How Should You Really Drink Tea? A 4th Gen Tea Farmer Explains

Do you like to drink tea alone or with friends? With friends. Do you like to drink new tea or old tea? Old tea. If you could go anywhere in the world to drink tea, where would you go? America. America? Welcome! Welcome! Hello everybody and welcome to this episode of Tea Fate with Sister Ai. Sister Ai is a third-gen tea farmer here in Yunnan, China and we're going to talk about her prize-winning tea that won her two goats. In addition to that, we're also going to talk about her life, what it meant to be growing up as a tea farmer, how she got into tea in the first place, and what it means to her that this web of fate has brought us all together. Stay tuned and let's enjoy. Hello everybody and welcome to Jesse's Tea House. We have a very special episode of Tea Fate today here with Sister Ai. Sister Ai, thank you very much for participating in this tea garden activity with us. Thank you. What tea do we have today? I prepared Jinjiang tea, which won first place in the Jinjiang Tea Competition at Huashan Town, Qingdong County this year. Let's take a look at this certificate. Honorary credential. We also picked some tea. It's very, very meaningful. We are very honored that you will share this tea with us. So, for completely newbies, what is red tea? Red tea is a tea that people who know how to drink but don't know how to drink like to drink. Because our red tea can be paired with honey and milk. Will your family pair it like this? Yes. And you can also use its water to make rice. You can also use it to make bread. You can also use it to make steamed buns. Let's open this up. It smells so good. So, what kind of process is red tea? We also add a word to our red tea. It's called sun-dried red tea. Sun-dried red tea. After the sun has set, it ferments. Wow, look at that tea. It ferments, then it's piled up, and then it's kneaded again. So, it ferments, then it's piled up, and then it's kneaded again. It's like this, right? Yes. It ferments, then it dries. It must be sun-dried. What's the difference between sun-dried and electro-dried? Our red tea is dried in the kiln. That's why it's called red tea. Our Pu'er tea is very special. We add sun-dried red tea to it. How do you describe this sense of grasping for a good tea? Although it's less, it has a certain weight. I think it's called a sense of gravity. That's enough. Wow, it smells good. This is very special. This tea hasn't even touched water yet, and it's already fragrant. Where did you pick this material? This is the tea seed we used in Qianjiazhai's Yanshi Forest. It's the first time we picked it, and it's the first time we made it. Its tree should be about this thick. Oh, wow. So, it's been a long time. Yes. So, when you make tea for competitions, do you have a special standard when you pick tea? Actually, when we picked this batch of tea, we knew it was going to be a competition. Each town has two positions. Our town secretary and town mayor asked us to represent the region to participate. I said we could only participate. After all, we've been making tea for 22 years. If it's a local competition, we should be able to participate completely. We participated in the competition. As expected, it didn't let us down. We also received a very high award. The people were very warm. They even sent us their numbers that day. I'm sure you know all the people in your circle, right? Yes. How do you feel when you are recognized by the people in your circle? I feel happy. It proves that our family has finally won the highest honor in this mountainous region. That's great. Have a sip. Okay. Thank you again for sharing the competition tea with us. Oh, very good. Yes, this is very good. It's really good. The fragrance is very good. It's a bit like the red tea from the thousand-year-old tea tree. But I think it's a level higher than that. After all, I made it with my heart and love. I can still miss my grandmother and my parents. This is good. Yes, very sweet, very floral. It tastes almost like fruit juice. I think this tea tastes very smooth and soft. Whether it's a big city in China, or whether it's a very focused tea from overseas, they don't add anything according to the rules. They think the ingredients are the most important. Otherwise, if you want to add milk with bad ingredients, but you keep saying that you can add it. Do you really add milk to this tea? Yes, we all add it. I want to tell my overseas friends that children will definitely like this taste. Because it doesn't have any additives. If you add milk, children will like it the most. You can drink it before going to bed at night. Old people can drink this tea. When you drink it, you add a little milk or honey. It's quite good to drink. It's good for your body. There will be no bad effects. So you don't feel like you put in such good ingredients, and then add milk and honey to offend this tea or something. No. There's no such feeling. It's a combination of its best side. What's the difference between our tea and our thousand-year-old red tea? The ingredients are the same. It's just that our process has been slightly improved. What kind of process do you use to distinguish between the two kinds of tea? The main thing is the fresh leaves that we pick from the common people. See if it's three or four days, or five or six days. And then the characteristic of wild tea