福建白茶價格走高背後的推手
報道 2012年12月20日
新加坡——就像好酒一樣，茶葉也能反映出其原產地的“土壤條件”(terroir)、地質條件、氣候條件和地理位置。
白茶中最珍貴的銀針僅產於中國福建省，幾百年來僅供皇家享用。
在現代社會，能欣賞其清淡口味的茶葉鑒賞家們也青睞這種茶，但是普通大眾更習慣喝氣味更濃郁的茶，所以常常把它忽視。
但是，這種情況正在改變。生產者在營銷宣傳時特彆強調白茶已為人所知的保健功效；加工時則加入花瓣、水果和香料，使之具有更豐富的口感；因此，越來越多的顧客在追捧更高等級的白茶，儘管它價格昂貴，不過它昂貴的價格也許正是吸引顧客的原因之一。
新加坡國際茶業公司TWG Tea的總裁塔哈·布克迪布(Taha Bouqdib)說，銀針的零售價是每50克（1.76盎司）60新加坡元（49美元），而更普通的白牡丹白茶是11新加坡元，頂級大吉嶺(Darjeeling)紅茶初摘茶是43新加坡元。
布克迪布先生說，今年到目前為止，該公司已經通過其在亞洲、中東、英國和美國的零售店賣出了約3噸白茶，比去年增長了約60%。
“這完全歸功於今年4月我們推出的銀針混合茶，”在該公司最近舉行的一次茶葉沙龍上，他品了一口“白伯爵茶”，說道，“不只是純粹主義者喜歡這些茶葉，現在喜歡這些茶葉的人，範圍大了很多。”
他說，在白茶銷售上漲60%的同一時期，該公司的紅茶銷售僅增長了10%，綠茶僅增長了2%。
白茶取自嫩葉的芽尖，因芽尖上銀白色的細小茸毛而得名。這家公司去年共銷售了約680噸茶葉，所以白茶仍然只佔了其中一小部分；以後大致也是如此，因為白茶的產量有限。
其他公司也稱白茶的銷量在上升。
“我們認為白茶總體暢銷的一個主要原因是它迎合了高端顧客對奢侈品和新體驗的痴迷，”巴黎“瑪黑兄弟”(Mariage Frères)茶葉公司的主管弗蘭克·迪賽恩(Franck Dessain)在接受電子郵件採訪時這樣說，“因為這種茶葉非常罕見，所以它成了一種地位的象徵。”
“銀針無疑是其中最珍貴的，但是每一片白茶都得益於銀針的地位和聲望，被認為是頂級奢侈品，”他說。
綠色、黑色、藍色、白色和黃色的茶葉都來自於兩種茶樹：小葉茶樹(Camellia sinensis)在中國中部和日本涼爽的山區長勢最好；大葉茶樹(Camellia assamica)在印度東北部和中國潮濕的熱帶氣候中長得最好。
採摘之後的加工過程決定了茶葉的種類。
茶葉的加工方法包括蒸、焙、半發酵和完全發酵。
白茶是所有茶葉中加工最少的一種；白茶采自小葉灌木茶樹的芽尖，在尚未完全長開之前就採摘了下來。茶葉非常嫩，加工過程中基本沒有被氧化，所以茶葉中保留着高濃度的抗氧化劑：在過去十年里，一長串的研究報告宣稱，白茶可能具有保健功效，能防癌，預防心臟病，延緩衰老。
銀針是在芽尖最鮮嫩的時候採摘的，一年中也就那麼幾天；加工方法是置於陽光下晒乾；所以對純粹主義者來說，它是無與倫比的。
“很多國家能產白茶，但是質量都比不上福建產的，”布克迪布先生說。
法國“茶葉宮殿”(Le Palais des Thés)公司的創始人弗朗索瓦-澤維爾·德爾馬斯(François-Xavier Delmas)對此表示贊同：“真正的白茶只有一個產地，那就是福建，”他說，“那是白茶的誕生地。”
他補充說，在印度東北部喜馬拉雅山麓的大吉嶺，“那裡的人說他們產白茶，但事實上並非如此。他們生產一種低氧化的茶。那種茶可能也很好喝，但它不是白茶。加工方法不同。”
他說，印度生產者借用白茶的名義，“是因為他們知道買家願意花大價錢買這種茶。”
德爾馬斯先生補充說，“茶葉宮殿”公司開發了各種口味的白茶，以滿足年輕人，特別是亞洲年輕人，日益增長的需求。
該公司也用福建產的另一種白茶“白牡丹茶”製作花茶和果茶。德爾馬斯先生說白牡丹茶“不像銀針那麼清淡”，在與其他原料混合時，它的味道不那麼容易被沖淡。
