千年贡茶——长兴顾渚紫笋茶

Changxing Zisun Tea——Ancient Tea for Tribute

紫笋茶,史称"顾渚紫笋"或"湖州紫笋"、"长兴紫笋",产于浙江省长兴县顾渚山。早在一千二百四十多年前的唐代,茶圣陆羽在长兴顾渚山一带多次考察研究,发现顾渚紫笋茶经评比后认为"芳香甘冽,冠于他境,可荐于上"。"紫笋"名源于《茶经·一之源》:"阳崖阴林,紫者上,绿者次,笋者上,芽者次"。紫笋茶由此得名。

Zisun Tea, also historically called "Guzhu Zisun", "Huzhou Zisun" or "Changxing Zisun", is produced in Guzhu Mountain of Changxing county in Zhejiang province. It was found by a great tea man—Luyu more than 1,200 years ago in Dang Dynasty when he was exploring tea in Guzhu Mountain region. After careful study and comparison, Lu Yu termed Zisun Tea as one kind superior to others and presented it to the emperor vigorously. Thanks to the power of Lu Yu’s masterpiece—Book of Tea, Zisun Tea soon became a renowned tribute for royal family to drink and worship the ancestors. In Dang Dynasty, Zisun Tea was made into the shape of round steamed green tea cake with a hole in the middle. From plucking to tea-cake-making, the tea-producing underwent altogether seven procedures—flush-plucking, steaming, pounding, shaping, baking, punching and packing. The water used in producing Zisun Tea came from Jinsha Spring beside the Royal Tea Factory—that’s why there’s a saying "Guzhu Tea and Jinsha Water". Now the workmanship of producing Zisun Tea has been recovered in 1978. The renovated procedure has endowed new Zisun Tea with delicate purple color, straight and bamboo shoot shape, verdurous and moist luster, robust and graceful appearance, pure and transparent tea soup, fresh and lasting fragrance, as well as sweet and mellow taste. All these distinctive features have contributed to Zisun Tea’s outstanding quality and made it famous all over the world.