Sanxiang Tea and Flower Wine

Sanxiang Tea and Flower Wine

　　Whether it’s familiar friends or first-time strangers, as soon as you step into the Yi ethnic villages in Ma’ershan Township, Heqing, you will be warmly welcomed. A bowl of steaming hot honey Sanxiang tea and a cup of fragrant flower wine serve as the traditional greeting upon entering a home.

　　Sanxiang tea is made by placing a small amount of tea leaves in a tiny clay pot, roasting them until yellow over a low flame, then adding them to mountain spring water and boiling it over a hearth. The tea is strained to remove the leaves, keeping only the liquid. A small amount of roasted and finely ground sesame and walnut paste is then added, simmered briefly, and sweetened with an appropriate amount of honey to create Sanxiang tea. The tea has a slightly bitter taste, yet offers both fragrance and sweetness. Aside from quenching thirst, it also invigorates the spirit, boosts energy, and has medicinal effects such as cooling the body, improving eyesight, lowering blood pressure, and relieving dizziness.

　　Flower wine is made by mixing steamed glutinous rice with blue cornmeal and sweet wine yeast, then sealing it in a jar to ferment into a sweet rice wine. When served, the rice wine is mixed with flower water to create a refreshing drink. Flower water is made by soaking plum blossom petals in snowmelt, resulting in a richly aromatic and poetic brew that is said to improve eyesight, refresh the mind, beautify the skin, and promote longevity. When blended with rice wine, it becomes an excellent tonic that relaxes muscles and joints, dispels wind and cold, and relieves fatigue.

　　When it’s time for guests to leave, the host will also present them with a bamboo tube of “Dragon and Tiger Battle,” a drink made by mixing Sanxiang tea with flower wine, for them to enjoy on their journey. One sip invigorates the palate, refreshes the spirit, quenches thirst, and relieves weariness—no matter how long the journey, one won’t feel tired.