| Pu'er Tea Culture |
Ethnic ways of Tea Consumption |
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Ethnic ways of tea consumption are more the vivid reflection of local ethnic minorities' attitude for life. During the development of tea planting and tea production through centuries, as those ethnic planters accumulated abundant experience in agricultural technology from repeated daily work, their creation for enjoyment of life never stopped, either. Based on surroundings of their residence, many different methods to prepare tea were invented by them and passed down. As a part of their own culture, these traditional ways of tea consumption are still performed in ethnic people's village life, to enjoy themselves or to please visitors. Tea prepared different ways by different ethnic nationalities is of very different tastes and flavors, but there is common ground for sharing, they all made the best of bestowal from nature, simply but effectively, and syncretized it with their inherent optimism for life and hospitality to their guests. |
Sour Tea of Bulang People Sour tea is very unique traditional food of Bulang People. Normally they take fresh tea leaves as material, cook it in boiling water then stuff it into bamboo while it's still hot, seal the mouth of bamboo tube with clay and bury it under moist earth for preservation of 2 or 3 months, natural fermentation takes place slowly during this period, the microbial change will turn tea leaves to be sour gradually. Bulang People eat sour tea mainly as snacks, it's refreshing and thirst-quenching, they bring it along while working in field, visiting each other, even when boy pops the question to his beloved or a traditional wedding banquet is offered, sour tea is something indispensable. But due to the strong odor that fermentation brings, it's very difficult for visitors to get used to it. |
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Cooked Tea Leaves |
Clay Sealing |
Made Sour Tea |
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Salad Tea of Jinuo People Jinuo People live in more southern area, where climate is hotter, and they like spicy food. Making use of abundant tea that grows around villages, with orientation to the taste they are fond of, Jinuo people invented special way to prepare tea, similar to vegetable salad we have for meals. With bamboo tube as container, fresh tea leaves are twisted off, pour in boiled water, then put in other additives as salt, garlic broken into pieces, dried chili powder and even fresh orange or lemon leaves, wait minutes in order to let different flavors get mixed, then a helping of appetizing salad tea is done, simple but tasty and refreshing! Salad tea is more a kind of homely dish of Jinuo people than beverage, it often appears on dinner table of Jinuo family, popular with both the young and the old, the male and the female. |
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Ingredients |
Being Mixed |
Salad Tea is Done |
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Wrap-charcoaled Tea of Jinuo People Besides the way Jinuo people prepare tea as dish, they enjoy special way of drinking it as well. Normal tea we drink needs complicated processing beforehand, to be slubbed, to be cured, to be dried, etc., Jinuo people's Wrap-charcoaled tea includes a shortened and quickened process, too. Wrap fresh tea leaves with banana leave or other similar plant leave, bury it in burning charcoal, before wrapping leave is burned out, packed tea leaves will turn yellow and withered, around 70% water has been dried off at this time, now it's ready for cooking. Bamboo is the normal boiler villager likes to use, since it's easy to get, put in tea leaves, pour in water, let bamboo be heated on charcoal fire and let water boil in bamboo for around 10 minutes, a cup of wrap-charcoaled tea with blend of very original taste of fresh tea leaves, some smell of smoke and some refreshing flavor of bamboo is done. |
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Wrapping Tea Leaves |
Out of Charcoal |
Cooking in Bamboo |
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Roasted Tea of Aini People Aini people is reputed for long history of tea planting and consumption, they inherited the ancient plantations and learned cultivating skills from Bulang People, and developed the technology of tea planting to a higher level. In long process of development, Aini People formed also their own different tea-drinking traditions, of which roasted tea is a universally performed example in their daily lives. Similar to Jinuo People's wrap-charcoaled tea, roasting is a shortened and quickened processing course, too, difference is that Aini People would roast fresh tea leaves directly above charcoal fire, it dries tea leaves faster. The soup of roasted tea contains more natural taste from tea plant, is specially favored by Aini People, when have visitors at home, roasted tea is often offered to deliver host's hospitality. |
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Aini Woman |
Roasting Above Fire |
Ready for drinking |
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