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For English, please scroll to the bottom. 看英文内容，请直接滑动到底部。 老桑说  茶叶不仅是一种饮品， 还代表着一种文化。 你是否会被茶叶的故事所打动？ ▾ 「 朋友，你好，我是老桑。 」  很多人问我什么是“好”茶。 他们说：“你已经研究了这么长时间的茶叶，那你觉得什么是好茶呢？”有时他们会问某一种茶，比如：“龙井真的是最好的绿茶吗？”有时他们也会热衷于比较：“正山小种和祁门红茶哪种更好呢？” 中国祁红博物馆 老桑与小胡 对西方人来说，祁门红茶是非常有名气的，因为它已经出口到欧洲和美国一个多世纪了。在中国现在生产的各种红茶中，祁门红茶更接近于西方人的饮茶习惯。尽管中国生产的70%都是绿茶，但西方人消费的80%却是红茶。 祥源茶业公司  祁门红茶造就了工夫茶，需经13道精制的步骤。其中最有特色的工序之一叫做“打袋”，是将茶叶进一步打碎分拣，使得顶层较薄的叶子和底层较厚的叶子分离开来。 打袋 “Congou”在茶叶贸易中表示“工夫”，意思是技巧和耐心，指的是高档红茶的制作需要更高的技巧。美国人已经饮用红茶几个世纪了，同时它也是在波士顿倾茶事件中被扔进海里的五种茶叶之一。】【超链接：波士顿倾茶事件：一场中国茶叶触发的革命】 那么，什么是“好茶”呢？ So, what is 'good' tea? 我认为对于这个问题，最好是给出两部分的回答。第一部分是客观方面的问题：某种茶叶的行业标准是什么？第二部分则是主观方面的问题：你喜欢它的味道吗？即便是茶叶再高档，但你就是不喜欢它，那么对你而言，它就不是“好”茶。反之亦然，即便是相对低档的茶叶，但你就是喜欢它的味道，那它就是“好茶”。 1. The objective test: what is the grade of the tea? 客观标准：茶叶的档次是什么？ 以祁门红茶为例，根据行业标准，工夫茶有10个等级的分类，它由三个关键因素来定义： 早期的明前茶都是高档茶叶，较晚的茶叶的档次则较低。 前三个等级的茶叶都是手工制作的，后面的七个等级则是机器制作的茶叶。 拥有更紧致条索的是更高的级别 因此，祁门红茶中，那些手工制作并在收获季节的早期采摘的薄质茶叶等级最高，而那些叶片较厚、机器制作并在后期采摘的茶叶则等级较低。顶级的祁门红茶非常昂贵，一般按斤销售，而第十等级的则是按吨来售卖。 2. The subjective test: do you like it? 主观方面：你喜欢它的味道吗？ 现在有趣的部分来了。你可以试试高级和低级的茶，然后从中做出选择。当你去茶馆的时候，茶商会竭尽全力地劝你去买更高档、更贵的茶，说这些茶叶的品质“更好”。根据行业标准，它们的确可能较好。但如果你不喜欢它们的味道，那么你就是在浪费钱。 当你尝试不同的茶时，还有考虑一些因素: Taste the teas side by side 不同的茶叶要对比着品尝 在祁门红茶博物馆，小胡邀请我同时品鉴四种高档的祁门红茶。那款顶级品质的祁门红茶茶叶叶片呈深棕色，随着茶叶品质的降低，其叶片的颜色也逐渐变灰。茶叶的等级越高，其Infusion（茶汤）的颜色和口味就越淡越精致；反之，随着等级的降低，茶汤的颜色也变深了，口味也变浓了。 祁红茶 小胡说，中国消费者更喜欢口感细腻的淡茶，而西方消费者往往更喜欢口感较重的浓茶。与这种说法一样，我gravitate（倾向）于更浓郁的味道，而小胡则倾向于清淡的口味。但其实这并不是孰是孰非的问题，而是取决于你的主观偏好。
祁门红茶 How does the tea make you feel? 茶能让你感受到什么？ 中医认为，有些食物属于“寒”性，有的则属于“暖”性，这对身体的不同部位会有不同的影响。红茶有助于暖胃，至少不会伤害或“刺激”胃。因此，那些肠道比较敏感的人可能更喜欢红茶。 Are you moved by the story of the tea? 你是否会被茶叶的故事所打动？ 茶叶不仅是一种饮品，还代表着一种文化。你是否会被茶叶的故事所打动？通常，你是否喜欢喝茶，往往取决于茶叶的典故。
胡元龙制茶要领手稿 祁门红茶的故事非常引人入胜。安徽茶商胡元龙于1875年开创了祁门红茶。当时徽州的茶叶行业非常保守，只生产绿茶。胡元龙知道，如果像其他人一样做绿茶生意，就很难脱颖而出，取得成功。 通过观察茶叶市场的大的趋向，以及分析福建茶商是如何向西方人销售红茶的，他借鉴并改进了茶叶的制作方法，并成为该地区首家红茶生产商，之后便与外国买家建立了联系。考虑到当地的文化和环境的局限性，这在当时是一个enormous（巨大的）风险。