TWG茶葉公司則採取了不同的方法，生產了一系列混合銀針茶，共有15種，包括與蘋果酒混合的“白金茶”(White Gold)，與西番蓮混合的“白秘茶”(White Secret)，與野生草莓混合的“白福茶”(White Fortune)，以及與佛手柑混合的“白伯爵茶”(White Earl Grey)。
“瑪黑兄弟”茶葉公司也供應複雜的混合銀針茶：“月亮山茶”(Mountain of the Moon)是與牡丹、玫瑰和茉莉花瓣混合的；“漆亭茶”(Lacquer Pavilion)含有甜味香料和錦葵花；“暴風雨後之茶”(Tea after a Storm)帶有薄荷和香橙花的味道。
白茶中最珍貴的銀針僅產於中國福建省，幾百年來僅供皇家享用。
但是，這種情況正在改變。生產者在營銷宣傳時特彆強調白茶已為人所知的保健功效；加工時則加入花瓣、水果和香料，使之具有更豐富的口感；因此，越來越多的顧客在追捧更高等級的白茶，儘管它價格昂貴，不過它昂貴的價格也許正是吸引顧客的原因之一。
新加坡國際茶業公司TWG Tea的總裁塔哈·布克迪布(Taha Bouqdib)說，銀針的零售價是每50克（1.76盎司）60新加坡元（49美元），而更普通的白牡丹白茶是11新加坡元，頂級大吉嶺(Darjeeling)紅茶初摘茶是43新加坡元。
布克迪布先生說，今年到目前為止，該公司已經通過其在亞洲、中東、英國和美國的零售店賣出了約3噸白茶，比去年增長了約60%。
“這完全歸功於今年4月我們推出的銀針混合茶，”在該公司最近舉行的一次茶葉沙龍上，他品了一口“白伯爵茶”，說道，“不只是純粹主義者喜歡這些茶葉，現在喜歡這些茶葉的人，範圍大了很多。”
他說，在白茶銷售上漲60%的同一時期，該公司的紅茶銷售僅增長了10%，綠茶僅增長了2%。
白茶取自嫩葉的芽尖，因芽尖上銀白色的細小茸毛而得名。這家公司去年共銷售了約680噸茶葉，所以白茶仍然只佔了其中一小部分；以後大致也是如此，因為白茶的產量有限。
其他公司也稱白茶的銷量在上升。
“我們認為白茶總體暢銷的一個主要原因是它迎合了高端顧客對奢侈品和新體驗的痴迷，”巴黎“瑪黑兄弟”(Mariage Frères)茶葉公司的主管弗蘭克·迪賽恩(Franck Dessain)在接受電子郵件採訪時這樣說，“因為這種茶葉非常罕見，所以它成了一種地位的象徵。”
“銀針無疑是其中最珍貴的，但是每一片白茶都得益於銀針的地位和聲望，被認為是頂級奢侈品，”他說。
綠色、黑色、藍色、白色和黃色的茶葉都來自於兩種茶樹：小葉茶樹(Camellia sinensis)在中國中部和日本涼爽的山區長勢最好；大葉茶樹(Camellia assamica)在印度東北部和中國潮濕的熱帶氣候中長得最好。
採摘之後的加工過程決定了茶葉的種類。
茶葉的加工方法包括蒸、焙、半發酵和完全發酵。
白茶是所有茶葉中加工最少的一種；白茶采自小葉灌木茶樹的芽尖，在尚未完全長開之前就採摘了下來。茶葉非常嫩，加工過程中基本沒有被氧化，所以茶葉中保留着高濃度的抗氧化劑：在過去十年里，一長串的研究報告宣稱，白茶可能具有保健功效，能防癌，預防心臟病，延緩衰老。
銀針是在芽尖最鮮嫩的時候採摘的，一年中也就那麼幾天；加工方法是置於陽光下晒乾；所以對純粹主義者來說，它是無與倫比的。
“很多國家能產白茶，但是質量都比不上福建產的，”布克迪布先生說。
法國“茶葉宮殿”(Le Palais des Thés)公司的創始人弗朗索瓦-澤維爾·德爾馬斯(François-Xavier Delmas)對此表示贊同：“真正的白茶只有一個產地，那就是福建，”他說，“那是白茶的誕生地。”
他補充說，在印度東北部喜馬拉雅山麓的大吉嶺，“那裡的人說他們產白茶，但事實上並非如此。他們生產一種低氧化的茶。那種茶可能也很好喝，但它不是白茶。加工方法不同。”
他說，印度生產者借用白茶的名義，“是因為他們知道買家願意花大價錢買這種茶。”
