Basic Introduction to Dobe Tea
Dobe Tea, a local specialty and precious tribute sent to the imperial court since the Chongzhen era, is a fine product for the emperor's tasting. The original place of origin of Dobe Tea is in Dobe, Huachu Town, Puding County today. Dobe does not refer to the current village but is a region that produces coal, has less annual sunshine, and is often foggy, making it most suitable for tea growth. Although Lu Yu's “Classic of Tea” does not record our Dobe Tea, the saying “In the South there are fine trees,” and this Dobe Tea should be one of them.
Nutritional Value
Tests conducted by the Guizhou Tea Science Research Institute have shown that Dobe Tea is rich in polyphenols, amino acids, catechins, and other substances. Regular consumption has excellent health-preserving, anti-cancer, anti-aging, and Blood sugar-lowering effects.
Product Characteristics
The product is characterized by its emerald green color, bright yellow-green infusion, rich aroma, and the absence of tea scale.
Historical Folklore
The history of Dobe Tea is indeed long. In the Dobe area of Huachu Town today, many ancient tea trees still survive. There is still a cluster on the Tribute Tea Slope behind Zhangjia Village, which experts have confirmed to be nearly a thousand years old. Such ancient tea trees are rare in Guizhou Province. During the third cultural relics census, Puding County included them and successfully applied for them to be designated as county-level and city-level key cultural relic protection units. This fully demonstrates that they not only attach great importance to the production of Dobe Tea but also pay attention to the exploration and promotion of Dobe Tea culture. Dobe Tea is one of Guizhou Province's famous historical and cultural teas. It is understood that an ancient tea tree growing on the Tribute Tea Mountain in Zhangjia Village, Huachu Town, has a history of over a thousand years. According to expert verification, it is considered to be the oldest, largest, and best-preserved ancient tea tree among small-leaf tea tree varieties in the country.
Awards and Honors for Dobe Tea
As far back as the Ming Hongwu era (AD 1368), Dobe Tribute Tea was already well-known. According to “The Annals of Anshun Prefecture,” Dobe Tribute Tea was presented multiple times to the emperor during the Ming Chongzhen era. In 1958, Dobe Tribute Tea was selected as a local specialty and sent to Beijing for the National Agricultural Exhibition, where it received positive feedback. In November 1960, when Premier Zhou Enlai passed through Guiyang on his way back from his visit to India, the Puding County People's Committee presented Dobe Tribute Tea on behalf of the people of the county. Premier Zhou praised it for its “clear color, sweet taste, and rich fragrance.” The 1979 edition of “The Chinese Dictionary” also records Dobe Tea. The book “Compendium of Traditional Chinese Foods: Guizhou Traditional Foods,” inscribed by Chen Yun in 1988, includes entries on Dobe Tribute Tea, Douyin Maojian, and 16 other historic teas within the province in the tea section.