How to choose Jiaogulan tea

Gynostemma pentaphyllum is one of the most common Chinese medicinal materials in our lives. It is very good at treating diseases such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia. It also has good anti-inflammatory and heat-clearing and detoxifying effects. Soaking Gynostemma pentaphyllum in water can also better exert its effects. However, there are many types of Gynostemma pentaphyllum. It is best for us to learn more about it before we can choose a better one. Let’s learn about how to choose Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea.

How to choose Jiaogulan tea

First, identify by smell

High-quality ones, especially wild ones, have a fresh mountain fragrance without any affectation. It is natural, fresh, and very long-lasting, and it remains the same over the years. Because it is rich in ginseng-like saponins, it tastes like ginseng and is not too bitter.

The worse ones have a very shallow or unnatural smell. The inferior ones may smell like moldy dried vegetables or may be completely odorless and tasteless.

Secondly, from the color of the soup brewed with hot water

The best ones have a light green tea color, clear and transparent, which is very attractive. They also last a long time and their color does not change after multiple brewing. The inferior ones, as if knowing they are ashamed, refuse to show up for a long time. Those who do show up are old yellow in color, and usually, after two times, their color becomes pale and faded. The inferior ones are even more evasive, as if they are not visible to people, and the soup is pale in color.

Look at the brewing shape again

Its high-quality wild tea has curled young leaves and stems that quickly open up after brewing. It has five compound leaves with shallow teeth on the margins. Because the leaves are thin and tender, they are sometimes broken, but the stems and leaves stretch out like a light swallow flapping its wings, doubling its size. The inferior ones have old stems and thick leaves, and in the worst cases, the vines and leaves are long and connected, lacking elegance. The fake ones have long vines and large leaves, and their shape is crude, making it difficult to compare them with tea.

Fourth, you can taste the flavor of the drink

The best ones are not very bitter, but slightly bitter. They are not very sweet, but have a mellow aftertaste and are very natural and refreshing. Even those who don't like drinking tea will keep drinking cup after cup. Because of different origins, some are sweeter and some are bitter. Chinese medicine says that bitter means cold. Bitter Gynostemma pentaphyllum is cold in nature and is not suitable for long-term drinking. Sweet Gynostemma pentaphyllum has a high content of sweet saponins and has a nourishing effect similar to ginseng. Therefore, sweet Gynostemma pentaphyllum is cool in nature and has no side effects if consumed for a long time. It should be noted that some products are bitter and sour, have a gummy texture when chewed carefully, and numb the tongue. These are obviously not the real thing, but counterfeit blackberry. Because they look very similar, grow vigorously, and are easy to harvest, speculators often use them to pass off the fake as the real thing.

The above is an introduction to how to choose Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea. After understanding it, we can choose better quality Gynostemma pentaphyllum for consumption. Especially people with three highs can often use Gynostemma pentaphyllum to make tea, but it must be brewed with boiling water to show its efficacy and nutrition.