德爾馬斯先生補充說，“茶葉宮殿”公司開發了各種口味的白茶，以滿足年輕人，特別是亞洲年輕人，日益增長的需求。
該公司也用福建產的另一種白茶“白牡丹茶”製作花茶和果茶。德爾馬斯先生說白牡丹茶“不像銀針那麼清淡”，在與其他原料混合時，它的味道不那麼容易被沖淡。
TWG茶葉公司則採取了不同的方法，生產了一系列混合銀針茶，共有15種，包括與蘋果酒混合的“白金茶”(White Gold)，與西番蓮混合的“白秘茶”(White Secret)，與野生草莓混合的“白福茶”(White Fortune)，以及與佛手柑混合的“白伯爵茶”(White Earl Grey)。
“瑪黑兄弟”茶葉公司也供應複雜的混合銀針茶：“月亮山茶”(Mountain of the Moon)是與牡丹、玫瑰和茉莉花瓣混合的；“漆亭茶”(Lacquer Pavilion)含有甜味香料和錦葵花；“暴風雨後之茶”(Tea after a Storm)帶有薄荷和香橙花的味道。
本文最初發表於2012年11月22日。
翻譯：王艷
翻譯：王艷
Straining to Savor the Tea of Emperors
December 20, 2012
SINGAPORE — Like good wines, teas are a reflection of their “terroir,” the geology, climate and geography of their origin.
Yin Zhen, the rarest of white teas, is produced only in China’s Fujian Province and for centuries was reserved for the pleasure of the inner circles of the imperial court.
In post-imperial times it has become established as a favored brew among tea
connoisseurs who appreciate its delicate flavor, though it has remained
largely ignored by a general public used to stronger tastes.
That, however, is changing. Spurred by marketing that exalts the perceived health benefits of white teas and by new blends that add flowers, fruits and spices for a richer experience, more consumers are now seeking out the higher graded white teas, despite — or maybe in part because of — their high price.
Yin Zhen can retail for 60 Singapore dollars, or $49, for 50 grams, or 1.76 ounces, compared with 11 dollars for the more common Pai Mu Tan white tea or 43 dollars for the finest first flush Darjeeling black tea, said Taha Bouqdib, president of TWG Tea, an international tea company based in Singapore.
