Associated Press
一小碗冬季乌龙茶
据
说，国宾大红袍（State Guest Da Hung Pao）的优雅香气极为持久，早晨喝上一杯，第二天早晨都还有回味。这种说法当然有点儿夸张，不过，人们的确会为闻名遐迩的大红袍茶叶支付大额的金钱。大红袍跟乌龙茶相似，也是一种半发酵茶。
武夷星茶轩（Wu Yi Star Teahouse）在中国大陆拥有40家分店，这里的国宾大红袍售价为每两──不过是一小撮茶叶而已──16,800港元（合2,160美元）。（其它品牌的大红袍售价则为每两138港元。）
每一年，这里的100听国宾大红袍茶叶都会在两个月之内销售一空。如今，人们已经开始预订2011年采收的茶叶了。
据武夷星茶轩总经理Tracy Ho介绍，许多人愿意花这么大的价钱来买这种茶。
原因如下：
60泡的魅力：据说，国宾大红袍茶叶十分经泡，最多可以达到60泡。因此，每一听当中的一两茶叶泡出来的就不是5杯茶（每一次冲泡需要10克茶叶和大约100毫升100度沸水），而是300杯茶。
无菌加工：国宾大红袍茶叶不仅出自有机栽培，而且在整个生产过程当中都不会触及地面（与其它茶叶不同）：人们手工把茶叶采摘下来，然后小心翼翼地进行萎凋、筛选和烘干。因此，标准的饮茶礼节当中包含一个名为“洗茶”的程序，要求人们倒掉第一次冲泡的茶水，而在饮用国宾大红袍的时候，人们却可以省去这个程序。
生长条件得天独厚：大红袍茶叶的原产地是中国福建省北部的武夷山，六株大红袍母树就生长在这里。六株母树都受到法律的保护，不可以进行采摘，因此，如今的大红袍茶叶都是来自它们的子树。不过，出产国宾大红袍的子树与母树离得最近，那里的土壤特别疏松。这样一来，国宾大红袍就吸收了更多的矿物质，滋味也更加丰富。
政府认证：国宾大红袍的包装上都有福建省政府的官方戳记，产地不会有问题。
国之瑰宝：大红袍享有“中国茶王”的美誉，经常都会被用作馈赠外国元首的礼品。一个著名的例子就是，在美国总统尼克松(Richard Nixon)访华期间，毛泽东就送了他一些大红袍茶叶。
味道醇厚：大红袍的标志性特征就是香气浓郁。Ho女士说，你不妨把它想成一种上乘的香水，洒上之后可以保持一天，其间香气还会不停变换。顶尖的大红袍茶叶就具有这种罕有的特质，香气持久，同时又不熏人。国宾大红袍更是大红袍当中的绝品，不仅芬芳四溢，酸涩之味也不像其它大红袍茶叶那么强烈。
Amy Ma
（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）
http://www.cn.wsj.com/gb/20101123/sfd090206.asp?source=channel
The fragrance of State Guest Da Hung Pao tea is said to be so long-lasting that if you drink a glass one morning, the delicate perfume will still be detectable about you the morning after.
The story's a little much, but people do pay big money for this premium brand of da hung pao, similar to oolong, a type of semi-fermented tea.
At Wu Yi Star Teahouse, a tea shop with 40 stores throughout greater China, the price for 50 grams a handful of leaves─is 16,800 Hong Kong dollars (US$2,160). (The same amount of other da hung pao teas costs HK$138.)
Every year, the 100 canisters of State Guest Da Hung Pao tea sell out within two months. A waiting list for the 2011-year harvest has already begun.
Here's why many people will pay so much for this tea, according to Tracy Ho, general manager of Wuyi Star Teahouse general manager.
The strength of 60: The leaves from the State Guest Da Hung Pao are said to be potent enough to brew multiple pots of tea up to 60 infusions. So instead of just five cups of tea from a 50-gram canister (each serving being 10 grams of leaves and roughly 100 milliliters of 100°C water), you're really getting 3,000.