itself is that it's sweet. The common people pick such a long one and give it to you. You make it a little tender. It's always five or six days. It's been so long and you've picked it. Oh, I see. There was a problem with the picking. We said that we had to pick a little less, and then a little higher quality. Let me use a worker to divide it into three days and three nights. That's a lot of work. I said, let's do it. We put it on the roof to dry. Dry it under the sun. When it smells sweet, when it's very sweet, we take it and knead it. After kneading, it ferments again. When it ferments, it keeps shaking again. It takes out all the grass smell. I think our sun-dried red tea is planted in the tail. As long as the tail is good, you make white tea. In fact, our white tea once made a tail. Shake it lightly. The white tea leaves made are also delicious. So it's different from the work of red tea. It's more special. You think the tail is the most important part, right? Yes. Under your standard, what is the difference between good tea and bad tea? We will grab a handful and knead it in our hands. After kneading, you have to look at its tea stem. If it can be moved, it proves that it is not in place. There is still moisture. If you can't move it after kneading, it proves that it is enough. It's that simple. So this is a good raw material, good craftsmanship to make this red tea. What is the specific form of this competition? The judges are experts from Zhejiang University Tea Academy, Agricultural University Tea Academy, and Pu'er Tea Academy. They form a jury and judge all the tea samples. Do they first see if the tea is soaked? Or is it a form like this? Put the tea up and walk around. First, look at which one is the best. If you can't see it, just twist and bend it. If you can grab it, you can remove it. Then use the best one, the best-looking one. Then find the corresponding one again. Basically, it's all about positioning. You can move the sieve. See which one is the best. We saw them at the scene. That's how it was made. Then the second is to rinse with water. Use water to pour out. Soak for five minutes or three minutes. Then take it out. Then smell it. Then make a soup. Then drink it. That's how it's made. That's amazing. Thank you so much for giving us a chance to drink this competition tea. I should have given you a comment. All right. Now it's time to go back to the tea garden and ask questions. I'm going to ask you how the fate of tea and you was established. The first question is this. How did the fate of tea and you establish? Twenty-three years ago, I opened a small restaurant I was very young, more than twenty years old. One day, I was cleaning the refrigerator and singing. Then a few outsiders came to my little restaurant to eat. When they came in to eat, I was singing and cleaning the refrigerator. When that person came in, the song stopped. He said, Boss, is the electricity out? I was very confused. I said, How can the electricity go out? There's electricity in the refrigerator. How can the electricity go out? He said, How did your song stop? Then I laughed. Actually, it's a song I sang. They said, We heard the song coming in. They... I laughed. I even sneaked in. I said, Is my voice that good? I heard their accent. I knew it seemed to be from outside the province. It should be from Fujian. Then I asked him, We are from Taiwan. At that time, it was still called Taiwan Island. So I gave them some tea. The tea was brought by our family. We made some clothes for the guests. He said, This tea tastes good. He asked me, Boss, where are you from? I said, I'm from Jiujia. Jiujia? We just came back from Jiujia. Do you have an ancient tea garden in Jiujia? I said, Yes, yes. We have a big one. He said, How big is your forest? I said, I didn't know there was such a big one. Because when I was very young, I went to pick tea with my grandmother. I saw it. We carried it with my grandmother. When we were kids, We went to pick tea to pay respect to the Samaritans. I remember it was 1.5 yuan per kilogram. 1.5 yuan per kilogram at that time. It was around 1985. We went to pick tea with my grandmother at the age of ten. I said, This is our tea. Mr. Huang from Taiwan said, This tea is good. Why don't your village head know that you have an ancient tea garden? I said, They don't have a tea mountain. They don't know what an ancient tea garden is in the town. For them, It's just Mao tea. People don't necessarily know that their tea quality is better than other places. You can see that the tea industry has changed a lot in the past 40 years. So, He said, We went back from Jiujia. Your village head doesn't know that you have an ancient tea garden. Then I took my bag to them. Then I left their number. I gave them my number. Then they went back to Taiwan. Then they called me from Taiwan. So what does this prove? It proves that you must sing when you clean the refrigerator. This story tells us. Can you sing a little bit for us? Yes. Ai Jie, please sing a song for us. Let's give her a round of applause. OK. I listened. They said, Who listens to the song? Why do we call this show a tea garden? It's fate. Fate does come into the story of tea. It's the same when we meet. My master, Ding Guangquan, is a good friend of mine. After he retired, he started writing tea magazines. He went to a lot of places and met a lot of people who make tea. Through