Move Over Matcha — Babaocha (8 Treasure Tea) Could Be the Next Big Tea

We’ve all heard the number 8 is considered lucky in the Chinese culture, so we can unscientifically conclude that anything associated with the number 8 is a good thing. Not to purposely quote Martha, but BABAOCHA (八宝茶) or Eight Treasure Tea is definitely a good thing.

Served in a gaiwan (porcelain cup with lid), BABAOCHA actually has eight little treasures inside: the base of either jasmine or chrysanthemum tea (tea leaves=highest offering), sweetened with rock sugar, and infused with 6 items from the following list (depending on the region): sesame, wolfberry (strength), raisin (abundance), walnut, dried persimmon, longan flesh (longevity), red jujube/dates (passion), honeysuckle, medlar, heart of lotus seed, hawthorn, pine nut (patience), winter melon (sweet memory), or rose (romance).

Folklore has it that drinking BABAOCHA can clear the liver and eyes (from the after effects of all night drinking, perhaps?), and disperse chills and lower fever (ColdFX has met its match?).

But you don’t want to try BABAOCHA because it cures what ails you…nah! You want to try it because BABAOCHA is piaoliang (beautiful)! This once exclusive tea that only touched the lips of the hoity-toity set of China, can now be enjoyed by your VIP-highness at Shao Lin Noodle House at 548 West Broadway in Vancouver. Here, the tea waiter will pour your cup of BABAOCHA from that infamous long-spouted teapot while he dazzles you with his Crouching Teapot/Hidden Tea Leaves moves, such as the “spread eagle” or the “dragon asking for direction”. Don’t expect VIP treatment or even the gaiwan, but just asking the tea waiter to do the “spread eagle” for you should be payment enough, don’t you think?

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To buy BABAOCHA, click here.
To try out some other traditional Chinese teas with such names as “Monkey’s Pick,” “The Fragrance of My Concubine,” “Snow Over Jade Pond,” “Fireworks in Your Glass,” and “Immortal’s Tea,” visit the Moonstruck Chinese Teahouse in Coal Harbour. For their website, click here.