Zhao Jun and Lu Jing quickly found several wild tea trees on the mountain.

When they were picking tea, the people who were going up the mountain nearby tried to stop them.

"That tea is really not tasty, it's very bitter."

"Yes, yes, if you want to pick wild vegetables, the ones over there are quite good."

Almost everyone who passed by tried to persuade them.

There were even several old ladies who saw that they were picking tea leaves and felt very sorry for them and insisted on giving them the vegetables in their baskets.

Finally, Zhao Jun stopped him after much persuasion.

From this we can see that people think tea is a very unpalatable dish and few people would pick it unless they were starving to death.

Faced with the warm greetings from the people of Shunan, the two smiled and quickly picked the fruits and left.

What happens next is Zhao Jun’s home court.

She found some books on tea roasting, and after thinking about it in the house, she started to make it.

The first step is picking, which they have already done. When picking, they try to ensure that the leaves are intact, which is no problem.

The second step is ventilation. Just spread the tea leaves evenly in a ventilated place and let them air dry for about half a day.

The third step is to fry the tea leaves. This is the most important step. The tea leaves need to be turned over frequently and the temperature should not be too high.

The fourth step is rolling and twisting. Roll the withered tea leaves like dough, but be careful not to use too much force to break the leaves.

The fifth step is cloth kneading. Wrap the tea leaves after the initial kneading with cloth into a ball, rotate it in the same direction, and finally open it to break it up.

The sixth step is drying. Just spread the tea leaves out in a place with slightly higher temperature to dry in the sun.

In fact, this last step is mainly for preservation during long-distance transportation. If it is not dried, it can be brewed directly.

After three days, Zhao Jun finally completed the tea baking process, and Lu Jing followed her to learn the whole process.

"Sir, there are so many details in tea drying. Six steps? Can ordinary people learn it?"

Lu Jing asked with some concern. He had been watching the whole process for the past three days and felt that there were too many steps.

"Believe me, these won't be difficult for ordinary people. Besides, although there are many steps, the important ones are only three, four or five."

"Tea baking is easy and can be done by anyone, young or old. The key is to control the temperature and the strength of your palm."

Zhao Jun explained.

"Okay, this is my first time making this, so I'm not sure how I can control the heat and strength."

"Go and call everyone over, and I'll make tea for you myself."

She dusted the tea leaves in the winnowing basket. The color and appearance looked no different from modern tea, but she didn't know how it tasted.

After receiving the order, Lu Jing quickly went to the front yard to call people.

Xiao He and Liu Bang, who had been busy all day, also returned, bringing with them County Magistrate Yu, who was happily chattering all the way.

Zhao Jun attached great importance to the first tea tasting moment and asked his servants to bring several relatively exquisite teacups from the kitchen to prepare for brewing.

After a while, Lu Jing came back with his men, and the teacups and boiled water were ready.

"This is the roasted tea leaves. It feels almost the same as freshly picked ones."

Liu Bang reached out and twisted the tea leaves beside him and said.

"This is what Lord Zhao has been busy with these days. It looks like it will be very delicious."

County Magistrate Yu began to talk and flatter without changing his expression again.

"It's different, less bitter and has a faint fragrance."

Xiao He also took a little and put it under his nose to smell it, then his eyes flashed.

"You can smell the fragrance before you even drink it. You have a very sensitive nose."

Zhao Jun took out a handful of tea leaves and evenly placed them into several cups, then brewed them with hot water.

After the hot water boiled in the cup for a while and the curled tea leaves gradually unfurled, she filtered all the water in the cup.

"Why this step?"

Lu Jing asked.

"The tea soup from the first step is often thicker and may carry impurities from the roasting process. After filtering it once, the rest of the tea will be much better when brewed."

"And generally, the tea leaves in my cup can be recycled and used for drinking, and I can make about three more cups later."

As she spoke, her hands did not stop moving, and the second cup of tea had already been poured into the cup.

The boiling water lifted the green tea leaves to the top, the tea soup was slightly green, and the fragrance became more and more obvious.

"You can drink it now, but be careful it's hot."

Five cups of tea were placed on the table, and paired with the cups specially selected by Zhao Jun, it looked quite artistic.

"Sir, it's already very wrong to trouble you to make tea for us. I will carry the cup myself."

County Magistrate Yu stepped forward actively and picked up the cup on the table.

Zhao Jun silently said: I didn’t mean to serve you tea…

County Magistrate Yu was very enthusiastic. He handed the cups to Xiao He and the other two.

"Please enjoy the food, my lords. This is what I should do."

County Magistrate Yu smiled warmly.

They all smiled awkwardly.

Although he has spoken less these days, his appearance is still unbearable.

Xiao He first observed the tea in his hand. He did not rush to drink it but smelled it and looked at it first.

The other four people, including Zhao Jun, have already started drinking.

Zhao Jun’s first sip: slightly bitter, similar to the taste of modern tea, no problem.

Lu Jing took the first bite: It tasted pretty good, not as bitter as I had imagined.

County Magistrate Yu took the first sip: "No matter what, it tastes good... It seems to be quite good indeed."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!