祥源茶业公司 通过研究全球市场，calculate（预测）风险，胡元龙进入了竞争较少的红茶市场。他懂得如何“审时度势”，成功创造了一份举世闻名的财富，也就是我们今天的祁门红茶。 胡元龙的故事也许会让你有所触动。比方说，你希望打破常规，尝试一些新的东西吗？每个人都在做同样的事情时，你是否面临着一个stagnant（停滞不前的）局面？如果你被胡元龙与众不同的勇气所鼓舞，或许你可以沏上一杯祁门红茶，看看那种打破常规的“精神”是否会降临到你身上。 我的朋友，那些遵循行业标准的“好”茶也许并不适合你。要知道什么是“好”茶，首先要了解某一种茶的等级体系，然后予以品尝。如果你喜欢它的味道、它的感觉和它背后的故事，你就达成了目标。欢迎在下面的评论中分享你最喜欢的“好”茶！
 谢谢收看《老桑说》。 给你启发，激励你上进，陪伴你坚持。 敬请期待下一集。
英文版 English ﹀ ﹀ ﹀ Keemun black tea: is it “good” tea? ▾ 「 Hello, my friend！ I'm John Smagula. 」
Many people ask me what is “good” tea. They say, “you have studied tea for so long, so what do you think is good?” Other times, they ask about a particular kind of tea, like, “is Longjing really the best green tea?” Or they like to compare, saying, “What’s a better black tea, Lapsang Souchong or Keemun?”
China Keemun Black Tea Museum To learn how to answer this question, I visited the China Keemun Museum in Huangshan, where I spent a very pleasant afternoon with manager Hu Dongcai. He walked me through Keemun tea’s distinguished history and unique processing methods. The museum is part of Sunriver Keemun Black Tea Company, which has the capacity to produce 1000 tons of Keemun tea per year. Keemun (Qimen) is a well-known tea in the West, as it has been exported to Europe and the United States for over a century. Of the many Chinese black teas in production today, Keemun comes very close to what Westerners are generally accustomed to drinking. Although 70% of tea produced in China is green, 80% of tea consumed in the West is black.
Sunriver Keemun Black Tea Company Green and black tea are both produced from the same bush, the Camellia sinensis, with oxidation being the biggest difference between the two. Green tea is lightly oxidized, and black tea is fully oxidized. Almost all black tea is made in the same four steps: withering, rolling, oxidation, and drying. Green tea goes through a different process. Keemun produces a Gongfu (Congou) tea, where the black tea goes through a further 13-step refining process. One of these steps is known as “bagging,” where the tea leaves are further broken to separate the tops of the leaves which are thinner from the bottom parts of the leaves that are thicker.
