Budai:
You can find the Happy Buddha – Budai everywhere in China and it is said to bring good luck and fortune if you rub his belly. I will bring him to the winery if you want to rub his belly.
When we were in China, we went to a very famous tea region in the small town of Longjing outside of Hangzhou.
Imperial Tea:
We were invited to the tea house where we learned all about spring tea, summer tea and autumn tea and the different quality each season produces.We tasted Longjing tea which literally translates to Dragon Well tea.
According to legend, the grandson of the Emperor Kangxi during the Qing dynasty (1636-1911) visited this small village and was so impressed with the tea that he designated 18 tea bushes as Imperial Tea. The plants still exist and annually the tea is auctioned off commanding prices greater than that of gold.
This region produces excellent tea and we ended up returning home with a kilogram of Dragon Well tea which was not inexpensive by any means, but it is very, very nice tea. In fact, it is so good that I have basically converted from a coffee drinker to a tea drinker.
Coffee has been upsetting my belly and I learned that Green Tea has many health benefits and thought I would give it a try. So you might see me in the tasting room sipping my tea and wine.
Benefits:
I don’t want to tout the health benefits of tea without a lot more research, but the results look good.
According to many experts, green tea are packed with antioxidants, essential minerals, it has a little caffeine which stimulates the brain and helps in focus and concentration, it increases the burning of fat and will boost the metabolic rate and may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and might even reduce cardiovascular disease and the chance of getting cancer.
While at the tea house, our guide was explaining the benefits of the tea and at the end, she pointed to a gentleman in our group and said, “Good for Buddha Belly”. We all giggled and from that point on we all talked about the need to get rid of our “Buddha Bellies” and live a healthier life, which for me, now includes drinking green Longling tea.