Product Overview
Kuding tea, also known as "bitter tea" is a unique Chinese tea. It does not fall into any tea categories of green, black, oolong or white tea, which are all made from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis. Kuding Tea is made from the leaves the holly category of ilex or ligustrum. Kuding tea is made from the leaf of Broadleaf Holly which belongs to the Folium Llicis Latifoliae family. According to the entry in the Herbalist Doctor Glossary, Kuding tea has a bitter taste and a cleansing effect. It cures headache, odontalgia, pinkeye and tinnitus. Medical research shows that Kuding tea contains many important and therapeutic bioactive chemicals: 22 Kuding Glycin, 1.4 aminophenol, 8.8 polyphenols, 41 Vitamin C, 1.2 flavonoids, etc. Kuding tea has been proven to be a highly valuable health drink that has therapeutic powers of cooling, cleansing, alexipharmic, antibacterial, lowering blood pressure, improving digestion and protecting from cancer among medical practitioners throughout history.
In Chinese, "ku" means bitter, describing the taste, and "ding" means nail, or a small piece, indicating the shape of the tea leaves. Kuding tea has a very special type of bitter taste which is sometimes hard to be accepted by new drinkers. The more you drink, the more you will be able to appreciate the sweet flavor accompanied by the bitterness.
Most of the ku ding is the hawthorn species, which is harvested as young emerging leaf sets (three to four leaves) that have grown to about 1-5 inches long. Then it is twisted by hand into a spear, ball, rope-like or knotted shape and dried. The final product appears to be a single leaf. These top-grade ku ding buds are plucked from the wild when it is a tiny, vibrant chartreuse-green sprouting leaf that is only 1/4- to 1/2 inch long. It is generally the least bitter-tasting of this group of teas. It has a slightly sweet taste underlying the bitter taste, more noticeable after it has been infused for some time.
Kuding tea has reputation of "health tea", "longevity tea" and "slim tea". it has been proved that kuding tea can diminish inflammation and ease pain, enhance salubrity and clean out toxins, reduce fat and blood pressure, and keep the body fit. Kuding tea is widely used to cure cold, rhinitis, itching eyes, red eyes, soar throat and headache. Kuding tea is very effective in weight loss.
This is a rare and expensive tea grown in Sichuan province. 100% wild, grows naturally, no fertilizer, no insecticides. It is a natural and clean tea.
Brewing Guide: For one individual consuming at one time, one spoon of kuding tea is enough for one cup of brewing. Steep tea leaves in hot water at 80C/176F to 90C/194F for 1 minute for the first and second brewing. Gradually increase steeping time and temperature for subsequent brewing. Since this tea has a very concentrated taste, it is suggested to brew this tea with less tea leave and more water.
Kuding tea can always stand at least two brewings. To avoid over-bitterness of the infusion and guarantee the flavor of next brewing, remeber to take the tea leaf out of the water after sufficient time of brewing.