Sunday, April 21, 2013

The Types of Tea and Their Chaqi: Aged Liuan Tea

Liuan tea has been used as a medicine for hundreds of years. Its qi is drying and has the ability to dispel dampness which accumulates in the body. Its bitter flavour is attributed to this health property as the bitter taste has a draining and often diuretic effect on the body. Conversely the tea also has hydrating properties as well. Aged Liuan tea becomes thermally warmer in nature as it ages. This gives the tea the ability to harmonize the body's energy with the heat of the summer. The result is a hydrated body and mind.

Traditionally it was often administered and drank in the summer in the Southern provinces of China. In this region of China the summers are unbearably hot and humid and aged Liuan was thought to remedy the imbalances created by these climatic influences. The symptoms of Summer Heat which include fever, sweating, heavy sensation of the limbs and head, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, bloating, dehydration- Luian tea was thought to treat these symptoms.

Traditionally Liuan tea is packaged in a bamboo leaf basket imparting the energetics of bamboo into the tea leaves. Traditional infusions of Liuan tea always include a piece of the aged bamboo basket in the pot of tea along with the dry leaves. Bamboo leaves have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years to reduce fever, detoxify, calm the mind, and drain dampness. These are some of the same medicinal properties of thought to be contained in Luian tea. When both bamboo and Luian tea are steeped together they are thought to enhance the medicinal properties of each other thereby creating a infusion that is more than the sum of its individual parts. The result is a delicious tea perfect for the hot humid summer.

Sipping away at some 1980s Liuan today, one hopes to review some of this tea as well as some other Liu An in the coming weeks and months.

Peace

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is really of topic, but I'd like to ask your opinion on copper kettles. Have you had a chance to test how they perform? Can they be used to boil water for tea?

Matt said...

Anonymous,

Copper kettles generally are not recommended to boil water for tea. They impart a certain subtle flavour that is a bit off putting with tea.

Do you have any experiences positive or negative with using them?

Peace

Anonymous said...

Matt,

Thanks for your answer!

No, I've never used one. I just broke my clay kettle and the tetsubin I bought from ebay turned out to be some kind of stainless steel kettle with lacquer on the inside... So I thought I'd buy a cheap copper kettle for this summer.

It's a shame really, there's many beautiful copper kettles available cheap from flea markets here. I guess I could look for some simple steel kettle :).

Matt said...

Anonymous,

Hahaha... Ebay, you never really know what you are getting. Its part of the fun of Ebay.

If you are looking for a good kettle on the cheap, glass is always a good option.

Peace