Chinese cultivar Bai Ya Qi Lan 白芽奇兰

08. 09. 2024

There are many tea cultivars for processing Oolong tea in southern Fujian, such as Tie Guan Yin, Jin Guan Yin, Huang Dan, Mao Xie, Ben Shan and many others. One of the famous tea cultivars from this area is Bai Ya Qi Lan 白芽奇兰, which is widely planted in the tea gardens of the Daqinshan area of ​​Pinghe County. It is one of the four famous teas of Fujian, the other three being Tie Guan Yin, Wuyi Rock Tea and Zhangping Shui Xian. Bai Ya Qi Lan is a tea of ​​unique quality. Although its processing is similar to that of Tie Guan Yin, it has its own very distinctive character. Bai Ya Qi Lan is the second most successful export Oolong from southern Fujian, sitting just next to Tie Guan Yin. We can freely translate the name of this Oolong as "the scent of a rare orchid".

Zhangzhou is a climatically warm area with abundant rainfall, and tea can be picked all year round in most areas. Climate is one of the main factors affecting the quality of Baiya Qilan tea. When the new shoots of the tea plants meet the picking standards, they should be harvested immediately on sunny days between 9 am and 4 pm to increase the amount of tea harvested by midday and improve the resulting quality. Tea harvested in the morning, midday, afternoon, evening, in the rain, or older leaves or leaves that are too dry, all these types of leaves are processed separately.

Records show that in the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (around the 1750s), a farmer found a strange tea plant growing on the side of the Pengxi Well at the foot of the Daqinshan Mountains. He collected a small amount of fresh leaves and prepared oolong tea from them using the southern Fujian tea processing method. This tea proved to be a great success. It had a fantastic lingering orchid flavor and a soft sweet finish. The tea was named Qi Lan. (Qi Lan means "rare orchid" in Chinese). Later, when the gray-white buds sprouted on the tea tree in the spring, people added the words Bai Ya (white bud) in front of Qi Lan. Thus Bai Ya Qi Lan was born.

The Bai Ya Qi Lan cultivar can be found in Daqingshan and surrounding areas. Daqinshan is the highest mountain in southern Fujian, which has dense forests and a good ecological system. Tea gardens are generally built at a minimum altitude of 800 m above sea level and use ecological farming methods. Bai Ya Qi Lan harvest style is bud and 2-3 leaves, harvest requires sunny days. According to experience, tea leaves collected between 9 am and 4 pm give the best quality Bai Ya Qi Lan. The spring harvest season begins in mid-April and ends in early May.

According to different processing methods, Bai Ya Qi Lan tea has different aromas. The production process of Qilan light fragrance is similar to that of Tie Guan Yin tea. The scent is higher and more persistent than Guan Yin teas and has a strong orchid aroma. Floral and fruity aromas are highly sought after in Oolong tea and Qi Lan tea is unique with its orchid aroma not found in other teas. Huang Jingui has a distinct fragrance of osmanthus, Dancong tea has a white magnolia fragrance, Meizhan tea has a peach fragrance, Baxian Oolong has a carambola fragrance, etc. The orchid fragrance of Baiya Qilan tea is a very harmoniously blended fragrance. It has both the mysterious fragrance of Suxinlan and the delicate fragrance of Molan. This is where the name "fragrance of a rare orchid" came from.

Oolong tea has been an integral part of oriental culture since ancient times. People not only love it for its unique tea taste and aroma, but also for its rich health benefits. Among the many health benefits, Oolong tea's ability to lower blood sugar is particularly eye-catching and is becoming a boon to many diabetic patients.

The scientific basis for this ability of Oolong tea has been confirmed by many studies. These have shown that active substances in Oolong tea, such as tea polyphenols and tea polysaccharides, have the ability to improve pancreatic β-cell function and increase insulin secretion. These substances also promote glucose utilization and metabolism and lower blood sugar levels, thus playing a role in preventing and alleviating diabetes and its complications. The health effects of quality Oolongs have been known in Fujian for hundreds of years and no one dares to question them. This is also proven by the surviving records of doctors at the imperial court, which confirm the frequent use of tea for various health complications.

Baiya Qilan tea is not only a drink, but also a life attitude and a respected cultural heritage. It carries the wisdom and efforts of the people of Fujian and is a symbol of their love and pursuit of a good life. Every cup of Baiya Qilan tea is a tribute to the thousand-year-old culture of Fujian. The centuries-old message tells us "let's slow down, taste a cup of Baiya Qilan tea and feel the beauty of life".