Yet the company has sold about three tons of white teas so far this year through its retail outlets in Asia, the Middle East, Britain and the United States, up almost 60 percent compared with last year, Mr. Bouqdib said.
“This is due entirely to the launch, in April, of our Yin Zhen white tea blends,” he said, sipping a white Earl Grey recently in one of the company’s tea salons. “These teas are appreciated not just by purists, but by a much wider clientele now.”
In the same time that white tea sales rose 60 percent, the company’s sales of black tea rose only 10 percent and those of green tea just 2 percent, he said.
Still, white tea — so called for the fine, silvery-white hairs on the young leaf buds — remains only a small part of the company’s sales, which totaled about 680 tons last year, and is likely to stay so, given its limited production.
Other companies are also reporting increased white tea sales.
“We believe a key factor of the success of white tea in general is that it meets high-end consumers’ fascination for luxury goods and new experiences,” Franck Dessain, a director of the Paris-based Mariage Frères, said in an e-mail. “Because such tea is rare, it has become a status symbol.”
“There is no doubt that Yin Zhen is the lead product, but every single white tea takes profit from the status and prestige of Yin Zhen and then is considered a top luxury product,” he said.
Green, black, blue, white and yellow teas all come from one of two tea plant varieties: the Camellia sinensis — a small-leaf tea plant that thrives in cool, mountain regions of central China and Japan — and the Camellia assamica — a broad-leaf variety that grows best in the moist, tropical climates of North-east India and China.
Processing after the harvest determines the type of tea produced.
Leaves can be steamed, roasted, semi-fermented or fully fermented.
White tea is the least processed of all the teas and is produced from the buds of the Camellia sinensis shrub, picked before they have fully opened. Young, and barely oxidized in the processing, the leaves retain a high concentration of anti-oxidants: in the last 10 years, a string of research papers has asserted that white tea may have health benefits in helping to reduce cancer and heart disease risks, and fighting the effects of aging.
For purists, Yin Zhen, harvested only in a period of a few days in the year, when the buds are at their finest, and sun-dried, has no equal.
“Many countries can do white tea, but nothing compared to the quality that comes from Fujian,” Mr. Bouqdib said.
François-Xavier Delmas, founder of the French company Le Palais des Thés, agreed: “There is only one source for real white tea — Fujian,” he said. “It is the birthplace of white tea.”
He added that in Darjeeling, in the Himalayan foothills of northeast India, “they say they make white tea but in fact it is not really that. They make a low-oxidized tea. It can be very good, but it is not white tea. The process is different.”
Indian producers borrowed the white tea name “because they know buyers pay a good price for such teas, ” he said.
Le Palais des Thés has been developing flavored white teas to capitalize on a growing demand among young people, particularly in Asia, Mr. Delmas added.
The company uses Pai Mu Tan, another white tea from Fujian, for its floral and fruit perfumed blends. Mr. Delmas said it was “less subtle than the Yin Zhen,” and less prone to being overwhelmed in combinations with other ingredients.
TWG Tea has taken a different tack, however, with an extended collection of 15 blended Yin Zhen teas that include White Gold, blended with cider apple; White Secret, with passion fruit; White Fortune, with wild strawberry; and White Earl Grey, with bergamot.
Mariage Frères also offers complex Yin Zhen blends: its Mountain of the Moon tea is mixed with leaves of peony, rose, and jasmine; Lacquer Pavilion has sweet spices and mallow flowers; and Tea after a Storm is flavored with mint and orange blossom.
Yin Zhen, the rarest of white teas, is produced only in China’s Fujian Province and for centuries was reserved for the pleasure of the inner circles of the imperial court.
按图放大
TWG Tea
White tea is the least processed of
all the teas and is produced from the buds of the Camellia sinensis
shrub, picked before they have fully opened.
That, however, is changing. Spurred by marketing that exalts the perceived health benefits of white teas and by new blends that add flowers, fruits and spices for a richer experience, more consumers are now seeking out the higher graded white teas, despite — or maybe in part because of — their high price.
