Bei-pu Hakka Lei-cha Team members: Rita Julia Tina Ian Teacher: Momoko Tu Da Zhi Senior High School, Taipei, Taiwan

The History of Bei-pu Lei-cha The manager of Bei-pu agricultural corporation club, Mr. Chen, encouraged the farmers to popularize and promote the local tourism in Jan., In March, 1999, the Lei-cha was popularized in front of the Ci-tian temple. And through media, it became a newly competitive industry.

The role of Lei-cha It was a kind of tea that the Hakka in early times honor guests. It is acceptable for the Hakka to treat their guests with no water nor food, but they have to treat them with Lei-cha.

The tools of Lei-cha (1) Lei-bowl: A kind of hand-made bowl. There are lines in it to help users squash the materials more easily. Lei-stick: A kind of stick that is made of guava trunks. It is wearproof because of being made of hard wood. Bamboo spoon: A mixing spoon that is carbonized in 248 ℉ (=120 ℃ ) and disinfected.

The tools of Lei-cha(2) Tian-mu bowl: A kind of dark bowl that used to be imported from Mt.Tian-mu, China. It is good at keeping heat, and the dark bowl makes it apparent to see the texture and shades of tea.

↑ The Lei-stick and Tian-mu bowl ↓The bowl and the stick.

The material of Lei-cha (1) Materials: Green tea leaves, sesames (raw), peanuts, pine kernels (raw), sunflower seeds (raw), pumpkin seeds (raw). And the proportion in them is: tea leaves: sesames: others=3:3:1

The material of Lei-cha(2) Dark rice: A kind of easily preserved and instantly edible rice through the process of being soaked, steam, exposed, and fried. Dark rice→

The process of making Lei-cha (1) Grind the basic materials, such as peanuts, sesames, and tea leaves into powder. (It is better to grind out oil from them. And grinding them into paste is the best) Lei-cha powder↑

The process of making Lei-cha(2) Add hot water circularly along the edge of the bowl, and then mix it. (It is better to go clockwise.)

The process of making Lei-cha(3) Finally, pour water twice to balance the density. Spread dark rice on it, and eat with some dessert.

The process of making Lei-cha(4)

How to eat Lei-cha(1) With dessert: It can be eaten with rice cookies, rice cakes, cookies and cakes.

With meal: In tradition, Lei-cha should be eaten with rice cookies or rice. As main meals, it can be fried with green vegetables, like lettuce, cauliflower, dried tofu, peanuts, dried sliced radishes, kidney beans. Even shrimps can be included. How to eat Lei-cha(2)

Q ＆ A(1) Q: What is the difference between Lei-cha and green tea? A: Lei-cha is a kind of tea with all ingredient grinded into powder. Tea is just fermented tea leaves.

Q ＆ A(2) Q: Is there any etiquette while drinking Lei-cha? A: Yes. You should rise the cup to the height of your mouth to show the respect for the host. Q: When shall we drink Lei-cha? A: Anytime.

Q: Is there any dessert suggested while drinking Lei-cha? A: Yes. You can choose cookies, sweetmeats (like dried slice guavas and plums) or melon seeds to eat. Q: What is the difference between Lei-cha and other tea? A: People “eat” Lei-cha but “drink” tea. Q ＆ A(3)

Q: Does Lei-cha must be made in hot temperature? Is it possible to add some ice in it? A: It is okay to be made in both hot and cold temperature. Also, some people pour milk or soy milk inside instead of hat water while making it. That is another flavor. Q ＆ A(4)

Q: How long can Lei-cha powder on the market be kept? A: About 6~7 months, but it is necessary to keep it in the shade. Don’t make it exposed to the sunlight or put by the heat. And it is suggested to be drunk as soon as possible after being opened. Q ＆ A (5)

Q ＆ A(6) Q: Is there anything different among Lei-cha in different places? A: Ingredients are different. Besides sesames, peanuts and tea leaves, other ingredients are added in according to individuals.

Acknowledgement Many thanks to Jin-Jiang Tea House (1 Jin-Jiang Street, Zhong-zheng Section, Taipei, Taiwan) for interview!!

Reference Hakka Lei-cha introduction: ( NOION( 写真素材 ):(