White-glove service: Not only is State Guest Da Hung Pao farmed organically, its leaves (unlike those of other teas) are never permitted to touch the ground: They're hand-picked from the bush and handled with special care through the withering, sifting and drying process. So while standard tea etiquette recommends dumping out the water of the first brew─to 'cleans' the leaves─this is not necessary for the State Guest Da Hung Pao.
Premium growth: The home of da hung pao tea is Wu Yi Mountain in China's northern Fujian province, where the six 'mother bushes' grow. All are protected by law against picking, so today da hung pao tea leaves are harvested from clones. The clones that produce the State Guest Da Hung Pao, though, are the ones closest to the mother bushes, where the soil is especially porous. As such, they absorb additional minerals and take on more complex flavor profiles.
Certified: The State Guest Da Hung Pao packaging bears an official seal from the Fujian municipal government verifying its origin.
A national treasure: Said to be the 'king of all Chinese teas,' da hung pao teas are often given as gifts to heads of state. U.S. President Richard Nixon was famously presented with da hung pao by Mao Zedong during his visit to China.
Smooth taste: The signature taste of da hung pao is distinctively floral. 'Think of it like a good perfume, which can last all day and changes in quality when you wear it,' says Ms. Ho. 'That's the effect of the best da hung ao it is a rare blend of long-lasting, but not overpowering.' The State Guest Da Hung Pao in particular is not only strongly aromatic, it's also less acidic and less bitter than other da hung .
Amy Ma
The story's a little much, but people do pay big money for this premium brand of da hung pao, similar to oolong, a type of semi-fermented tea.
At Wu Yi Star Teahouse, a tea shop with 40 stores throughout greater China, the price for 50 grams a handful of leaves─is 16,800 Hong Kong dollars (US$2,160). (The same amount of other da hung pao teas costs HK$138.)
Every year, the 100 canisters of State Guest Da Hung Pao tea sell out within two months. A waiting list for the 2011-year harvest has already begun.
Here's why many people will pay so much for this tea, according to Tracy Ho, general manager of Wuyi Star Teahouse general manager.
The strength of 60: The leaves from the State Guest Da Hung Pao are said to be potent enough to brew multiple pots of tea up to 60 infusions. So instead of just five cups of tea from a 50-gram canister (each serving being 10 grams of leaves and roughly 100 milliliters of 100°C water), you're really getting 3,000.
White-glove service: Not only is State Guest Da Hung Pao farmed organically, its leaves (unlike those of other teas) are never permitted to touch the ground: They're hand-picked from the bush and handled with special care through the withering, sifting and drying process. So while standard tea etiquette recommends dumping out the water of the first brew─to 'cleans' the leaves─this is not necessary for the State Guest Da Hung Pao.
Premium growth: The home of da hung pao tea is Wu Yi Mountain in China's northern Fujian province, where the six 'mother bushes' grow. All are protected by law against picking, so today da hung pao tea leaves are harvested from clones. The clones that produce the State Guest Da Hung Pao, though, are the ones closest to the mother bushes, where the soil is especially porous. As such, they absorb additional minerals and take on more complex flavor profiles.
Certified: The State Guest Da Hung Pao packaging bears an official seal from the Fujian municipal government verifying its origin.
A national treasure: Said to be the 'king of all Chinese teas,' da hung pao teas are often given as gifts to heads of state. U.S. President Richard Nixon was famously presented with da hung pao by Mao Zedong during his visit to China.
Smooth taste: The signature taste of da hung pao is distinctively floral. 'Think of it like a good perfume, which can last all day and changes in quality when you wear it,' says Ms. Ho. 'That's the effect of the best da hung ao it is a rare blend of long-lasting, but not overpowering.' The State Guest Da Hung Pao in particular is not only strongly aromatic, it's also less acidic and less bitter than other da hung .
Amy Ma
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