Ding Gu Da Fang (頂谷大方)
archetype: The monk who flattened the leaf
A flat leaf like a blade: roasted chestnut, warm wood, the straight honesty of the mountains.
History
Ding Gu Da Fang — the 'great square from the upper valley' — is a flat green tea from She County. In texture it is close to Long Jing, but it appeared earlier: 'da fang' (flat roasting) is considered one of the ancestors of the flat style. The leaf is picked in spring and flattened by hand on a hot iron wok until it becomes flat, even, with a faint oily sheen. 'Ding gu' is the highest grade, leaf from the tops of the valley. In China Da Fang has long been known as a 'tea for lightness of the body'.
Terroir
The benchmark Da Fang is 'Laozhu Da Fang' from Mount Laozhuling, where the monk Da Fang, by legend, invented the flat roasting.
Leaf
roasted chestnut, warm wood, straight greens, a light sweetness at the end even, clean, with nutty warmth and a fine returning sweetness
Properties
rich in catechins; lifts gently and evenly, traditionally valued for 'lightness of the body' even, calm, slightly grounding; felt like 'straightened shoulders' moderate (30–45 mg)
Brewing ritual
a 150 ml gaiwan or a tall glass; 82 °C, soft; 4 g / 150 ml. 30s — first warmth: roasted chestnut, warm wood; 45s — the peak: chestnut, boiled pod, straight greens; 70s — a long nutty echo, returning sweetness.
When to drink
morning and the first half of the day. spring. for the start of the day, before simple clear work, when you need to straighten the mind