Lei Cha, or pounded tea, is such a favorite beverage of the Hakka people that it has become a signature product for the Hakka settlement at Peipu Village. It is one way in which villagers are promoting their ethnic culture and boosting tourism at the same time. The effort appears to be paying off. Tourists like Simon Goss come to the tiny village from as far away as New York for a taste of the culture as well as the tea. "Pounding your own tea is a bit tiring," said Goss, "but it is kind of fun." Tea has traditionally been the most popular beverage in Taiwan, and many people consider drinking it an integral part of their lifestyle. "Even a small teapot of the finest oolong tea creates a pleasant atmosphere at gatherings," said Peng Meng-hui, owner of Tien Shui Tea House in Peipu. "Drinking tea has become chic again." Peng characterized traditional Hakka teas as a mirror reflecting Hakka customs. "The eating habits endemic to an ethnic group can serve as a showcase to demonstrate the distinctive features of that group," he asserted.
Seven years ago, the first Lei Cha shop opened in Peipu to serve a population of just 1,594 residents. "Since 98 percent of Peipu inhabitants are Hakka, the small town is an ideal place to preserve the group's cultural identity--especially at a time of rapid population depletion and talent drain," said Peng. "Therefore, I choose Lei Cha to wage the first strike in the campaign to foster Hakka culture and pour new vitality into a dying village." Cultural symbol Unlike in the West, tea has very special meaning to the Chinese people, and different teas can have different cultural connotations. Regular Chinese tea emphasizes, among other things, the taste and aroma of a single tea, or a comparison of these qualities in consecutive rounds of different teas at a single sitting. Lei Cha, on the other hand, is an infusion tea that is closely associated with the experience of the Hakka people.
"Lei" has several meanings in both Hakka and Mandarin. When pronounced Lui, for example, the word means "grinding" or "thunder" in the Hakka dialect. This refers to the process of grinding the tea's ingredients that the drinker must first complete.
The drinker is meant to derive pleasure from the do-it-yourself aspect of preparing Lei Cha. One first has to mix a pinch of tealeaves or green tea powder with peanuts, sesame and mung beans and then, using a mortar and pestle, spend up to 30 minutes grinding the mixture into a fine powder. The finer the powder, the better the taste. Hot water and cooked rice is then added and the tea is ready to be enjoyed.
"People usually take turns pounding the ingredients," said Peng. "The cooperative nature of the work can serve as an icebreaker and allow people to get to know one another," he said.
The customs associated with Lei Cha have undergone changes since the practice first began during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Hakkas are an ethnic group related to the northern Han Chinese. Due to constant warfare in the North, they gradually migrated South to settle in Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces. During the long trip South, Lei Cha was invented as a way to stave off hunger without much food, which was scarce. All that was needed were a few grains, such as soybeans or lentils, ground into powder and added to cold water.
"The refugees found it impossible to heat water," said the teahouse owner. "Therefore, Lei Cha became a tailor-made product for the migrant Hakkas." Once arriving in the South, the Hakkas settled down in the hills and cultivated rice paddies, tea plantations and a host of agricultural products through sheer hard work.
Others think the beverage is much older. They cite a legend that tells how Lei Cha made of pulverized tea, rice and ginger was used as an herbal concoction to ward off the plague during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). Even today, people credit the drink with having medicinal properties.
In around 1600, Many Hakkas ignored the imperial decree banning anyone from leaving China and ventured across the Taiwan Strait to found little towns like Peipu. They brought the Lei Cha tradition with them, and it soon spread from one coast of the island to the other. Working hard to eke out an existence in their new, rugged terrain, the Hakka settlers once again found Lei Cha an ideal part of a frugal diet.
The tea reflects the Hakka philosophy behind eating: Mealtimes are not for gorging oneself or titillating the taste buds, but for deriving needed nutrients. Since Lei Cha is rich in energy and proteins, it serves as dietary supplement to regular meals. The tea originally came in two forms. One is a salty soup mixed with stir-fried pork and dried bean vermicelli, and the other is a sweet soup similar to what is available today in Peipu.
Many Hakkas consider Lei Cha a dietary staple rather than just a beverage. "That is why some find Lei Cha unsuitable to quench their thirst," explained Peng. "After drinking it, people become even thirstier." Lei Cha is a must when distinguished guests visit Hakka households. When a Hakka host invites someone to pound his own tea, it is a sign that he is truly a friend. Another top product is Bai Hao Oolong Tea, which is also known by the names Oriental Beauty Tea and Pong Hong Tea. Many consider it the epitome of Hakka tea- picking culture.
Peipu is known around Taiwan as home of the island's best Oriental Beauty Tea. Although nowadays the cost of the white tea is at least half again as expensive as high-altitude oolong, tea planters first thought it impracticable due to a small tea leaf that seemed unworthy of picking. Peipu's particular brand of Bai Hao Oolong is said to be a gift from the insects, which secrete enzymes onto the leaves to interrupt the process of photosynthesis.
Grounded in history "Oriental Beauty Tea is steadily growing in popularity thanks to the unique aroma and flavor imparted by this phenomenon," said Peng Chien-tao, owner of the Kuang Chun Tea House. "Since the tea is only harvested in the middle of the fifth lunar month, the annual yield is rather low and the price relatively high," added Peng.
According to Peng, the name Pong Hong Tea was derived from a tale about a tea merchant during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945) who sold Oriental Beauty Tea at 20 times the price of other teas. Naturally, no one believed him, and they started the practice of referring to his product as Pong Hong Cha, or "boastful tea." "I think Pong Hong Tea is not only famous for its subtle sweetness, reminiscent of honey, its long, lingering aftertaste as well as its bright amber color, but the name itself sets it apart," said Peng.
Today, the residents of Peipu Village still hold a bragging contest every two years in the main square in front of Tzu Tien Temple. The event has become one of the most culturally significant activities on the Hakka calendar in this tiny northern town. And that's no exaggeration.
Lei Cha was once considered bizarre by most non-Hakkas. Today, however, it is a popular drink among Taiwan's many ethnic groups. "It is gratifying to see the Hakka tradition thriving now," said Peng.
The shop owner hopes that teas such as Lei Cha will continue to promote Hakka culture to Taiwan's non-Hakkas and tourists like Goss. Through it, he explained, outsiders can come to understand the Hakka historical background and philosophy--in tea, as in life, hard work and preparation are sometimes painful and time consuming, but they are essential to success and always pay off in the end.
"Tourists in Peipu enjoy Lei Cha for its taste and aroma, and for the simple pleasure of grinding the tea themselves," said Peng. The process of making Lei Cha, he added, is similar to the life experience of Taiwan's Hakka people--bitter at first, but eventually sweet.