Guzhu Mountain is located in the northwest of Changxing, bordering Taihu Lake in the east, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a mild climate, fertile soil and abundant rainfall, and clear water flowing under the mountain. This unique ecological environment has created the most ideal conditions for the production of purple bamboo shoot tea.
Ancient bamboo and purple bamboo shoot tea is picked in Grain Rain every year during Qingming Festival, and tea buds with one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves are picked. After the fresh leaves are harvested, they need to be spread for 5-6 hours, and fried when the water content drops to about 72% and gives off fragrance. Its production goes through the processes of spreading, deactivating enzymes, sorting, spreading, cooling, primary drying, secondary drying and so on. The best tea buds and leaves are like bamboo shoots; The tender leaves of superior tea buds are slightly spread out, shaped like orchids.
This kind of tea is half-fried and half-baked, both fried and baked, so its shape is compact and complete. Strong aroma, clear soup color, fresh and mellow tea taste and sweet aftertaste. When brewing the best purple bamboo shoot tea, choose the local high-quality teapot. The tea soup is green in color, fresh and refreshing in taste, with a faint fragrance of orchids.
As early as the Tang Dynasty, ancient bamboo purple bamboo shoots were praised as "the first in tea" by Lu Yu of Cha Sheng. In 770 AD, ancient bamboo and purple bamboo shoots were officially listed as tribute tea, which became a must-have for the Qingming banquet of the Tang Dynasty emperors. It has been over 1 200 years, and it is the earliest recorded tribute tea in history. From the late Ming and early Qing dynasties to the 1940s, ancient tea gradually disappeared. In the late 1970s, in order to restore the famous purple bamboo shoot tea, the relevant units in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province cooperated closely to re-produce and plant purple bamboo shoot tea, and this kind of tea was re-famous. Since the trial production of 1979, it has been rated as a ministerial-level or provincial-level high-quality tea. 1979, Guzhu Zizun Tea was listed as a famous tea in Zhejiang Famous Tea Council. 1986, Guzhu Zifeng Tea was awarded as a famous tea in China at the national quality product selection meeting of scented tea and oolong tea.