Why does "cooking tea around the stove" attract fans of young people?

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　　This winter, "making tea around the stove" has become a new way of social consumption for many young people.

During the New Year's Day holiday this year, diverse needs such as cooking tea around the stove, soaking in hot springs, and skiing drove holiday consumption.

Some people in the industry pointed out that the reason for the popularity of "making tea around the stove" is that on the one hand, it has a lot to do with its own charm, which has the attribute of social consumption, and on the other hand, it can integrate traditional tea culture into life, which is also a healthy life Way.

　　A small earthenware clay stove, a piece of barbed wire, a pot of boiling black tea, and a burning charcoal fire... On New Year's Eve in 2023, Yang Rui, who lives in Guangzhou, Guangdong, is on the roof of her house, with her family and friends. A "fireside tea party" was held, which was a "ceremony" she had prepared for nearly two months.

　　This winter, "making tea around the stove" has become a new way of social consumption for many young people.

During the New Year's Day holiday this year, diverse needs such as cooking tea around the stove, soaking in hot springs, and skiing drove holiday consumption.

In addition to buying utensils by themselves to experience them like Yang Rui, many consumers also went to offline stores to check in. All kinds of teahouses, tea utensil manufacturers and other upstream and downstream industries also made a pot of gold in this round of consumption boom.

　　"Cooking tea around the stove" is booming

　　Yang Rui and her husband are camping enthusiasts and like to participate in various outdoor activities.

When she checked WeChat Moments last November, she saw a friend who was camping together using a small ceramic stove to cook a barbecue, so she quickly searched for pictures on the shopping platform.

To her surprise, the keywords of the searched pictures were all "making tea around the stove", and Yang Rui realized that a new trend had come.

　　"At first I wanted to do barbecue, but later Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Moments, and shopping platforms all mentioned 'cooking tea around the stove', so I wanted to invite friends to experience it during the holiday." Considering that there is no plug-in equipment on the rooftop, Yang Rui Thinking that a charcoal-burning stove is more convenient, he spent nearly 100 yuan to order a full set of ovens and 1 catty of charcoal, and also learned fire safety knowledge in advance.

　　It wasn't until the end of December last year that this set of utensils arrived one after another. Yang Rui and her friends prepared tea, oranges, melon seeds, rice cakes, corn and other food, and had a New Year's Eve full of ritual.

　　Yang Rui recalled: "The temperature in Guangzhou at night will not be very low, and with the blankets and stove I brought, it is still very warm. Everyone chatted until the charcoal fire was finished at 1 o'clock in the morning."

　　Wei Qi from Beijing found a recommendation about "brewing tea around the stove" on social platforms, and chose a time when the temperature was higher in the afternoon to check in at a small courtyard of a teahouse in Gaobeidian.

"After arriving at the store, I chose a 368 yuan set meal, which includes boiled milk tea, roasted sweet potatoes, cotton candy, fruits, pastries, nuts, etc."

　　The offline experience of consumers has gradually set off a wave of discussions on the Internet.

The reporter searched with the keyword "making tea around the stove" and found that as of now, there have been more than 180,000 related notes on the Xiaohongshu platform, the number of related videos on the Douyin platform has exceeded 5 billion times, and the Weibo topics of a single entry have been read. The volume exceeds 44.4 million.

　　At the same time, the popularity of "cooking tea around the stove" has also benefited relevant upstream manufacturers.

The person in charge of a ceramics company in Yixing, Jiangsu told reporters: "We used to mainly produce alcohol lamp tea makers. In 2022, the demand for charcoal fire tea makers will increase significantly, and the proportion will increase from 10% to 70%."

　　The emotional value behind novel experiences

　　After several months of fermentation, "making tea around the stove" is still at the forefront of social consumption in winter.

Experience feedback about the activity was also richer, with emotional value being the most mentioned word.

　　For Wei Qi, who has experienced the store service, "brewing tea around the stove" is very suitable for winter.

She said: "Just like its name, 'making tea around the stove' allows everyone to sit together, chat, take pictures, and have a very warm atmosphere."

　　After nearly 4 hours of "brewing tea around the stove" on the rooftop, Yang Rui thought the stove was a good buy.

"Listening to the sound of boiling tea, warming up by the fire, chatting with friends, and watching the stars, the experience is very good." In her view, "making tea around the stove" is like a mini version of camping, providing everyone with close-distance outdoor socializing It is also suitable for posting on Moments to show your "exquisite" life.

　　However, due to lack of baking experience, Yang Rui complained that "a lot of food is raw".

For example, one side of the chestnut is burnt, the other side is not ripe, the sweet potato is not ripe, and the fruit is basically eaten cold... She told the reporter that if you want to have a good experience, you must do your homework in advance.

　　Relatively speaking, offline merchants are obviously more prepared.

In Wei Qi’s set meal, the chestnuts and sweet potatoes are fully cooked when served, and consumers only need to heat it up to eat. The tea can also choose pure tea or milk tea according to their needs.

The staff of the store told reporters that some customers reported that the sweet potatoes were not cooked properly or the chestnuts were burnt in the early stage, so a lot of detailed adjustments were made to the food, so that consumers who have no baking experience can have a better experience.

　　From a geographical point of view, there are also obvious differences in the content and price of "making tea around the stove".

Li Xuan, who lives in Chenzhou, Hunan, and his parents enjoyed the new set menu of "making tea around the stove" in a traditional teahouse.

Different from the exquisite dim sum offered in first-tier cities, local teahouses offer regional foods such as glutinous rice noodles, oranges, and sugarcane instead, and the price is only 68 yuan to 128 yuan, which is popular among consumers.

However, in some cities, the price of "cooking tea around the stove" is high, which makes consumers complain.

Wei Qi believes that the price/performance ratio of the 368 yuan package he experienced is not high.

　　The fusion of traditional and trendy "baked" experience

　　As traditional teahouse practitioners say, the form of "brewing tea around the stove" is no stranger to Chinese consumers.

According to Zhu Jinwu, a national senior tea artist and national senior tea reviewer, the southern region has always had a tradition of roasting tea due to the low temperature and high humidity in winter.

The business model of "making tea around the stove" has been popular in Lishui, Zhejiang and other places since 2021, and has been gradually promoted across the country.

　　Zhu Jinwu believes that the popularity of "brewing tea around the stove" has a lot to do with its own charm.

"The temperature is low in winter, and everyone sits around the stove watching the tea boiling and steaming, which is more visually comfortable, and it can also evoke childhood memories of warming in the firepit."

　　In addition, after adding the elements of folk culture and regional characteristics, "cooking tea around the stove" is a way of integrating traditional tea culture into life, which is beneficial to the inheritance and development of this intangible cultural heritage, and is also a healthy life Way.

　　"There are many types of tea, with different qualities, techniques, and brewing methods. For example, tea in a 'dormant' state, such as aged Pu'er, old white tea, and old black tea, needs slow cooking to activate its original flavor." From Since 2000, Zhu Jinwu has been committed to promoting the culture of tea making, and also tried to launch a new model of "brewing tea around the stove" in stores.

Unlike making tea, which is more suitable for business occasions, making tea is more suitable for family gatherings, making everyone more involved and social topics.

　　However, due to fire safety considerations, Zhu Jinwu did not choose the traditional charcoal fire and pottery stove tea maker, but a combination of alcohol lamp and pottery stove.

The fire department reminds that the charcoal stove is prone to sparks splashing. When using the charcoal stove, make sure that someone is watching it so that people can extinguish the fire. Try not to touch some flammable and explosive items near the charcoal stove.

(Worker's Daily)