I believe many friends have heard of Cantonese-style Cantonese morning tea. This is more of a Cantonese custom and culture. Many friends are curious about what kind of tea is generally drunk in Cantonese morning tea. Let me explain to you the Cantonese morning tea culture. .

What kind of tea does Guangdong have for morning tea?

Most of Guangdong’s morning teas are Kung Fu teas, such as Tieguanyin, ginseng oolong tea, Pu’er, etc. Generally speaking, middle-aged and elderly people like to drink Pu'er tea produced in Yunnan, which can warm the stomach and lubricate; while most young people like to drink Oolong tea from Fujian, which can refresh the mind.

Guangdong morning tea culture

When people in Guangzhou say they treat you to tea, it does not simply mean drinking tea, but a combination of tea and snacks. The most basic configuration is "Yigu" Two pieces”. "One cup" refers to a cup, also known as "covered bowl", which means making tea in a covered bowl; "two pieces" refers to snacks.

Nowadays, when we drink tea, we will eat three or more snacks, but in the past, only wealthy people could eat like this. People at the bottom, such as porters and dock workers in canal commercial ports, could only eat one cup or two. At that time, a cup or two pieces meant a cup of bad tea and two pieces of crude snacks, which were equivalent to today's fast food and were used to fill the stomachs of the lower class. In that era, people worked hard all day long, and teahouses were their resting pavilions in their tiring lives.

Due to various reasons, drinking morning tea, a Cantonese-specific food culture, was once discontinued in the mainland. However, "Chinatown" Cantonese restaurants and restaurants around the world have been able to carry forward the culture of drinking morning tea. Especially after the reform and opening up, the food culture of drinking morning tea was brought back to southern Guangdong, the motherland, by overseas Chinese, and snacks with different characteristics from various places were added to form a new popular morning tea culture.

Essentials of Morning Tea Culture

Attention 1: Tea seat. Since it is called morning tea, tea is a very important point. When you enter a teahouse and take a seat, the waiter will often ask you: "What kind of tea should I drink?" The usual choices include Pu'er, Tieguanyin, etc. The fee is per person, ranging from a few yuan to dozens of yuan per person.

Tip 2: Rinse the tableware. No matter how high-end the restaurant is, you will basically be asked to wash the tableware yourself before the meal. The waiter brought over a pot of hot water and a large bowl of water, and then the guests began to help others pour tea, rinse tea cups, rinse bowls, spoons, and chopsticks. Don't underestimate this behavior, it is a symbol of friendship and cordiality between the host and guest.

Note three: The tea ceremony, also called the hand-knocking ceremony and the finger-knocking ceremony, is a etiquette for tea guests to express their gratitude to the host. According to legend, when Qianlong was on a tour in disguise, he drank tea in a teahouse and poured tea for his subordinates. It was inconvenient for his subordinates to respond according to court etiquette, so he had the idea to kowtow to express gratitude. Since then, the kowtow ritual has been spread among the people.

Tip 4: Add tea. When the tea in the pot is finished, the tea guest will half-open the tea lid and place it on the teapot. When the waiter sees it, he will naturally refill the tea for you. This is a tea guest. There was a tacit understanding with the waiters and the whole process was quiet and elegant. (It is said that there is an allusion to this rule. It is said that when a poor boy was drinking tea, he put a sparrow in the teapot. When the waiter refilled the water, the sparrow flew away when the lid was opened, so he insisted that it was a canary. From then on, the tea drinkers opened the lid of the teapot themselves, and it continues to this day)

How much does a morning tea in Guangdong cost? To decide, there are mostly three situations in Guangdong. One is going to a teahouse every day and spending less than 30 yuan. The other is gatherings with friends and family on weekends or holidays. Generally, you can eat well with about 50 yuan per person. If you are entertaining guests, the food should be a little more refined, and the average cost per person is probably more than 50 yuan.