Ku Ding tea belongs to Ilex Ku Ding, Ilex Ku Ding is a species of Ilex Ku Ding. It is called “Gao Lu Tea” in ancient Chinese books. It is a precious health care treasure for both medicine and drink, and has a drinking history of more than 2000 years.
Ku Ding tea as a court tribute began in the fifth years of Huang You in the Northern Song Dynasty. When Xu Chaolie, a semi-national leader in Wancheng County, Guangxi, was trying to please Emperor Renzong of Song, in order to be conferred titles in the state, so he got the first batch of tender buds of thousand-year-old wild ancient tea trees in spring and carefully made into dried tea as tribute to the emperor.
After several months of drinking, Emperor Renzong of Song felt that the tea was bitter before sweet, refreshing and soothing, invigorating the stomach, relaxing the intestines, and improving his health. He was very happy. He thought it was a medicine for immortality, so he asked Xu Chaolie to pay tribute every year and never be absent. He still set a state in Wancheng County, and appointed Xu Chaolie to be the first local official, and he can be hereditary from generation to generation. After feuded by the emperor, he was very happy and paid tribute the Ku Ding tea to the emperor more actively.
Drinking method is: select the tea bud which has grown the seventh tender leaf, extract and make dry tea, drink four tea buds every day for seven days. Taizu of the Ming Dynasty cured his stubborn illness after taking it according to his doctor’s advice. From then on, Ku Ding tea was listed as a tribute to the court. Ku Ding tea is also known as “tribute tea”. At that time, all the officers in Dynasty’s civil and military struggle to drink Ku Ding tea and it became a custom for a while.
There are more than ten kinds of Ku Ding tea plants. Because of different kinds, the quality of Ku Ding tea varies greatly. Ku Ding tea is mainly divided into large leaf Ilex Ku Ding tea and small leaf Ku Ding tea. Ilex macrophylla Ku Ding tea, also known as sweet tea, is an evergreen tree, named for its delicious juice and sweet aftertaste.