在金華北山鹿田村一帶,群山環(huán)繞,常年云霧繚繞,被人們形象地稱為“仙境”。這塊風(fēng)水寶地生產(chǎn)著一種茶葉,叫舉巖茶,曾被列為明朝的貢品。如今,舉巖茶已經(jīng)被列入國(guó)家級(jí)非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)名錄,而這一非遺項(xiàng)目的傳承人胡招余依然用他一生的追求,守望著舉巖茶的獨(dú)特炒制技藝。
4月7日上午,在海拔800米的鹿田村,浙江采云間茶業(yè)有限公司的采茶姑娘們已經(jīng)倘佯在茶山中,手指像蝴蝶般翻飛,一片片“舉巖”嫩芽被輕輕摘下,飛入茶簍中,這是今年舉巖茶首次開摘。姑娘們采來的首批鮮茶被送到了胡招余的手中,由他來進(jìn)行精心炒制。
“婺州舉巖”貢茶產(chǎn)于著名的國(guó)家級(jí)風(fēng)景名勝區(qū)雙龍洞國(guó)家森林公園內(nèi)的鹿田村一帶。那天,我們來到位于北山的鹿田村,找到了正在制茶的胡招余師傅。今年73歲的胡師傅腿腳有些不便,耳朵也有點(diǎn)聾,但看上去精神抖擻,擺弄起制茶工具來熟練自如。他的記憶力很好,談起過去的事情感慨萬(wàn)千。
婺州舉巖茶又名金華舉巖茶,因其湯色如碧乳,古時(shí)亦稱“婺州碧乳”茶,因金華舊屬婺州治,產(chǎn)茶之地有玲瓏巨石,巨巖重疊,猶如仙人舉巖而得名。婺州舉巖在秦漢時(shí)期就有名了,唐宋時(shí)期逐漸聲名遠(yuǎn)播,在明朝和清代中期達(dá)到鼎盛。傳說當(dāng)年朱元璋、胡大海、常守春在婺州帶兵打仗,駐扎在鹿田村,喝的就是舉巖茶。它是中國(guó)貢茶歷史最悠久的名茶之一。
隨著歷史變遷,“婺州舉巖”貢茶及其制作技藝在清代末葉瀕臨失傳。20世紀(jì)70年代,科技人員根據(jù)歷史記載,對(duì)舉巖茶的生產(chǎn)、制作工藝進(jìn)行挖掘,經(jīng)過精心研討與培植,這一古老名茶終于獲得重生,開始恢復(fù)生產(chǎn),并于1979至1981年連續(xù)3年被評(píng)為浙江名茶;1981年在全國(guó)供銷系統(tǒng)名茶評(píng)比會(huì)上,龍井、紫筍、舉巖、莫干黃芽同被列為浙江省四大名茶。
胡招余家族中數(shù)代人從事“婺州舉巖”茶手工制作,從清代(1783)高祖父胡興盛到民國(guó)(1940)父親胡昌林,已有158年制作“婺州舉巖”茶的歷史。在胡招余的印象中,自己的童年就是在彌漫著茶香的環(huán)境中度過的。以前茶山屬于集體所有,制茶則由生產(chǎn)隊(duì)包干,他父親就是其中一位制茶人?!靶r(shí)候,我們住的是四合院似的房子,當(dāng)時(shí)一個(gè)大院子總共住了12戶人家,家家戶戶都種茶?!焙杏嗷貞洠鞍滋?,大人們就到北山上種茶、養(yǎng)茶,到了采茶時(shí)節(jié),大人們就很忙碌了。”他說,采茶后,晚上整個(gè)院子里非常熱鬧,每戶人家都會(huì)在各自家中炒茶、做茶。大家一邊聊天,一邊用工具將茶葉攤曬、翻炒、烘干,嘈雜聲四起,茶的香氣也愈來愈濃,分不清到底從哪家先飄了出來……當(dāng)年還是孩子的胡招余因?yàn)楹闷?,也為了湊熱鬧,時(shí)常圍著父親和兄長(zhǎng),看他們?cè)趺醋霾瑁δ咳局?,胡招余深感制茶的艱辛,對(duì)茶葉更有了一份特殊的感情。
1961年,胡招余跟隨大哥胡招福學(xué)習(xí)“婺州舉巖”茶傳統(tǒng)手工制作技藝,從此與茶結(jié)下了不解之緣。
上世紀(jì)80年代,土地承包到戶,胡招余有4畝左右茶林?!拔覀冞@里山高、云多、霧重,雨水也多,而且土壤肥沃,很適合茶葉生長(zhǎng)?!焙杏嗾f。因此,他開始精心管理幾畝茶林,不僅重新開墾荒地,種上茶樹,還培植新品種。2000年,他種茶、賣茶有了較好回報(bào),每畝年收入達(dá)六七千元。
讓胡招余難以放棄種茶這個(gè)行當(dāng)?shù)脑蜻€有一個(gè),那就是“不想丟了老祖宗傳下來的做茶手藝”。他向我們介紹,“婺州舉巖”貢茶通常在清明后、谷雨前一芽一葉時(shí)采摘,其傳統(tǒng)制作工藝一般有7個(gè)步驟。首先是將采摘回來的茶葉進(jìn)行“挑揀”,取大小均等為宜;其次是“攤青”,將選好的茶葉攤放在圓形竹匾上晾曬,大約需要七八個(gè)小時(shí);接下來最重要的就是炒茶了,也叫“殺青”—以前大都用土灶炒,現(xiàn)在則用電鍋炒,雙手?jǐn)噭?dòng)茶葉,使其翻騰而不粘鍋,時(shí)間控制在一刻鐘左右;之后將茶葉進(jìn)行“揉捻”,然后再入鍋繼續(xù)炒一刻鐘,這叫做“二鍋”;將茶葉“做坯整形”后,用裝有木炭火的烘籠對(duì)其進(jìn)行“烘焙”;最后就是“精選儲(chǔ)存”,要用陶制的罐或缸儲(chǔ)放茶葉,并置于陰涼通風(fēng)處,才能保證茶葉的新鮮。
