六堡茶：可以喝的古董 - 一半是茶，一半是药
六堡茶近年来备受关注，频频走进人们的视线。如果说将绿茶比喻为不知愁滋味的轻狂少年，白茶比喻为高贵甜美的东方美人，红茶比喻为风姿绰约的成熟贵妇，黄茶比喻为英姿飒爽的贵族骑士。那么作为黑茶家族中小众的六堡茶，更像是艳光四射的俊俏舞娘、学富五车的智者。
In recent years, Liubao tea has attracted much attention and frequently entered people's sight. If green tea is compared to a carefree young man, white tea to a noble and sweet oriental beauty, black tea to a graceful and mature noblewoman, and yellow tea to a heroic noble knight. Then as a niche member of the dark tea family, Liubao tea is more like a dazzling beautiful dancer and a wise scholar.
在很多茶人的眼中，六堡茶是采天地之灵气，采日月之精华，得自然之造化的茶中圣品。在岁月的洗礼中"越陈越香"，真可谓是时间"缓慢的艺术"。
In the eyes of many tea connoisseurs, Liubao tea is a sacred tea product that absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and the creation of nature. Under the baptism of time, it "becomes more fragrant as it ages", truly a "slow art" of time.
六堡茶的传说与历史
The Legend and History of Liubao Tea
据说，在很久很久以前，龙母在苍梧帮助百姓抵抗灾害，造福黎民。后来，龙母做了神仙，但还是一心想念着苍梧。一天，龙母下凡到苍梧六堡镇黑石村，发现那里山多田少，村里人过着非常贫苦的生活。龙母看到黑石山下的泉水清澈明亮，觉得清甜滋润，异常鲜美。于是呼唤农神在这里播下了茶树种子，经过悉心栽培，长成了叶绿芽美的茶树。这就是六堡茶的起源。
Legend has it that long ago, the Dragon Mother helped people in Cangwu resist disasters. Later, she became an immortal but still missed Cangwu. One day, she descended to Heishi Village in Liubao Town and found the people living in poverty. Seeing the clear spring water at the foot of Heishi Mountain, she found it sweet and refreshing. She then called the Agricultural God to sow tea seeds here, which grew into beautiful tea trees after careful cultivation. This is the origin of Liubao tea.
六堡茶的海外传播
The Overseas Spread of Liubao Tea
六堡茶作为中国历史名茶及著名的侨销茶，通过"茶船古道"成为海上丝绸之路的重要商品之一。清代中期，大批华工"下南洋"，马来西亚一带渐渐成为六堡茶较为重要的出口、消费地区。马来西亚华人喜爱六堡茶主要有两个原因：一是化解乡愁，二是消病祛疾。
As a famous historical Chinese tea and overseas Chinese tea, Liubao tea became one of the important commodities on the Maritime Silk Road through the "Ancient Tea Boat Road". In the mid-Qing Dynasty, many Chinese workers went to Southeast Asia, and Malaysia gradually became an important export and consumption area for Liubao tea. Malaysian Chinese love Liubao tea for two main reasons: one is to relieve homesickness, and the other is to cure diseases.
六堡茶的养生功效
The Health Benefits of Liubao Tea
六堡茶的茶效有：祛湿、调肠胃，降三高功效明显。湿气在中医里叫"六邪"之一，跟"风"结合叫"风湿"，跟"热"结合成为"湿热"。人体的湿气在中医里是最难以调理的症结，湿气过重会造成肠道黏连，容易便秘。湿气重的人煮着喝六堡茶很快就见效。
The effects of Liubao tea include: removing dampness, regulating the stomach and intestines, and significantly lowering the three highs (blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids). In traditional Chinese medicine, dampness is one of the "six evils", combined with "wind" it is called "rheumatism", and combined with "heat" it becomes "damp-heat". Dampness in the human body is the most difficult to regulate in traditional Chinese medicine, and excessive dampness can cause intestinal adhesion and constipation. People with heavy dampness will see quick results by boiling and drinking Liubao tea.
六堡茶的"慢"艺术
The "Slow" Art of Liubao Tea
六堡茶的"慢"，一个方面指的是其制作是一个缓慢的过程。与世界上的其它名茶相比，六堡茶的制作工序繁琐：杀青、揉捻、渥堆发酵、古法手工烘培做成黑毛茶，然后经过数月乃至数年陈放，再做成成品，这是一个相当复杂的过程。
The "slowness" of Liubao tea refers to its slow production process. Compared with other famous teas in the world, the production process of Liubao tea is complicated: fixing, rolling, pile fermentation, and ancient manual baking to make raw dark tea, then aging for months or even years before being made into finished products. This is a rather complex process.
六堡茶的另一个慢，指的是其品质的提高是一个缓慢的过程。六堡茶以陈为贵，越陈越香。在纯自然状态下的"后发酵"十几年，甚至几十年，六堡茶才能完成脱胎换骨的改造，汤色酒红、口感醇厚，去除苦涩、留下陈香、松香或樟香、槟榔香。
Another aspect of its slowness refers to the slow improvement of its quality. Liubao tea becomes more valuable as it ages, and more fragrant as it gets older. After "post-fermentation" in a completely natural state for more than ten years or even decades, Liubao tea can complete its transformation, with wine-red soup color, mellow taste, removing bitterness and astringency, leaving aged aroma, pine aroma or camphor aroma, and betel nut aroma.
因此，弥漫着岁月芳香的优质六堡茶，都可称得上是"时间之手"创造的艺术。从这一点上看，六堡茶倒像法国红酒，有着越老越香的特性。当然前提是好的原料才有存放价值和转化空间。也正是因为这样的原因，那些积淀了厚厚时光的六堡茶才称为"能喝的古董"。
Therefore, high-quality Liubao tea filled with the fragrance of time can be called the art created by the "hand of time". From this point of view, Liubao tea is like French red wine, with the characteristic of becoming more fragrant as it ages. Of course, the premise is that good raw materials have storage value and transformation space. It is for this reason that those Liubao teas that have accumulated thick time are called "drinkable antiques".
