A while ago, I had tea with a review expert, took out a cup of white tea, and asked a question “Guess what variety this is”. As we were about to blurt out the first answer, she told us a premise that this question had been tested by many experts.
We had no choice but to swallow our saliva, swallowing back the answer that was already on our lips, and then turning the big hair, big white I wandered around in my mind, thinking that I had already passed many exams, that answering incorrectly would not be shameful, and that even if I got it right, it would count. I was about to confidently say an answer.
The answer “Narcissus” was eagerly announced on the tea table.
This answer is commonplace at rock tea tables. Speaking of narcissus, it is still a variety born in the main white tea producing area. So, what makes it stand out among the already hundreds of famous rock teas?
No.1 Birth of Narcissus, Jianyang in the neighboring tea district
The varieties of Mount Wuyi can be divided into two major factions, local and exotic.
It was recorded in Lin Fuquan’s “Wuyi Tea Production, Manufacturing and Marketing” in 1942 that “according to the current survey, there are ten varieties of tea plants cultivated in Wuyi Benshan, which are totally different in ecology and quality, namely, the above-mentioned vegetable tea, narcissus, oolong, peach kernel, qilan, tieguanyin, meizhan, snow pear, huanglong, cinnamon, etc.”
Most of the exotic species are from southern Fujian, which can be referred to as’ south planting and north introduction ‘in terms of distance. The only neighbor who discovered them was the narcissus. It is said that a special tea tree named “Zhuxian” was discovered near Zhuxian Cave in Dahu Village, Xiaohu Township, Jianyang during the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang reign.
Xiaohu Zhuzhong Village Narcissus Camellia Tree
Of course, what people are more familiar with now is “narcissus”, which is a name change similar to another variety of rock tea, “carrying handle” cinnamon. In local pronunciation, “jade” sounds similar to “meat”, “zhu” sounds similar to “water”. To be honest, even locals may not be able to say about Zichouyinmao.
However, compared with most flower names in rock tea, which are based on legends, such as Dahongpao, Iron Arhat and other online celebrities of the previous generation are all this routine, and they still can’t remember the fairy routine. On the contrary, the name of cinnamon narcissus is more earthly, and grows up half of the sky.
No.2 Cross border success: relies on growing bigger and stronger
At that time, there was a saying about the name Narcissus. The person who discovered this tree picked green leaves to make oolong tea, but the tea they made had the fragrance of Narcissus orchid.
This phenomenon is a bit like the current talent show, where this idol was born with a background in “big dancing”, but one day when he suddenly showed his singing voice, he had to add a resume stating that “he was selected as a trainee because of his voice” to confirm his identity as a “treasure idol”.
Compared to whether this statement is true or false, what people are more concerned about is whether they have this strength. In 1985, it was recognized as a national excellent variety by the National Crop Variety Approval Committee, and ranked first among 48 “Chinese National Tea Tree Varieties” and 41 “Half Tree Large Leaf Tea Tree Varieties” in China, all of which proved its excellent quality.
In terms of the adaptability of tea trees themselves, they can span across the four major tea categories of red, green, green, and white, and also cross boundaries in terms of geography.
The narcissus in northern Fujian formed in the Jianyang area of Mount Wuyi, and the “narcissus in southern Fujian” formed in the Yongchun area of southern Fujian, based on the traditional processing technology, are molded into a “narcissus tea cake” at the later stage of rolling. Even Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Sichuan, Guangdong, and other provinces besides Fujian have introduced species.
In addition to expanding the scope of the circle, if we focus on a region, we can also see more subtle mountain field divisions. As far as Mount Wuyi is concerned, the quality of narcissus can be brought into full play whether it is a thousand small mountain farms with three pits and two streams in the core, or high mountain areas such as Wusandi and Chengdun.
The camphor tree old cluster, due to the unique environment around it, carries a very special mountain compound atmosphere
In addition, this ancient variety, which has grown to a certain age and coexists with the environment, has become a mirror of the mountain field, realistically expressing the characteristics of the environment and becoming a species that is not afraid to mark the mountain field.
Rather than discussing whether these mountain ranges are classified as first or second level areas, people are more concerned about the diverse qualities that different mountain ranges bring to narcissus with their “mountain charm”.
Gujing Laocong Shuixian Mountain Field
The adaptability of this mountain range is the confidence that the narcissus has repeatedly succeeded in crossing boundaries. More importantly, narcissus has strong plasticity and can absorb local craftsmanship features to become the desired appearance for the other party. The fragrant scent of Minnan narcissus and the rock bone floral fragrance of Minnan narcissus.
With this adaptable and malleable “academic genius” appearance, everyone wishes they had grown up in their own home.
Mount Wuyi has a long history of the large number of daffodils transplanted to Mount Wuyi. In 1947, Ni * *’s “Shuiji Lake – the Cradle of Narcissus” recorded that “in the first few years of the 19th year of the Republic of China, Mount Wuyi was in its most prosperous period, which was the golden age of Wuyishan rock tea. Wuyishan rock tea was made of narcissus varieties, which were the most lucky and in short supply. Therefore, every year, hundreds of narcissus seedlings were transported from the Great Lake to Wuyi, many of which were incalculable, and almost 100% of them were planted in Mount Wuyi’s new castle with narcissus seedlings and fill up the missing trees in the old tea garden.”
Today, narcissus has become an important variety of rock tea.
No.3 Thoughts on the Cross Border Approach
When crossing boundaries, it is easy to be compared. Which circle is more popular, especially in the case of neighbors, will amplify this comparison.
In terms of varieties, there is no such thing as’ God opens a door for you and closes another door ‘. After all, according to the picking standards of white tea rock tea, these two types of tea can be harvested in two batches.
The first batch of one bud and two leaves is used to make narcissus white, and the second batch of one bud and three or four leaves is used to make narcissus in northern Fujian. Therefore, there is no one-sided deduction, and instead, due to the high-intensity tea making during the tea season, only one item will be focused on.
There is another important reason why narcissus varieties are not commonly called in white tea. The product names in rock tea and white tea systems are different. Rock tea emphasizes varieties more, while white tea emphasizes grades such as silver needle, peony, tribute eyebrow, and longevity eyebrow.
In rock tea, narcissus is a variety of narcissus, while in white tea, these colors can be made according to different picking standards.
In addition, during the development of white tea, with the abundance of white tea varieties, the unique fragrance of narcissus white tea makes it easy to blend and refine with other white tea tree varieties to produce white peony, regardless of merit or reputation.
From this perspective, if the variety is solo in rock tea, then white tea emphasizes the power of collective soul.