談到近年來的茶葉種植情況,胡招余有些感慨。他說,雖然村里的大多數(shù)村民都種有茶葉,一些青年也學(xué)做茶葉,但由于規(guī)模普遍偏小,且管理不善,目前“婺州舉巖”茶的數(shù)量及質(zhì)量都不高。在中國(guó)農(nóng)業(yè)科學(xué)院茶葉研究所、浙江大學(xué)、省農(nóng)業(yè)廳、省茶葉產(chǎn)業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)等專家、教授的支持下,采云間茶業(yè)有限公司專門對(duì)“婺州舉巖”茶的制作技藝進(jìn)行調(diào)研,經(jīng)過反復(fù)試制,終于在傳統(tǒng)工藝的基礎(chǔ)上,結(jié)合現(xiàn)代技術(shù)使“婺州舉巖”新品得以投產(chǎn)面世。
“如今,村里和我同一輩的做茶人只有四五個(gè)了?!焙杏嗾f,代表著“婺州舉巖”貢茶的傳統(tǒng)手工制作技藝亟需加以保護(hù)和傳承。胡招余的家族到目前為止已有229年的手工制茶史,是“婺州舉巖”茶傳統(tǒng)制作技藝一支重要的傳承脈絡(luò)。因此,胡招余成為這一非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)項(xiàng)目傳承人。為了傳承手工炒茶技藝,胡招余帶了一大幫徒弟,算起來有40個(gè)人。浙江采云間茶業(yè)有限公司的許永輝就是胡招余的徒弟之一。
2006年,浙江采云間茶業(yè)有限公司通過商標(biāo)轉(zhuǎn)讓和注資,取得了婺州舉巖貢茶的經(jīng)營(yíng)權(quán)。2008年,舉巖茶作為中國(guó)名茶被世界奧林匹亞博物館永久收藏。同一年,“婺州舉巖”貢茶作為國(guó)禮茶贈(zèng)送給俄羅斯總統(tǒng)梅德韋杰夫。2010年2月,婺州舉巖茶順利入駐上海世博會(huì),同年5月獲得了“中華文化名茶”稱號(hào)。
Hu Zhaoyu: Master of Juyan Tea
By Shi Fengtao
Juyan Tea is produced in mountains around Lutian Village in Jinhua, a key city in central Zhejiang Province. The rural area at 800 meters above sea level is aptly described as Shangri-La as the mountains there are frequently shrouded in mists. The village itself is part of Double Dragon Cave, a national park in Jinhua. Juyan Tea, a tribute to the royal house in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), is now inscribed on the list of national intangible cultural heritages. The tea owes its name to arrays of rocks stacked one upon another seen in the region. The rocks look as if gods are lifting weights. The tea became a tribute during the Ming Dynasty largely because, according to local folktales, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding father of the Ming, often had a cup of Juyan tea with his generals while his soldiers stationed in Lutian Village. It was one of the best-known tribute teas in ancient times.