Bagging ”Congou” is a name used in the tea trade for “Gongfu,” which means skill and patience, referring to the advanced skill needed to make a high-grade black tea. Americans have been drinking Congou tea for centuries, and it was one of the five teas dumped during the Boston Tea Party. So, what is 'good' tea? The best way to answer the question, I think, is to give a two-part answer. First is an objective question: what is the industry standard for this particular tea? Then comes the second, subjective question: do you like how it tastes? If it’s a high-grade tea, but you don’t like it, then it’s not “good” tea. And vice versa, if it's a lower-grade tea and you like it, it’s “good” tea. 1. The objective test: what is the grade of the tea? Using Keemun as an example, Congou has 10 grades according to industry standards, as defined by these three key factors: Pre-Qingming tea from the earliest flushes are higher grade, and later teas are lower grade. The top three grades are hand-made, and the bottom seven are machine-made. The thinner the leaves, the higher the grade. Therefore, Keemun tea that is hand-made and plucked earliest in the season with the thinnest leaves will be the highest grade, whereas coarser, machine-made tea harvested later in the season will be lower grade. Top-grade Keemuns can be quite expensive and are sold by the half-kilo, whereas the 10th level generally sells by the ton. 2. The subjective test: do you like it? Now comes the fun part. You can try high- and low-grade teas and then choose the ones you like. When you go to a tea store, the vendors will press you to purchase the higher-grade, more expensive teas, telling you that they are “better.” And they might be, based on industry standards. But if you don’t like the taste, you’re wasting your money. Here are some things to think about as you try different teas: Taste the teas side by side At the Keemun museum, Xiao Hu invited me to sample their four top-grade Congou teas side by side. The highest-grade leaf was dark brown, and they became grayer as the grade decreased. The color of the infusion as well as the taste of the higher-grade teas was lighter and more refined, whereas the colors became darker and flavors stronger as the grade decreased.
Keemun Black Tea Keemun teas have a distinct flavor, being both floral and fruity. Many describe classic Keemuns has having a rosy fragrance and ripe apple taste. These descriptors can be very subjective, though, and you may come up with your own. Xiao Hu said that Chinese consumers prefer the lighter teas with subtle flavors, whereas Western consumers tend to prefer heavier teas with a more robust mouth feel. And true to form, I gravitated toward the stronger flavors, whereas Xiao Hu headed for the lighter. It’s not a question of right or wrong, but what you prefer.
Teamaster Hu Dongcai Keemun is often brewed in a gaiwan to control the water temperature and water-tea ratio. For the smallest leaves, brew at 85oC (185oF) for 5-10 seconds each infusion, up to five infusions. With larger leaves, brew at 95oC (203oF) with longer infusion times. For convenience, you can also use a glass filter cup, following these same time and temperature guidelines. How does the tea make you feel? In Chinese medicine, there are foods that are “cooling” and “warming,” which can have different effects on different parts of the body. Black tea is said to “warm the stomach,” or at the very least, not harm or agitate the stomach. Thus, those with a more sensitive gut may prefer black tea. Are you moved by the story of the tea? Tea is a beverage, but it is also a culture. Sometimes, the story of the tea can influence whether you like it. The Keemun story is inspiring. Anhui tea merchant Hu Yuanlong created Keemun tea in 1875. At the time, the local Huizhou tea industry was very conservative, only producing green tea. Hu knew that it would be hard to distinguish himself and get ahead if he just did what everybody else did.
Wet Leaves He observed larger trends in the tea market and saw how Fujian tea merchants were selling black tea to Westerners. He borrowed and adapted those methods to be the first black tea producer in the region, and then forged relationships with foreign purchasers. This was an enormous risk at the time, given the culture and limitations of his local environment. By studying global trends and taking calculated risks, Hu entered the black tea market where there was less competition. He understood how to “judge the hour and size up the situation,” creating an inspiring legacy as well as the Keemun tea that we know today.
