Bai Ji Guan (白鸡冠, Bái Jī Guān) literally called White Cockscomb is a kind of Chinese oolong tea and native to the Wuyi Mountain. Bai Ji Guan is a kind of Wuyi rock tea and is also one of the Wuyi Si Da Ming Cong.
The fresh tea leaves of Bai Ji Guan are white-yellow and white-green and look like the comb of the white cock. So it is called Bai Ji Guan. Bai means “white” and Ji Guan means “cockscomb”.
Because the yield of Bai Ji Guan is relatively low, not many people are familiar with it. In fact, the quality of the Bai Ji Guan is comparable to that of Da Hong Pao tea.
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History of Bai Ji Guan
It is said that Bai Yuchan, a famous Taoist master in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), found a tea tree in the White Snake Cave of Wuyi Mountain. According to the appearance of the tea tree, he named it Bai Ji Guan.
Then he took the Bai Ji Guan tea tree back to his Taoist temple and cultivated it carefully. Later, he created Bai Ji Guan tea and used it as a Dao Cha (Taoist tea) to promote his self-cultivation and change his temperament. The combination of tea and Taoist culture is an important part of the development of Chinese tea culture.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a story about Bai Ji Guan curing disease made Bai Ji Guan more famous. It is also famous for its appearance at that time.
Characteristics of Bai Ji Guan
Compared to other teas, Bai Ji Guan is very recognizable.
First of all, the appearance of the Bai Ji Guan tea tree is very eye-catching, with white-yellow color. In a large tea garden, you can see the Bai Ji Guan tea tree at a glance. From a distance, it seems that a yellow ribbon is floating in the green tea garden.
Secondly, the obvious characteristic of Bai Ji Guan tea is with herbal fragrance, which can not be imitated.
The picking time of Bai Ji Guan is late May. It is produced by multiple complex processes. The shape of the finished Bai Ji Guan is tight and twisty. The texture of the leaf back looks like sand grains and its color is yellow-brown, so Bai Ji Guan’s back is called “toad back”.
The color of its tea liquid is bright and orange-yellow. It tastes mellow, smooth, with no irritation and astringent. Especially, it has a strong and long-lasting herbal fragrance.
The planting area of Bai Ji Guan is small and it is difficult to plant and produce, so its yield is relatively low. Therefore, drinking Baijiguan is more precious.
Benefits of Bai Ji Guan
After drinking Bai Ji Guan, some people with a weak constitution will have a rapid rise in body temperature, sweating, and pore relaxation. It can bring tea-drinker such experience, which is worthy of the title “herbal tea”.
Traditional Chinese medicine experts pointed out that the main components of Bai Ji Guan are tea polyphenols, caffeine, lipopolysaccharide, and so on, which have pharmacological effects.
Drinking Bai Ji Guan usually brings a warm body, sweaty palms, and a large amount of urination, which is good for detoxifying the body. It proves the reason why Bai Ji Guan is used as Taoist tea.
Where there is heavy moisture or dampness, you can drink Bai Ji Guan to eliminate the dampness in your body. It is also suitable for drinking in the winter to make the body warm.
Benefits of Bai Ji Guan:
- Detox
- Diuretic
- Anti-aging
- Anti-cancer
- Weight loss
- Antibacterial
- Nourish stomach
- Lower blood sugar
- Anti-inflammatory
- Eliminate dampness