Caffeine Addiction

Tea in the Temple

The days of wet rain and flooded streets left me with time to enjoy cups of tea between sessions of training. The area around Er Zu Temple has plenty of tea fields. There are various mountains that grow green and black teas from the small camellia sinensis plants. The few months I've been here, I've been able to witness the picking, trimming, and maintenance of the fields.

Before arriving to Anhui, China; I thought the area wasn't that big for tea growing. I was very wrong... but kinda right too.*

Anhui and Tea

Anhui is located in the Jiangbei (江北) tea region of China. Which is the northernmost tea region in China, above the Yangtze river. The tea in these regions are all small leaf varieties. This is due to the environmental factors like cooler temperatures, less humidity, and soil. That being said, Anhui is known as a green tea powerhouse for China. Anhui also boasts the largest number of famous named teas in China. Teas from Lu'an, Yellow Mountain (Huang Shan, 黄山), Huoshan, and Qi Men Black tea to name a few. There is even a strand of Yellow Tea grown in Anhui!

*How was I kind of right?

In China, Anhui is known as a famous tea area. In the west, where tea culture is still developing, the most well known teas are Oolong, Pu'er, and a few varieties of Black and Green Tea. Most people will think of southern China for the darker teas of Pu'er, Oolong, and Wuyi mountain. Meanwhile, others will think of Japan for its green teas and matcha. People in the west are not as accustomed to the fact that there are different kinds of Green and Black teas. Or the fact that there is more to tea than just Green and Black.

As tea culture continues to develop in places like Europe and the United States, knowledge will spread. Slowly, people will become more aware about tea, how it's made, and what makes it great.

Not only do I have a lot to learn about Kung Fu, but I have way more to learn about tea.

📿Johnny