Xiushui Chrysanthemum Tea

Xiushui Chrysanthemum Tea

　　   Xiushui Chrysanthemum Tea is a local specialty snack from Xiushui County, Jiangxi Province. Its main feature is the use of locally pickled salted chrysanthemums as the primary ingredient, combined with tea leaves, sesame seeds, soybeans, radishes, tangerine peels, ginger, ligusticum, peanuts, and other seasonings, brewed into a colorful, fragrant, and delicious "assorted tea" beverage. This tea is a household essential in Xiushui and is considered an excellent choice for entertaining guests.

　　   Xiushui Chrysanthemum Tea is not just for drinking but also for eating. The tea ingredients include tea leaves, chrysanthemums, radishes, tangerine peels, ginger, ligusticum, soybeans, peanuts, sesame seeds, and more. Its brewing method is somewhat similar to that of regular pickled vegetables—just place the ingredients in a cup and pour in boiling water. The difference is that you should not cover the cup, nor is there a need to add water repeatedly, in order to preserve the original flavor of Xiushui Chrysanthemum Tea. It’s best to enjoy the tea while it’s hot when the soybeans, peanuts, and sesame seeds are still dry and floating on the surface, allowing you to eat them directly along with a mouthful of fragrance. After a while, when the ingredients sink to the bottom of the cup, you can gently stir the mixture and consume both the liquid and the ingredients together.

　　   Features

　　　　      Xiushui Chrysanthemum Tea can refresh the mind, clear the heart and eyes, relieve depression and regulate qi, nourish yin and moisten the lungs, warm the middle and boost qi, resolve phlegm and soothe coughs, purify blood and dispel wind, remove dampness and prevent colds, clear heat and detoxify. It also helps replenish salt, eliminate fatigue, quench thirst, and relieve hunger. All the tea ingredients used in Xiushui Chrysanthemum Tea come from local sources, some directly harvested from the wild, such as chrysanthemums, ligusticum, and coptis sprouts. The preparation is convenient, the processing is simple, and it is cost-effective.

　　   Preparation

　　　　      Making chrysanthemum tea involves quite a bit of finesse, and the seasonings are also very particular. Fresh chrysanthemums picked in August or September are trimmed of their stems, washed clean, dried in the sun, and then pickled with salt. Ingredients such as ginger and radishes are finely chopped and also pickled with salt. Ginger and radishes must also be dried in the sun for storage. Similarly, they are mixed with stir-fried soybeans, peanuts, sesame seeds, rice grains, and Sichuan peppercorns. When served in a cup, the top shows no water and the bottom shows no ingredients. If brewed in a glass cup, the layers are even more distinct—the sesame seeds, soybeans, peanuts, fried rice, and Sichuan peppercorns float on top, while the ginger, radishes, tea leaves, and tangerine peels settle at the bottom. Among them, the chrysanthemum petals drift up and down like clouds, adding a natural charm. The tea aroma wafts gently, the tea buds are crystal clear, and the white chrysanthemums are glistening. It is a feast for the eyes and a delight to the palate, leaving one feeling refreshed and carefree, as if floating like an immortal. This is authentic chrysanthemum tea. Since it contains ten different ingredients, it is also called "assorted tea." Zheng Banqiao once wrote a couplet: “Cabbage, green salt, steamed rice, and chrysanthemum tea in an earthenware pot with rainwater.” This shows how extraordinary this tea truly is.

　　   Xiushui Tea Customs

　　      As the saying goes: “The seven necessities to begin a day are firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.” Since ancient times, people in Xiushui have loved tea. Every household grows and produces tea and drinks it daily. When receiving guests, the first thing offered is a bowl of tea. As the saying goes, “A guest’s arrival brings joy to the host,” and “Sitting down is a gesture, watching a show is a gesture, but having a bowl of tea is the real gesture.” The people of Xiushui regard drinking tea as equally important as eating meals, and they have a unique set of tea customs not found elsewhere.

　　　　   When receiving guests, the people of Xiushui place great emphasis on tea etiquette. When guests arrive, the male host keeps them company while the female host serves the tea. The tea should not be poured too full—there is a saying: “Pour tea shallow, pour wine full,” and also, “An ignorant aunt (someone who doesn’t understand etiquette) pours the cup full, a polite aunt (someone who does) pours it three-quarters full.” When receiving distinguished guests, the tea ingredients should be abundant, and the brewed tea should achieve the state of “sesame seeds covering the surface, chrysanthemums drifting to the edges, no visible water on top, no visible bottom at the bottom, one blow creates three waves, one sweep clears three alleys.” When offering tea to guests, step aside while saying, “Please have some tea.” After serving, step back to the side. Guests also have certain rules when drinking tea—they should receive the tea with both hands. The tea bowl is usually held in hand. If not drinking immediately, it should not be placed casually on the ground but on a table or tea table. Once finished, the guest should return the bowl to the tray. When taking leave, one should say, “Thank you for the tea.”

　　   For thousands of years, tea customs have been deeply involved in various aspects of people’s lives, including birth, aging, sickness, death, weddings, and marriages. Whenever there is a joyous or sorrowful occasion in Xiushui, the host sets up a tea room and hires a few women to specifically prepare tea and serve it to relatives and friends from time to time. This task is called “serving tea.” In the past, young men and women in the folk had a custom of using “tea delivery” for matchmaking. Matchmaking is the first step in marriage, commonly known as “seeing the bride.” On the matchmaking day, four to ten men from the groom’s side visit the bride’s family, and the bride’s side serves a tray of tea for the guests. At this time, the man and woman meet. If the man disagrees, he may take his leave. If the woman is not interested, she will not offer a second love tea. If both sides are interested, when the woman offers the love tea, the man places a betrothal gift on the tea tray, called “pressing the tea tray.” The woman then hosts a lunch banquet for the man’s guests, and the marriage is tentatively settled.

　　   Purchasing

　　      1. When purchasing, it is recommended to start simple and then add complexity. You can first buy some Xiushui chrysanthemums, add a small amount of seasonings to try, and then add other snacks (such as fried soybeans, dried radishes, etc.) if you find it suitable.

　　　　   2. When brewing, use only a small amount of chrysanthemum per cup, and make sure to use boiling water—warm water won’t steep it properly.

　　   3. It is recommended to add roasted sesame seeds after the chrysanthemum tea has been brewed, as it will be more fragrant and delicious.

　　3. It is recommended to add the fried sesame seeds after brewing the chrysanthemum tea, as it will be more fragrant and delicious.