In the early morning, in the boss's office on the second floor of Baozipu South Store, Li Youran, Chen Chuanzhong, and Liu Senjiang gathered together, sitting on the sofa, chatting and laughing.
There is a set of exquisite blue and white porcelain tureen tea sets placed in the center of the coffee table. Next to it is a maroon round paper tube. Near the edge of the coffee table, there is a stainless steel electric kettle filled with special water. It has just been plugged in for heating.
Today is an unusual day. Chef Chen made nearly half of the exquisite Dahongpao dry tea from the more than three ounces of fresh leaves he got back last time, and put them all into the inconspicuous maroon round tea tube. This is
In order to distinguish it from Cuifeng, the color was specially chosen.
"Boy, this tea was just made yesterday. I brought it to show off today. It's my first try. Please be more careful if there are any shortcomings." Chef Chen took the vaccination first and reminded the little ones.
Boss Li and Chef Liu don't expect too much.
"Master Chen, we are all one of our own, there is nothing to worry about." Li Youran said with a smile.
"Yes, Lao Chen, you don't need to be so careful. In fact, neither Boss Li nor I have tasted the real Dahongpao. It's not up to you to decide what it tastes like." Liu Senjiang joked with a smile, his round face
It looks even more shiny.
"You say this as if I'm trying to get into trouble." Chen Chuanzhong glanced at his colleague with dissatisfaction, who was delighted.
While the water was boiling, Li Youran took the red paper tube in his hand, opened the lid, and looked at the light outside the window.
I saw that the appearance of the dry tea is tightly knotted, and the color is green and brown. According to the pictures I checked, it should be a very good feature. Of course, the final result will only be determined after brewing.
"It's just for this little tea. Lao Chen has been very busy these days. He has bought several new things. It's not easy." Liu Senjiang was quite emotional.
"It's not easy at all. It's the first time and I didn't have all the things, so I was a little busy. But this time I used the standard highest-level method, which went through drying, cooling, greening, frying, and initial kneading.
Re-frying, re-kneading, baking in water, winnowing, cooling, picking, roasting again, winnowing again, adding fire to make it, a total of fourteen processes." Chef Chen introduced the process of making tea.
"Oh, it's so complicated." Li Youran shook his head repeatedly. Only people like Chef Chen who regard studying technology as a supreme pleasure can have enough patience. If it were him, he would probably be bored to death by going through all this trouble.
.
"It is said that God rewards those who work hard. If you want to get good tea, you must not be careless. There are shoddy goods everywhere on the street. How can you get into the eyes of Lao Chen." Liu Senjiang nodded in agreement. Good things are always hard-won. This
It is the simplest truth in the world.
While we were chatting, white steam came out of the electric kettle spout, accompanied by a buzzing sound.
When the water boiled, Chef Chen stopped talking and picked up the kettle. First, he poured the three sets of small blue and white tureens on the tea tray. This procedure is called cup warming. There is a scholar named Baihe Bathing to make the tea fragrant better.
inspired.
Next is to place the tea. Add about five grams of dry tea to each of the three bowls. The Dahongpao tea has a rich aroma, so there is no need to place too much.
The third step is to wash the tea. After adding the water, pour it out in a few seconds.
The fourth step is called Hanging Pot High Brewing. Chef Chen is seen holding the kettle, hanging it about 30 centimeters above the table, pointing the spout at the tea bowl, pulling it up and down, and the hot water falls into the bowl, and the tea leaves are brewed.
It needs to be turned a few times. Then cover the tea lid.
The whole set of movements was extremely smooth, just like when he was operating the red case. Li Youran and Liu Senjiang both cheered and looked forward to it.
After about fifteen seconds, the tea leaves came out. Chef Chen signaled the two of them to pick up the bowls, and he also picked up the one in front of him.
Although Li Youran is used to drinking lazy man's tea, he still understands this thing after spending time with the two chefs. He held the bottom of the bowl with his left hand, lifted the tea lid with his right hand, and gently scraped the water.
Suddenly, a wonderful caramel fragrance overflowed, and slowly turned into a quiet orchid fragrance, which seemed to fill the whole room.
"What a high aroma, pure and natural, without any impurities, it's rare." Liu Senjiang closed his eyes slightly and praised.
Next, we looked at the color. We saw that the tea soup was clear, bright, and deep orange-yellow in color. The tea leaves had completely unfolded, and the bottoms of the leaves were soft and bright, with red edges. This is also a typical feature of top-grade tea soup.
"The leaves are edged with red leaves, okay, the mother tree Dahongpao I saw back then also looked like this." Chef Chen's eyes showed joy.
After smelling the aroma and observing the color, the next most important step is to taste the tea.
Chef Chen reminded the two of you not to be anxious, to keep a calm mind and to appreciate it slowly.
Li Youran picked up the tea bowl as instructed, tilted it, slowly took a sip of tea soup, closed his eyes, and felt it quietly.
The mouth and throat are quickly filled with the rich floral aroma and sweetness, and the taste is mellow and long-lasting. When you swallow it slowly, you will feel a sweet and smooth heat flowing through your throat and lower abdomen, which is extremely comfortable.
There was also a strange feeling that was completely different from Cuifeng tea, but he couldn't describe it.
"Okay, the flowers are fragrant, the taste is fresh and mellow, and the tea is deep and refreshing. Good tea, really good tea." Liu Senjiang nodded repeatedly, with a look of excitement on his face.
