Tan Yang Gongfu Origin: Fuan, Tuorong, Shouning, Xiapu, and northern Pingnan in Fujian Province.
Tan Yang Gongfu Overview
Taste: High-quality tea has a fresh, rich, and mellow taste; tea of average quality has a relatively mellow taste. Tea liquor colour: High-quality tea has a bright red tea liquor colour; tea of average quality has a reddish tea liquor colour. Leaf base: High-quality tea has a tender, soft, and bright red leaf base; tea of average quality has a reddish leaf base that is not uniformly coloured. Tan Yang Gongfu tea is one of the three major Gongfu black teas of Fujian Province. It is said to have been first produced by villagers from Tan Yang Village, Fuan City, during the Xianfeng and Tongzhi periods of the Qing Dynasty (1851–1874), and has a history of over 100 years. It once led the ‘Minhong’ category in terms of the widest distribution, highest production, and largest exports. In 1915, it won a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition alongside Guizhou’s ‘Maotai Wine,’ gaining international acclaim. However, due to changes in tea classification, it transitioned from “red” to ‘green,’ and Tan Yang Gongfu tea became scarce. In recent years, through concerted efforts, Tan Yang Gongfu tea has seen some recovery and development.
The taste of Tan Yang Gong Fu
It has a fresh and sweet taste, a crisp and refreshing mouthfeel, a high and持久 aroma, a rich and fresh flavour, and a lychee-like fragrance.
Methods for identifying Tan Yang Gong Fu
Tan Yang Gong Fu black tea is divided into five grades: Special Grade, Premium Grade, Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3. The quality can be assessed based on factors such as leaf integrity, colour, aroma, taste, tea liquor colour, and leaf base.
Tea Leaf Integrity: Special Grade tea has a unique shape, is clean and lustrous, with visible downy tips, and is tender, tight, and slender; Grade 1 tea is tender, tight, and slender, with sharp tips; Grade 2 tea is relatively robust and compact; Grade 3 tea is still compact.
Colour: High-quality tea has a bright red or lustrous black colour; tea of average quality has a lustrous black or moderately lustrous black colour. Aroma: High-quality tea has a sweet and intense aroma; tea of average quality has a pure and authentic aroma.
The benefits of Tan Yang Gong Fu
Stomach care: Tan Yang Gong Fu black tea is made through fermentation and roasting. Under the action of oxidase, the content of tea polyphenols decreases, thereby reducing its irritating effect on the stomach. Weight Loss and Beauty: Tan Yang Gongfu black tea is also an excellent sports drink. The caffeine in the tea has a stimulating effect and promotes the body to burn fat for energy during exercise, thereby enhancing endurance. Moisturising and cooling: Drinking Tan Yang Gongfu black tea in summer can quench thirst and relieve heat, as the polyphenols, sugars, amino acids, and pectins in the tea react chemically with saliva, stimulating saliva secretion, making the mouth feel moisturised, and creating a cooling sensation.
Brewing Methods for Tan Yang Gongfu Tea
Tan Yang Gongfu tea is widely consumed, which is related to the quality characteristics of black tea. Based on variety, Tan Yang Gongfu tea has two brewing methods: the Gongfu method and the quick method; based on flavouring, it has two methods: the clear drinking method and the flavoured drinking method; based on tea infusion, it has two methods: the brewing method and the boiling method. However, regardless of the method, most people use a teacup for brewing, with only a few using a teapot, such as for brewing broken black tea or leaf tea.
The Origin and A Story of Tan Yang Gongfu Tea
It is said that in the first year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty, a tea merchant surnamed Hu from Tan Yang was doing business elsewhere. On the way, he encountered a tea drinker from Jianning suffering from dysentery at an inn. The man was vomiting and having diarrhoea, and his condition was critical. The kind-hearted Hu used Tan Yang tea, adding ginger and brown sugar to make a medicinal brew, which he administered to the man. Remarkably, the man’s condition improved significantly and he soon recovered. To express his gratitude for saving his life, the man formed a close bond with the tea merchant and imparted to him a unique private method for making black tea. Upon returning home, Hu used Tan Yang tea as the raw material and tried the private production method of the Jianning tea merchant. The new tea produced was indeed of exceptional quality, and when tasted by others, it was praised highly. Since this tea was made from local Tan Yang tea leaves and required considerable effort in its production, Hu named it ‘Tan Yang Gongfu.’
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Each leaf of tea carries a story of nature's gift.