We are visiting my friends. They live in northern Fujian, high in the hills.
They live in a circular building that is open in the center with six other families. Animals live on the first floor where tea production is also carried out. They were up before the sun but they politely let us sleep after our journey.
The women go out into the hills just as the sun rises with big baskets slung over their shoulders. Some women go to the bottom of the estate and work their way, row after row while some started near the top of the hill with smaller closed baskets. As they pick, the rows of camellia looked as if they were perfectly trimmed by a Bonsai Master.
The women at the top of the hill pick only the tiny shoots before they actually open into leaves. The women are done by about mid-day and return home. They dump the tea leaves on a huge white sheet that is laid out on the floor of the court yard. The tiny shoots are laid out on a long screen where they are left to dry in the afternoon sun. They dry into tight buds that look like fur covered needles
The women go inside to eat lunch with the family while the men go to work, cleaning and processing. They heat and twist the leaves inside a white cloth that is twisted into a long spiral that look like a rope then string the ropes in the rafter to dry and ferment. Two of the men take smaller leaves and twist them into tiny pearls then lay them in metal pans to dry and "fry" in the sun.
They take tea breaks during the day. Instead of using a tea pot as we would, they pour hot water in a bowl with the tea leaves the throw the water away. They pour water over the tea again and then pour from that bowl into tiny bowls. It is sipped and tasted then drunk, leaving tea in the bottom of the bowl to throw on the ground. They brew the same leaves two or three more times then all go back to work.
They finish their day when the days processing is done finish.
My friend Michael in San Francisco buys their tea. He pays well and sells to a few restaurants and tea merchants who pay a premium price for it.
Michael communicates with them through satellite internet that he furnishes the estates that he works with.
I would like to try my hand at picking and then processing before we leave.
One fun thing! After the women are done picking for the day. They let goats out on the mountain to graze. They keep the tea plants and rows between them free from weeds. They eat everything but the tea because they don't like the taste of it.
Master went back to our hotel because he needed to get some work done before his brother goes nuts on him. I'm enjoying the country and laughing at myself while trying to learn Mandarin. Good thing that Gae (spelled it wrong, I'm sure) speaks fairly fluent English.
Electricity is being turned off for a while.
I buy some of my tea from a grower in India who has a small plantation but it sounds very like the set up your friends have. I always have the idea that it tastes better because it's grown with love and because there's a real commitment to it. I'm sure I'm imagining that but I still like to think it.
ReplyDeleteI heard about that underground water on a BBC news item only yesterday. I have no idea about the repercussions but it sounds amazing.
I am sometimes a tea fanatic. I worked part time at a Teavanna store for the fun of working there. They paid me something like $8.00 per hour. I learned a lot about tea so it was worth my time. I have read many books on the subject that eventually led me to Michael and my first trip to tea producing regions of China and Japan. I'm not a great fan of Black tea except a few Assam varieties. I like Dumie Rain Gold in particular. My preference is white, green and especially Oolong. I prefer Chinese and Japanese brewing styles over European and American. I do not like the way the tea is brewed in the United Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because I like my coffee dark roasted and strong so I prefer New World coffee, especially Mexican Kulantik, which is super high is caffeine. My preferred method is from Nespresso. I don't like Starbucks or anything from a can.
I try to buy fair trade products and when I can, I like to get it from the grower. I have a friend in Jacksonville Florida whose family owns plantations in Japan. She started distributing in the U.S. I buy from her as well.
I heard about the subterranean water on BBC as well. I can't imagine how they would gain access to it or what repercussions it would have. It's going to be interesting to follow any developments.