him, he came to your tea mountain. It's also a very... Mountain road. This is the mountain road. So thank you very much. You share with us the story of your own tea garden. Next question. Do you remember the first time you went to the tea mountain with your parents? What was it like? At that time, we were still a little bit... It was tiring to walk for a while. After all, we were children. We had to bring food for lunch. We would put our lunch on the tea tree. The most impressive thing is... When we were hungry and wanted to eat our lunch, We had a big pig in our house. He smelled the smell of rice and pickled vegetables. He used his mouth to shake the tea tree. He took our lunch and ate it. Wow, did he succeed? He succeeded. When we wanted to eat our lunch, When we were hungry, He was eaten by our old pig. What did you do? Were you hungry? I cried. How old were you at that time? We were about 12 years old. In the afternoon, before the tea was ready, I chased my mom and dad. I said I was hungry and wanted to go home. I went home before the tea was ready. The most impressive thing is... This is the most meaningful thing. It's very funny. To your mother pig. Take a sip. The funniest thing is... I miss it the most. Next question. You have a lot of Chinese fans now. People all over the world are starting to drink Aijie tea. Including our Canada warehouse. Of course, the American warehouse. The European warehouse has your tea. The British warehouse either already has Or there will be your tea soon. Now you have a lot of fans. Including we have sent to Dubai. Sent to South Africa. Sent to Australia. All have. Do you have anything to say to them? How should you enjoy your tea? I think I want to tell you The most sincere words. We are now in the world Pay more and more attention to health. As long as we are alive, we must be healthy. No matter how much money you have, it doesn't matter. As long as you are healthy. Each of us has only one life. I really see a lot of relatives leaving. I want people all over the world to be healthy and happy. Drink our healthiest Pu-erh tea. Our Pu-erh tea is the healthiest drink. It can be more fragrant. I hope more and more people Like to drink our most authentic Pu-erh tea. With this belief. May all of us be healthy and happy. Enjoy happiness. Great. Thank you. One more question. Just now in the first half. We also mentioned. You said this tea can be paired with milk. Can be paired with honey or something. There is a feeling that you forget to go to the city. They have more rules when they drink tea. You can't do this. Can't do this. I went to the tea mountain. I found that they can soak it in any way. I went to make tea with our green tea. They will put the highest grade green tea in the new year. Put a glass cup. Soak it in boiling water. Don't consider that the water must be 80 degrees. Soak it like this. They don't care so much. Do you think it's like this? The tea mountain. The method of making tea is more free than the city. More free. In fact, I think tea. As long as you are happy. You can soak it in any way you want. Our tea in the future. I think we should focus on this direction. We have a cold water bubble in Yunnan and Pu'er. At this time, the cold water bubble is our mineral water bottle. You put some tea leaves in it. Shake it. Soak it for a few minutes and you can drink it. If you already have good tea. I think it's possible to soak it in any way. Yes. I think a lot of people don't have much experience in making tea. They can't soak it by feeling. But your tea. You can see. You look at this tea. You smell the fragrance. You look at the color of the soup. You can see. This tea is too hot. It's too cold. But they don't necessarily. Yes. But I think the experiment is also very important. So I think this is also a good advice. If Ai said you can try. I suggest you can try. In addition to doing your career and your inheritance. Did it bring any other meaning to your life? It brought a lot of meaning. In the past three years. Our cooperation has been quite fast. This year is the fourth year. I think in our country. All the teapots can't move. There are five workers we often live with. We can raise them well. Their salary. They won't be short of a penny. The money we make. I will share some of it. To help some. People who need help. For example. People who have lost their children in the middle of the year. People who have lost their husbands in the middle of the year. People who have lost their wives in the middle of the year. Because our country is too big. It is impossible for them to take care of all these people. I will put all my remaining value. I will save it. I will use this money. During the holidays. To buy gifts. The products they need in life. I will send them. I want to pass our love to them. Let them know. We are a big family. So I will continue to do my work. I will take my five-year-old daughter. I will take her to join us. To do charity. So because of tea. You have the opportunity. To live well. I also help others. Yes, help others. This method is very good. I think because of tea. I also have this opportunity. To come to this tea mountain. Not only enjoy it yourself. But also include our team. We can also help them. And also include our audience. They don't have to spend money. They can also watch the video. If there is no tea. I definitely don't have this