China Keemun Black Tea Museum In the 1773 Boston Tea Party, American Patriots tossed 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. This tea was mainly from Fujian province. Although Keemun tea was not created until 1875, it later became highly sought-after and had a large impact on American tea drinking preferences. Perhaps Hu Yuanlong’s story might affect you. For example, would you like to break out of your routine and try something new? Are you facing a stagnant situation where everybody is doing the same thing? If you’re inspired by Hu’s courage to set himself apart from the rest, perhaps you can brew a cup of Keemun and see if that same break-the-mold “spirit” will come to you. Black tea and green tea are both Chinese tea. Even though many Chinese prefer green and Westerners prefer black, both teas were invented in China and form a key part of Chinese tea culture. For this reason, I personally drink both! My friend, the “good” teas according to industry standards may not be the best for you. To know what’s “good,” first educate yourself about the grades of a particular tea, and then sample them side by side. If you like the taste, feeling, and story behind the tea, you have found a winner. Please share your favorite “good” tea in the comments below! { 今日英文速记卡 } 1.Infusion \ in-ˈfyü-zhən \ a)含义：n. 浸泡 b)例句： i.The color of the infusion as well as the taste of the higher-grade teas was lighter and more refined, whereas the colors became darker and flavors stronger as the grade decreased. 茶叶的等级越高，其茶汤的颜色和口味就越淡越精致；反之，随着等级的降低，茶汤的颜色也变深了，口味也变浓了。 ii.Banks are flush with cash thanks to the government infusion of your tax dollars. 随着政府将税款的存入，银行有了充足的现金来源。 c)近义词： immersion, soaking, steeping 2.Gravitate \ ˈgra-və-ˌtāt \ a)含义：v. 被吸引 b)例句： i.And true to form, I gravitated toward the stronger flavors, whereas Xiao Hu headed for the lighter. 与这种说法一样，我倾向于更浓郁的味道，而小胡则倾向于清淡的口味。 ii.If you have kids, you've no doubt noticed that, generally speaking, girls like to play with dolls while boys gravitate toward swords and trains. 如果你有小孩，毫无疑问你会注意到：一般来说，女孩喜欢玩洋娃娃而男孩痴迷于刀剑和火车。 c)近义词： drift, head, move 3.Enormous \ i-ˈnȯr-məs \ a)含义：adj. 庞大的；巨大的 b)例句： i.This was an enormous risk at the time, given the culture and limitations of his local environment. 考虑到当地的文化和环境的局限性，这在当时是一个巨大的风险。 ii.For those unused to having any say in how they live, the difference is enormous. 对于那些曾对如何生活没有决定权的人们而言，变化是巨大的。 c)近义词： mammoth, massive, titanic 4.Calculate \ ˈkal-kyə-ˌlāt \ a)含义：v. 预测；计算 b)例句： i.By studying global trends and taking calculated risks, Hu entered the black tea market where there was less competition. 通过研究全球市场预测风险，胡元龙进入了竞争较少的红茶市场。 ii.All this was used to calculate what percentage of time people spent in an unpleasant state. 所有这些都用于计算人们处于不开心状态的时间占比是多少。 c)近义词： figure, judge, reckon 5.Stagnant \ ˈstag-nənt \ a)含义：adj. 停滞的；不景气的 b)例句： i.Are you facing a stagnant situation where everybody is doing the same thing? 每个人都在做同样的事情时，你是否面临着一个停滞不前的局面？ ii.For a decade, middle class families felt the sting of stagnant incomes and declining economic security. 这十年来，中产阶级家庭饱尝收入停滞，经济安全不断下降的痛楚。 c)近义词： inactive, lethargic, sluggish
Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you. See you next time. 想了解更多信息，请持续关注新浪微博（@桑国亚）或公众号《老桑说》（laosangshuo） 老桑说 John Smagula |
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