in black tea can combine with iron to form an insoluble final compound, which makes it impossible for the body to obtain sufficient iron sources. Therefore, anemia patients should not drink black tea.

(8) Patients with special diseases, such as those with hypoglycemia, should not drink black tea. Black tea can quickly lower blood sugar in a short period of time, so fasting and hypoglycemic patients should avoid drinking black tea.

How to brew black brick tea

How to drink

Clear Drink Method

Cooking method: Choose a set of glass water boilers, filter, fairness cup, and tea cup. Use boiling water to warm the pot first, then put the prepared Fu brick tea into the pot. The amount of tea is generally 1:20 (the amount of tea can be increased or decreased depending on the tea ingredients and personal preference). After moistening the tea with boiling water, add cold spring water and boil it. Use a filter to drain the tea soup into the fairness cup, and then divide the tea into the tea cup and drink it. During the cooking process, the fragrance of the fungus flower of Fu tea fills the room, which is pleasing to the eye.

Brewing method: that is, the method of directly brewing and drinking, you can use a Piaoyi cup, a porcelain Sancai cup, or a purple clay teapot, a glass pot, add tea (tea-to-water ratio 1:20-30), moisten the tea, brew for 12 seconds (can be shortened or prolonged according to the age of the tea and personal taste), filter, and then pour into a tea tasting cup, you can smell the unique fungus aroma of Fuzhuan Tea, enjoy its bright orange-yellow soup color, and taste its mellow and sweet taste.

Calling method

Milk tea: First, break the tea into pieces and add it into boiling water. The ratio of tea to tea is generally 1:20. After boiling for 10 minutes, add fresh milk (pure milk) equivalent to 1/5 to 1/4 of the tea soup and boil it. Then use a strainer to remove the tea residue. It can also be made into salty milk tea or sweet milk tea according to requirements, and even some fried rice can be added. It can be drunk or chewed, with a full aroma and strong tea flavor.

Chrysanthemum and Fu'er Tea: Pour Fu'er tea into a pot at a ratio of 1:20 between tea and water. After boiling for 10 minutes, filter out the tea soup and add appropriate amount of chrysanthemum. It will become a chrysanthemum and Fu'er tea that can quench thirst, promote salivation and relieve heat. If it is the hot summer season, you can wait for it to cool down and slightly freeze it before drinking. It is especially cool and sweet, and is the best drink to relieve heat and quench thirst in hot seasons.

Brewing method

① Kung Fu tea brewing method: Take an appropriate amount of tea and brew it according to the Kung Fu tea brewing method.

②Cup brewing method: Use a Ruyi cup or purple clay teapot, take a proper amount of tea, moisten the tea with boiling water, and then soak for 1-2 minutes before drinking.

③Traditional brewing and drinking method: Take an appropriate amount of tea, moisten the tea with boiling water, then boil it with cold water, turn off the heat, filter the tea, and drink it.

④How to drink milk tea: After cooking the tea soup according to the traditional method, mix the milk and tea soup in a ratio of 1:5, and then add appropriate amount of salt to make milk tea with Western characteristics. The orange-red tea soup and white milk are fully mixed to form a pink color, which is very beautiful and is called "Red Beauty".

⑤Cold Drink Method: After filtering the tea soup by cup brewing or boiling, put it in the refrigerator or well to cool it down before drinking. It is a good drink to cool down and quench thirst in summer.

The medicinal value of black brick tea

Black tea generally has the effects of helping food and removing greasiness, lowering fat and weight, lowering the three highs, sobering up, warming the stomach, and calming the nerves. In addition, it also has the effects of supplementing dietary nutrition and inhibiting arteriosclerosis.