Kick Off Chinese New Year Celebrations With These Special Teas
Many of us began this final year of the first quarter of the 21st century with New Year’s Resolutions. Some of them may remain. Others have already been jettisoned. The crowds that filled gyms just two weeks ago, for example, have already started to thin.
But another New Year’s celebration is upon us—Chinese New Year, which is also known as Lunar New Year. The two-week spectacle of festivities begins on Wednesday, January 29. It draws to a close on Wednesday, February 12.
For billions of people around the world, the Lunar New Year serves as the equivalent of what we refer to as “the holidays” in the United States. Work becomes less intense. Shopping ramps up. Families and friends gather to feast and be merry with one another. Ancient traditions get observed.
Just as “the holidays” flood so many people with feelings of gratitude and joy, so does the Lunar New Year fill people with special vibes, with feelings that arrive only when the celebration begins, and persist until it ends.
Whether you honor Chinese New Year or not, the holiday is a wonderful opportunity to savor fine teas from China, the birthplace of our favorite beverage. With every sip of green or oolong, you are enjoying at least one pursuit beloved by most New Year celebrants—you’re drinking tea!
Chinese New Year Teas: Da Hong Pao Rock Oolong
As red figures largely into Chinese New Year, we can think of no tea that more powerfully aligns with the celebration than Da Hong Pao rock oolong—it means “Big Red Robe” in Chinese. People across China drink a lot of Da Hong Pao rock oolong—and the tea becomes even more sought after during the annual New Year celebration. This famous tea, from China’s world-renowned tea-growing area—the Wu Yi Mountains—dates as far back as the 18th century. Famous for its strong fragrance, rich and roasted flavor and pleasant, lingering sweetness, this tea will whisk you away to Chinese New Year celebrations with every sip.
Chinese New Year Teas: Tie Guan Yin
Another Chinese gem, this green tea from China’s Fujian Province—which means Iron Goddess of Mercy in Chinese—is one of the most highly regarded of all Chinese teas. During New Year festivities, it’s sipped with abandon. When brewed, this beautiful tea broadcasts a sweet, floral fragrance and yields a beverage with bright flavors and a smooth finish. One of the best parts of Tie Guan Yin is how the sweetness lingers in the mouth, prolonging the taste experience. Multiple infusions are recommended to experience how the flavors and aromas open up after each steep.
Chinese New Year Teas: Sui Yue Liu Xiang Ripe Puerh
Puerhs, which are fermented teas mostly from China, deliver complex flavors and premium health benefits. This tea, which means The Fragrance of the Age in Chinese, gets made from Imperial or Gong Ting Grade puerh from LinCang County in China’s diverse Yunnan Province. Once brewed, it conveys strength and smoothness, with earthy notes—think pipe tobacco and citrus. Sippers can easily re-infuse this gorgeous puerh a dozen times or more in the gong-fu style. It’s also a perfect puerh for aging in the arid Colorado climate.
