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Jiang Le Lei Cha

Jiang Le Lei Cha

Base

In Jiangle , Leicha is a drink improvised by ordinary people. As the name suggests, brewing tea has to be “brewed” with utensils. Its main utensils are the holding and the beating bowl. The lei holder is a 2-foot-long stick, usually made of tea branches or white snake vines (it belongs to edible miscellaneous wood). The rambling bowl is a special local pottery pot, and its inner wall is covered with radial grooves (the roughness is to increase the friction during the brewing process), and it is in the shape of a rounded cone. Put the white sesame seeds in the beating bowl and repeat the “beating” with the beating holder.

Additives

When the white sesame is basically ground into powder, pour the tea leaves and dried orange peels into the bowl and mix with the basically ground tea powder, and then carry out an appropriate amount of grinding. It is said that the nutritional and health benefits of Lei Cha will be more pronounced after adding tea leaves and dried orange peels, so the locals call this process “the icing on the cake”.

On the basis of the basic ingredients, Jiangleren also flexibly adjusts the formula according to seasonal changes and the tastes of customers: for example, in winter and spring, ginger and cinnamon are usually added to warm the meridians, clear the yang and transform qi, and dispel dampness and cold. In summer, you can add Houttuynia cordata, Huoxiang, and local herbs called ” Pteris ” and “Chicken’s claw” to make Lei Cha for heatstroke prevention, or add honeysuckle , lotus leaves , light bamboo leaves , mint, etc. to make cool and detoxifying tea Lei Cha.

In autumn, tribute chrysanthemum or Hangbai chrysanthemum can be added. For those who like to drink fragrant tea, you can stir-fry (or part of) the sesame seeds before grinding, or you can add fried peanuts , fried soybeans , etc. “I heard that making Leicha with black sesame seeds has a better effect on beautifying the skin.”

Finely beaten

In the tradition of the Hakka people , the part of “fine beating” is often where the guests and the host take turns making tea, and everyone can show off their tea-making skills, so this part is also called “show their skills”. So, those of us who have never made tea, we all took turns to experience it…

When the ingredients were “finely beaten” until they were fine enough, Ajuan’s mother poured in a lot of hot water. It is said that at this time, the temperature of the boiling water is very particular, and the temperature should not be too high or too low. If the water temperature is too high, the protein in the mixture will coagulate too quickly, and the brewed Lei Cha will be bland and not milky; “Generally, the water temperature is controlled at around 90 degrees Celsius, so that the brewed Lei Cha can ‘blend with water and milk’.” A Juan said.

So far, the rough processing of Lei Cha has been completed. The rest is fine processing, that is, “sieving”, the purpose is to filter out the tea dregs, take the “ladle”, filter the tea dregs in the bowl, and pour the milky white tea liquid into the tea bowl. But most Jiangle people like to drink rough tea. The powder made from white sesame seeds is called “Lei Cha Base” in Jiangle. According to different personal tastes, you can choose “Lei Cha Base” yourself. Then, according to the order of elder and younger, they will be respected to the guests one by one, and the whole process of Lei Cha is considered complete.

Call tea

After the Lei Cha is made, relatives and friends gather around the table to drink the steaming Lei Cha. At this time, some refreshments of melons and fruits , together with chatting all over the world, are an extension of the happiness after the hands-on labor of Lei Cha.

In Jiangle , calling people to drink Lei Cha is called “Hou Lei Cha”. In the local area, this is a bit of a rule: four o’clock and eight festivals are called festival tea, weekdays are called mutual reward tea, those who have happy events call happiness tea, and those who ask for help call thank you tea. The hottest time for shouting Lei Cha is mid-August. At this time, those who have been admitted to college technical secondary schools, those who have recruited, and those who have graduated all call for Lei Cha, and they focus on inviting teachers. …

Main Type

The production methods of Leicha vary from place to place, especially in the choice of ingredients. According to regions and ethnic groups, it can be divided into two categories: Hakka Leicha and Hunan (non-Hakka) Leicha.

For example, the folk Lei Cha in northwestern Fujian is made by putting tea leaves and an appropriate amount of sesame seeds in a pottery pot, grinding them into fine powder with tea sticks and adding boiling water; Qingyuan, Yingde , Shanwei City , Jiexi, The Hakka Leicha drunk by the Hakka people living in Puning and other places is to put the tea leaves into a tooth bowl (a Leicha pottery pot with lines on the inner wall) and grind it into powder, then add cooked peanuts and sesame seeds in turn, grind and grind it, and then add Add a little salt and coriander, and brew it with boiling water; there is a special custom of drinking sesame Leicha in Taohuayuan, Hunan. It is to grind tea leaves, ginger, and raw rice in a mortar made of hawthorn wood , and then wash it with boiling water for drinking.

If you can put some sesame seeds and fine salt in, the taste will be more fragrant and delicious. When drinking Leicha from the Qin Dynasty, you should first drink it while it is hot, and secondly, swallow it slowly. Only in this way can you feel the feeling of “nine bends and ileum, refreshing and happy”. Finally, brew with boiled water, and then put some sugar. Lei Cha is as sticky as a paste after it is made, the color is light coffee, the aroma is tangy, and the mouth is smooth, soft and sweet.

The preparation method is roughly the same as Taoyuan, but the eating method is different. Taojiang Lei Cha is usually sweetened with sugar, making it a “sweet drink”. Taoyuan Leicha uses salt, which is mostly “salty food”. Women in Taojiang have a special custom of drinking Lei Cha after they become pregnant. It is said that the more Lei Cha they drink, the whiter and fatter their babies will be.

Lei Cha is easy to make and has a delicious fragrance. Due to different ingredients, it has the functions of quenching thirst, cooling, relieving heat, and satisfying hunger. It is economical and affordable.