However, Juyan Tea lost itself in the chaotic years of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In the 1970s, technicians in Jinhua studied ancient literature and restored the lost Juyan Tea. From 1979 to 1981, Juyan Tea was rated as brand tea in Zhejiang for three consecutive years. In 1981, the tea was named as one of the top four tea brands in the province.
Hu Zhaoyu in his 70s is a master of Juyan tea in Lutian Village. The tea processing runs in his family. His ancestor Hu Xingsheng was a tea producer in 1783 and so was his father Hu Changlin in 1940 and so was he in 1961. The tea making as a tradition has been in the family for 229 years.
Hu remembers his childhood years in a large compound where 12 families lived together and all were engaged in tea farming. In the tea making season, adults went picking tealeaves in daytime and processed tea in woks at home in the evening. He remembers how his father and elder brothers processed tea at home.
Hu began to study medicine in college in 1959. However, he discontinued the four-year study as his life took unexpected twists. He came back home in 1961 to work as a tea farmer. He studied making Juyan Tea under the tutelage of his elder brother Hu Zhaofu.
In the 1980s, Hu Zhaoyu received a tea plantation of 0.27 hectare as previously collective-owned lands were contracted out to households. He took care of the tea bushes on his small tea plantation. Over years, he expanded the tea farm. Though the income from the tea plantation is not very good, Hu adheres to the tea production, for he does not want to give up the tea-processing craft that has run in the family over the last two centuries.
For Juyan Tea, tealeaves must be picked after the Qingming Festival in early April and before Grain Rain. During this 15-day period in April, young tealeaves are just beginning to come out in the form of a single open leaf and a single bud. He follows a 7-step process to make Juyan Tea: all the picked leaves are sorted out and only those leaves of about the same size will remain. Then all the choice tealeaves are spread out evenly on large bamboo plates to dry out. This step usually takes about 7 to 8 hours. In the third step, all the tealeaves go into an electric wok. He scrambles the leaves manually for about 15 minutes. He then rubs and twists the tealeaves before the leaves go back into the heated wok again. The tealeaves are scrambled for another 15 minutes. Then the tealeaves are made into certain shapes and then baked over charcoal fire. The last step is to store processed tealeaves in pottery jars, which are stored in cool and adequately ventilated places.
Hu Zhaoyu says that there are only 4 or 5 tea makers his age in the village. Though villagers produce tea from their private tea plantations and some young people are learning to make Juyan Tea, the tea that is good enough to deserve the brand name is of small quantity.
Fortunately, Zhejiang Caiyunjian Tea Co Ltd has stepped in. In 2006, it acquired the trademark through transfer and invested to expand production. Hu Zhaoyu is now a designated master of producing Juyan Tea, a national intangible cultural heritage. In order to pass on the techniques of the tea processing, he now has about 40 disciples studying under his tutelage. In addition to taking care of his own tea plantation, he frequently visits the company’s tea plantations and workshops. One of the employees at the company is his trainee. With the assistance of experts and professors of Tea Institute affiliated with China Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Agricultural Administration and Zhejiang Tea Industry Association, the company has conducted various studies, researches and tests. Now it has successfully established a modernized process for using modern equipment to produce Juyan Tea based on traditional techniques.