resource. With this team. Photographer. And also include our editing team. I can't do this. I may have to shoot a little. Cut a little. But I can't do it like today. So I still have a lot of feelings. Thank you for the recognition of the fans. With your recognition. I have my today. To a cup of fans. Dear fans. With you, I have today. Thank you. Thank you for the recognition. What do you think is the most important thing I think the most important thing is quality. And sincerity. No matter who helps. Quality is the first. Without quality. No one can help. So I will stick to it in the future. Quality is the first. Sincerity is the second. I think it should be like this. You have sincerity. If the product is not good. It's a waste of money. At Jiexi Teahouse. Our review rate is more than 40%. For those who cross the border. This is already very powerful. There are very few brands. So many people come and order again. This is to prove that your quality is good. I feel that the burden on the shoulder is still heavy. I must guarantee the quality of the product at the beginning of the year. I say a sincere word. Our Kaicai. He has a classmate. He can speak English. He said we can sell it. I said no. I said we have such a high-end platform. Such a good partner. You think he can speak only English. You think you can sell it. I said don't argue with me. I said it's not that simple. It's not like you college students. You think everything is simple. We work day and night to make the product good. The sales matter is left to Jiexi to do. You think which country can do it. You can tell Jiexi which country can develop. He has the qualifications in that area. He can do it completely. We are all farmers. We are responsible for the quality at the beginning of the year. I won't touch other places. I said this is what we can guarantee. Some people will have this temptation. I understand a little. Am I able to wrap up the rest? But I think this kind of cooperation is not easy to do for a long time. So you are actually right. Find a suitable partner. It's not that I cooperate with you. Just to learn your point. Then put this into my big frame again. I won't do it. I said I always make good products. The sales matter is left to Jiexi to do. The cooperation is quite good. Don't always think that you can do it yourself. You can't do it yourself. If you are a chef, you pay attention to cooking. If you are a farmer, you pay attention to growing vegetables. In this way, both sides can do better. Now we are the most perfect combination. You are responsible for sales. I am responsible for production. Very good. And I am responsible for sales. I told you I was very tired. I have to climb the mountain of tea. I have to drink tea. I am too tired. I still think you are more tired than us. That's for sure. Ai Jie, what do you think is the difference between drinking tea and tea? We simply drink tea every day. We drink tea. Old people drink tea. Children drink tea. As for Dong tea, whether it is Pu-erh tea, red tea, ginseng tea, or white tea, I think it is Dong tea. It can be classified. Yes, it can be classified. I drink Pu-erh tea's ginseng tea or Pu-erh tea's red tea. I know what kind of tea it is. I think that's what Dong tea means. Now the last part is one sip, one question. Let's take a sip and answer a question, okay? Do you like drinking tea alone or with your friends? With my friends. Do you prefer new tea or old tea? Old tea. If you could only drink one type of tea in your life, what would you choose? It's a bit hard to choose. It's hard to choose, so you asked. We have too much tea. If you ask me to drink one type of tea, I may not be able to do it. I will definitely drink it. What will you drink? Red tea. Red tea, okay. Is there a secret tea that you keep for yourself and don't sell to others? Yes. Yes? What kind of tea is it? Old ginseng tea. Is there a type of tea that you drink when you're in a good mood but the taste is different? Yes. What kind of tea is it? Ginseng tea. When you're in a good mood, you feel that it's fragrant and sweet. When you're in a bad mood, you feel that it's stuffy. It's pressed down here. You can't get it up. It's very obvious. Then the weather will also be affected. If it rains every day, it feels bad to drink tea. If the tea we drink now is a person, what kind of person do you think they are? A good person. It's that simple? Okay. If you could go anywhere in the world to drink tea, where would you go? America. America? Welcome. I want to go to America. If you have a chance next time, you can come. We will... I must go. We will organize a workshop for Ai Jie to teach you how to make tea. Everyone can come and see Ai Jie. Thank you very much, Ai Jie, for participating in our tea garden show. Do you have any last words to say to our customers? I hope that all of our fans and all of our families can drink healthily and be happy. That's good. Well said. Because of Ai Jie's videos, we have a special Ai Jie sale. So if you go to the website, put in the code SISTERAI, you can get 20% off, 10% from me, 10% from her. It's a great deal if you've never tried her teas to get a discount like this. It's going to be open for a couple of weeks after this video comes out, but not forever. So go to the site, check it out. Thank you so much for being a part of my tea journey and for choosing me as your tea guy. I'm Jesse. Drink more tea.