Yin Zhen can retail for 60 Singapore dollars, or $49, for 50 grams, or 1.76 ounces, compared with 11 dollars for the more common Pai Mu Tan white tea or 43 dollars for the finest first flush Darjeeling black tea, said Taha Bouqdib, president of TWG Tea, an international tea company based in Singapore.
Yet the company has sold about three tons of white teas so far this year through its retail outlets in Asia, the Middle East, Britain and the United States, up almost 60 percent compared with last year, Mr. Bouqdib said.
“This is due entirely to the launch, in April, of our Yin Zhen white tea blends,” he said, sipping a white Earl Grey recently in one of the company’s tea salons. “These teas are appreciated not just by purists, but by a much wider clientele now.”
In the same time that white tea sales rose 60 percent, the company’s sales of black tea rose only 10 percent and those of green tea just 2 percent, he said.
Still, white tea — so called for the fine, silvery-white hairs on the young leaf buds — remains only a small part of the company’s sales, which totaled about 680 tons last year, and is likely to stay so, given its limited production.
Other companies are also reporting increased white tea sales.
“We believe a key factor of the success of white tea in general is that it meets high-end consumers’ fascination for luxury goods and new experiences,” Franck Dessain, a director of the Paris-based Mariage Frères, said in an e-mail. “Because such tea is rare, it has become a status symbol.”
“There is no doubt that Yin Zhen is the lead product, but every single white tea takes profit from the status and prestige of Yin Zhen and then is considered a top luxury product,” he said.
Green, black, blue, white and yellow teas all come from one of two tea plant varieties: the Camellia sinensis — a small-leaf tea plant that thrives in cool, mountain regions of central China and Japan — and the Camellia assamica — a broad-leaf variety that grows best in the moist, tropical climates of North-east India and China.
Processing after the harvest determines the type of tea produced.
Leaves can be steamed, roasted, semi-fermented or fully fermented.
White tea is the least processed of all the teas and is produced from the buds of the Camellia sinensis shrub, picked before they have fully opened. Young, and barely oxidized in the processing, the leaves retain a high concentration of anti-oxidants: in the last 10 years, a string of research papers has asserted that white tea may have health benefits in helping to reduce cancer and heart disease risks, and fighting the effects of aging.
For purists, Yin Zhen, harvested only in a period of a few days in the year, when the buds are at their finest, and sun-dried, has no equal.
“Many countries can do white tea, but nothing compared to the quality that comes from Fujian,” Mr. Bouqdib said.
François-Xavier Delmas, founder of the French company Le Palais des Thés, agreed: “There is only one source for real white tea — Fujian,” he said. “It is the birthplace of white tea.”
He added that in Darjeeling, in the Himalayan foothills of northeast India, “they say they make white tea but in fact it is not really that. They make a low-oxidized tea. It can be very good, but it is not white tea. The process is different.”
Indian producers borrowed the white tea name “because they know buyers pay a good price for such teas, ” he said.
Le Palais des Thés has been developing flavored white teas to capitalize on a growing demand among young people, particularly in Asia, Mr. Delmas added.
The company uses Pai Mu Tan, another white tea from Fujian, for its floral and fruit perfumed blends. Mr. Delmas said it was “less subtle than the Yin Zhen,” and less prone to being overwhelmed in combinations with other ingredients.
TWG Tea has taken a different tack, however, with an extended collection of 15 blended Yin Zhen teas that include White Gold, blended with cider apple; White Secret, with passion fruit; White Fortune, with wild strawberry; and White Earl Grey, with bergamot.
Mariage Frères also offers complex Yin Zhen blends: its Mountain of the Moon tea is mixed with leaves of peony, rose, and jasmine; Lacquer Pavilion has sweet spices and mallow flowers; and Tea after a Storm is flavored with mint and orange blossom.
沒有留言:
張貼留言