Tea Collection 名茶荟萃 The Wuyi Mountain Clovershrub 武夷大红袍

武夷大红袍，是中国名茶中的奇葩，有“茶中状元”之称。它是武夷岩茶中的王者，素有“岩茶之王”的美称，堪称国宝。
The Wuyi Mountain Clovershrub is a miracle of the famous teas in China, which is hailed as “the very best tea”. It is the king of the rock teas from Wuyi Mountain and enjoys the accolade of being the “King of Rock Tea”. The tea is regarded as a national treasure.
大红袍母树于明末清初发现并采制，距今已有350年的历史。数百年来盛名不衰，其传说颇多，广为流传。武夷山位于福建省武夷山市东南部，大红袍母树生长在武夷山天心九龙窠的悬崖峭壁上，两旁岩壁矗立，日照短，温度适宜，终年有涓涓细泉滋润茶树，由枯叶、苔藓等植物腐烂形成的有机物，肥沃土地，为茶树补充养分，使得大红袍天赋不凡，得天独厚，品质超群。
The clovershrub tree was discovered during the Qing Dynasty and the clovershrub, the time at which it was harvested and its tea manufactured. This variety of tea has a history of 350 years. Its great reputation has endured several hundred years and there are many legends shrouding the clovershrub which have been circulated far and wide. Wuyi Mountain lies in the southeast of Wuyi Mountain City in Fujian Province. The trees of clovershrub grow on the cliffs of Jiulongchao in Tianxin Village, Wuyi Mountain wher palisades stand erect on both sides and the duration of sunshine is short and temperatures are favourable. All year round there are trickles of gorge water cultivate the tea trees and organic mass generated by the decomposing plants, dead leaves and moss etc. The fecund soil provides tea trees with nutrients and allows the clovershrub its outstanding natively granted traits and qualities, richly endowed by nature.
古时采摘大红袍，需焚香礼拜，设坛诵经，使用特制器具，由名茶师制作。解放初期，大红袍在采制期间有驻军看守，制作过程中的每道工序都有专人负责并称重后签字，最后加封后由专人送呈当地市人民政府。现在，大红袍母树的管理、采制已由市政府指定交市岩茶总公司茶叶研究所管理、制作。
In ancient times, when picking the clovershrub, people were required to burn incense and pray in addition to setting up an altar and chanting sutras. Specialist tea picking tools were fashioned by famous tea masters. In the early years after the liberation, the picking and manufacture of clovershrub were the preserve of garrisons and each procedure of production was overseen by specially-assigned persons who were required to sign their names after the tea was weighed. At last, the tea was sealed and submitted to local municipal People’s Government by authorized persons. Nowadays, the management and picking of clovershrub trees and manufacture of clovershrub are conducted by the Municipal Rock Tea Controlling Company assigned by the municipal government.
武夷山的红袍外形条索紧结，色泽绿褐鲜润，冲泡后汤色橙黄明亮，叶片红绿相间，具有明显的“绿叶红镶边”之美感。大红袍品质最突出之处是它的香气馥郁，香高而持久，滋味醇厚，饮后齿颊留香，“岩韵”明显，与其它名丛对照，冲至九泡尚不脱原茶真味——桂花香。
Wuyi Mountain clovershrub is long and compact and its color is green, brown, fresh and polished. After the tea is mixed with hot water, the tea water becomes orange and bright and the leaves are red and green bearing the distinct beauty of “green leaves with red edges”. The most distinctive features of clovershrub are its strong, intense and long-lasting fragrance, its mellow flavor with great aftertaste, the obvious “lingering charm of rocks” and the fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus – the original taste of clovershrub which will not disappear even after the tea is brewed nine times- this setting it apart from other famous teas.