"Sure enough, the rock charm is fully displayed, as if you are on the top of Wuyi." Chef Chen's mood also fluctuated a little.
By the way, Yanyun, that's the word. I just felt it, but couldn't describe it. Li Youran suddenly realized it.
After brewing, the fragrance lingered at the bottom of the cup. After Liu Senjiang and Li Youran praised it, they asked Chef Chen how this tea compared with the mother tree Dahongpao.
Chef Chen exhaled a long breath and said slowly but surely:
"There are slight differences in taste and aroma, but the quality is generally the same. Especially Yanyun, it seems to have the same effect but different approaches."
In an instant, Li Youran's heart was filled with joy. The legendary Dahongpao was finally planted successfully! The space land once again confirmed its powerful power to nourish all things.
"By the way, Lao Chen, don't rush to conclusions yet. I heard that the Dahongpao produced by the Nine Dragon Nest Mother Tree in Wuyi Mountain can be brewed nine times and still retains a lingering fragrance. This is the most rare characteristic." Liu Senjiang
Come up with new ideas.
"Old Liu, don't be too harsh on this. The Kowloon Nest Dahongpao mother tree is over a thousand years old. It is nourished by the spring water seeping out of the cracks in the rock. It has a unique growth environment. With such a rich heritage, how can this new tea tree be comparable? I guess
It's very rare to have seven or eight bubbles." Chef Chen felt that the Dahongpao in front of him was of such quality, which was an unexpected surprise and he couldn't ask for too much.
"Tea trees are not ginseng, and their age is not a factor. You two, this is actually very simple. You have everything in front of you and you will know once you try it." Li Youran saw that the two of them were arguing and quickly made suggestions.
Liu Senjiang naturally agreed. Chef Chen didn't say much after hearing this. He added new water to the kettle and boiled it for the second time.
That's it. The three of them drank tea and chatted together happily. There was no one in the office to disturb them, because Li Youran had said hello in advance that there would be an important tea tasting event this morning, and all other matters were postponed.
Time gradually passed. Before I knew it, the Dahongpao in the bowl of tea had been brewed for the eighth time. The aroma was still pleasant, but it was much weaker than the previous brews.
Chef Chen and Liu Senjiang were both surprised by this. Chef Chen tried hard to calm down his excitement, picked up the kettle and started the ninth brew.
After a moment, he picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. His expression became complicated.
"How is it?" Liu Senjiang asked eagerly.
"Wow, the lingering fragrance is still there." Chef Chen took a long breath again and replied.
"That's amazing." Liu Senjiang looked at the remaining tea in the cup and his eyes widened.
The new tea Dahongpao actually completely reaches the quality of the mother tree Dahongpao. If this was said to outsiders, no one would believe it, and they would probably think it was a liar showing off.
Li Youran didn't care about being cautious at this time. Anyway, he had been with the two chefs Liu and Chen for a long time, so he was no longer an outsider.
"Master Chen, try again." He said firmly.
"What, the tenth bubble?" Liu Senjiang felt that this was a bit too crazy.
"Okay." Chef Chen agreed without thinking this time. He picked up the teapot and rushed it down, then put the lid on it.
Twenty seconds later, the tea lid was opened, and all three pairs of eyes looked into the cup. At this time, the color of the tea soup was light, and it seemed not much different from plain water.
Chef Chen picked up the tea bowl, brought it to his mouth for the tenth time, and took a sip.
The other two people looked at him eagerly.
Chef Chen's eyes showed shock. He seemed to be in disbelief, so he took another sip.
"Old Chen, let's talk. How's it going?" Liu Senjiang asked urgently.
"I'm really impressed. There's also a hint of orchid. Although it's very faint, it's definitely there." Chef Chen put down his tea bowl and said with certainty.
"How is this possible?" Liu Senjiang was extremely surprised. He didn't care about anything hygienic and unhygienic. He reached for the tea bowl in front of Chef Chen, turned around and took a sip.
Sure enough, a hint of the elegant orchid fragrance was still lingering firmly in the water.
For a moment, the three people in the room were stunned and fell into silence.
Haha, Li Youran suddenly raised his head and laughed.
The Dahongpao of Space actually has the potential to surpass his predecessor, which is completely unexpected.
The two chefs Liu and Chen looked at each other and laughed heartily without realizing that they were infected by him.
Especially for Chen Chuanzhong, such a top-quality Dahongpao was actually made by his own hands, and it was his first trial production. At this time, he felt the same as when he passed the rigorous examination and obtained the junior chef qualification certificate.
After making tea this time, he gained a deeper understanding of the art of tea ceremony, which really benefited him a lot.
"Master Chen, I have long said that with your skills and understanding, it is reasonable to make such a Dahongpao." After laughing, Li Youran said to Chef Chen sincerely.
"Actually, there's a lot of youthfulness here, which you may not have noticed." Chef Chen was as humble as ever.
"Old Chen, there's no need to be so modest. Haha, it's a pleasure to work with you. I'll have good tea in the future." Liu Senjiang stood up, walked over and patted Chef Chen on the shoulder.
Li Youran also encouraged Chef Chen, saying that the tea making skills will become more and more proficient as he practices, and he will provide more fresh leaves for him to use in the future.
Finally, Li Youran explained to the two chefs that the Dahongpao tea tree was cultivated through a special process and involved top-secret technology, and told them not to tell anyone about this.
The two of them naturally nodded in agreement and left the office with satisfaction. (..)