Laojunmei

Introduction to Laojunmei

In the 41st chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Mu tasted tea in Longcui Temple and said, "I don't like Lu'an tea." Miaoyu smiled and said, "I know, this is Laojunmei." Cao Xueqin, who knew tea and appreciated the fun of tea, wrote about "Laojunmei" in Dream of the Red Chamber, and it became a tea event that attracted the attention of thousands of people! For more than 200 years, how many tea lovers have been following its footsteps? How many people are tasting the "Laojunmei" that Jia Mu once enjoyed? I have also followed suit. However, every time I see a Redologist telling me about different "Laojunmei", I am at a loss again.

My parents told me that Junshan Yinzhen is "Laojunmei". So I buy a few taels of it every spring. I casually flipped through the "Dream of Red Mansions Appreciation Dictionary" published by Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House and it said: "'Laojunmei'" is the Maojian tea produced in Junshan, Dongting Lake, Hunan. Guangxu's "Baling County Chronicles" Volume 7 "Geography·Products" states: "Baling Junshan produces tea, which is tender green like lotus seeds and is used as tribute every year. Junshan tribute tea began in the 46th year of Qianlong in the Ming Dynasty, and 18 kilograms of it was paid as tribute every year. Before Grain Rain, the county magistrate sent people to supervise the monks on the mountain to collect and make a flag and a gun. It was white and fluffy, commonly known as Baimaojian." Because this Maojian tea is produced in Junshan, it looks like an old man's long eyebrows, which means longevity, and is especially loved by the elderly.

Many years ago, I saw the gourmet and historian Lu Yaodong say in the article "Grandmother Jia doesn't drink Lu'an tea, Miaoyu instead serves Laojunmei" in "The Fragrance of Tea": "As for Laojunmei, Zhuang Wanfang's "Famous Chinese Teas" believes that it is Junshan Yinzhen... In 1988, I visited Dongting Lake and climbed Yueyang Tower, and I drank this tea in Junshan." So, when tea friends asked me about "Laojunmei", I told them this.

However, Mr. Deng Yunxiang, the folklore guide, folklorist and Redologist of the 1986 version of the TV series Dream of the Red Chamber, has two different opinions on "Laojunmei": First, in the "Drinking Tea" in the "Red Chamber Knowledge Notes", he said: "Miaoyu said it was 'Laojunmei', which does not appear in the "Tea Chart". It seems to be the very finest of the 'Zhenmei', named 'Yinhao', which is the finest of the Wuyuan and Tunxi green teas." Second, in the "Red Chamber Tea Affairs" in the "Yunxiang Collection", he said: "'Laojunmei' is a kind of black tea. In the "Tea Tasting in Teahouses" in the "Qing Bai Lei Chao" by Xu Ke, a modern scholar, it says: "The tea sold in teahouses is divided into two categories: black tea and green tea. The red ones are called Oolong, Shoumei and Hongmei; the green ones are called Yuqian, Mingqian and Benshan... The 'Shoumei' among the black teas mentioned is 'Laojunmei'."

Mr. Deng said that "Laojunmei" is two kinds of tea, one red and one green, red and green. I think Mr. Deng must have a reason. From then on, I changed my mind and started drinking the first one Mr. Deng said. I bought the green tea Yinhao (Laojunmei?) Mr. Deng said. I remembered the tea that Jia Mu tasted in the Longcui Temple where "winding paths lead to secluded places, and the Zen room is full of flowers and trees". Drinking green tea is good. When I saw Mr. Deng's second one, I ran to Beijing Maliandao Tea City. There were both Gongmei and Shoumei. I bought a few taels of each. The familiar tea sellers laughed while taking it, as if they knew that I was "sick" from "Dream of Red Mansions"!

In 2005, Mr. Feng Qiyong wrote in his book Guafanlou's Re-edited and Critical Review of A Dream of Red Mansions, which is the culmination of his life-long research on A Dream of Red Mansions: "Laojunmei is also a famous tea in Anhui, produced in Lu'an, with slender leaves and white hairs. It is still produced today, and I have drunk it before." Mr. Feng is not only a famous scholar of the Red Mansions, but also a collector and connoisseur of purple clay teapots that I have long admired. He is also an expert in tea tasting and appreciation. I asked a tea friend in Lu'an to buy and drink the "Laojunmei" that Mr. Feng had mentioned.

Recently, I found in an old newspaper used as a packing material for a box that in 2002, in the store of Tianjin Zhengxingde Tea House, which had been demolished several times, I saw a price list from the 1930s hanging as a cultural relic. The prices of the products listed on it were: "Laojunmei is 3.2 yuan per catty, Junmei is 2.4 yuan per catty, Dashoumei is 1.6 yuan per catty, and Shoumei is 8 cents per catty." This "Laojunmei" was originally just a regular variety in a large tea house like Tianjin Zhengxingde. It belongs to the white tea category and is produced in the mountainous area of ​​northeastern Fujian. It is a specialty that other tea-producing areas do not have. The "Chinese Tea Classic" edited by Academician Chen Zongmao said that "Shoumei" is "white tea". It should be called "Gongmei", sometimes called "Shoumei". Generally, Gongmei means the best quality, which is better than Shoumei.

There are many different opinions, and no consensus! Which of these "Laojunmei" I have drunk is the "Laojunmei" that Jia Mu drank? If there is a way, I really want to ask Jia Mu herself!

The efficacy and function of Laojunmei

?This tea has bright color, refreshing aroma and sweet taste. It has the effects of anti-atherosclerosis, anti-aging, anti-cancer, weight loss and bodybuilding, prevention and treatment of tooth decay, sterilization and anti-dysentery, whitening and UV protection, lipid-lowering, refreshing and thinking, and improving indigestion. It nourishes the heart and maintains health. It is a pollution-free, healthy, fashionable and environmentally friendly green food and beverage.

Side effects and contraindications of Laojunmei

None

How to brew Laojunmei

① Water: Mountain spring water is the best for brewing green tea, followed by river water, and household mineral water and purified water are also ideal. Water with high acidity or alkalinity should not be used.

② Water temperature: It is best to use hot water of 80-85 degrees for high-grade Laojunmei green tea, and the water temperature of other grades of green tea is about 90 degrees. If the water temperature is too low, the tea leaves are difficult to brew, the nutrients are not easy to release, and the color, aroma and taste of the tea leaves cannot be revealed; if the water temperature is too high, it is not only easy to "kill" the tea leaves, making the tea water red and turbid, and taste bitter, but also easy to destroy the biological activity and nutritional components of the tea leaves.

③Tea set: It is best to use a transparent cup for easy tasting and viewing.

④ Brewing tea: When brewing tea, the tea set should be kept open and never cover the tea to keep it from getting soaked.

⑤ Drinking: First, moisten the tea leaves with water that accounts for about one-third of the volume of the teacup, and then pour it out and brew it for drinking. When drinking tea, it is best to add water every time you drink about one-third of the tea, so that the color, aroma and taste of the tea can be maintained for a long time.

Medicinal value of Laojunmei

It has the effects of anti-atherosclerosis, anti-aging, anti-cancer, weight loss and fitness, prevention and treatment of dental caries, sterilization and anti-dysentery, whitening and UV protection, lipid-lowering, refreshing and thinking, improving indigestion, etc. It nourishes the heart and maintains health