In China, there is an old saying that the fragrance of wintersweet blooms stronger in the bitter cold. As the long cold winter passed, and Qing Ming is coming, tea farmers must harvest new buds and leaves of high quality before Qing Ming term, in order to make spring teas. Premium grade green teas must be fixation on the same day of picking. In this way the aroma of tea leaves could be persisted completely.
Why the Tea Leaves Must Be Roasted On the Same Day?
After the buds are picked, its nutrition connection to the root will be cut off; and being exploded to the air, the buds will be oxidized. However, in time cooling and roasting can properly handle this problem by declining the activity of enzymes and slowing down the speed of fermentation. After several classic process of making green tea, the end production is made.
Mingqian tea(明前茶): tea leaves picked and made before Qing Ming festival. In this period of time, nutritions in tea trees has been accumulated for long, and as it’s usually cool in early spring, tea trees grow slowly. Therefore Mingqian tea could carry more amino acid than teas picked after Qingming Festival, meanwhile has less tea polyphenols of bitter flavor, making Mingqian tea tastes mellow and aromatic.
Yuqian tea(雨前茶): tea leaves picked and made around Grain Rain season,in which nutritions is contained abundantly but less than Mingqian tea. Yuqian tea usually has a fresh and heavy taste, and could be steeped for longer time.
About Organic Tea and Organic Tea Garden
Organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation.
It holds a strict standard of building an organic tea garden. For example, the land which is planned to apply a qualification of organic tea garden should never use any pesticides in the past 5 to 10 years. In the range of 10 kilometers from the tea garden no factories should exist.
Spring Tea Recommended List (Updated on 5/5/2013)
Teas Below are made of fresh tea leaves picked in 2013 .
Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea
- Produced in Tianmu Mountain(天目山), Lin’an County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang, China
- Harvest time: March 20, 2013
- One bud with one or two leaves
Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)
- Produced in Fuding (福鼎) City, Fujian Province, China
- Harvest Time: Mar 12, 2013.
- thick and straight buds and tips, covered with plenty of white pekoe, has a few leaves
Organic Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)
- Organically grown at Mt. Taimu(太姥山) in Fujian, China
- Harvest Time: March 25 - April 15, 2013
- Tea buds covered in white hairs
Dragon Well Green Tea (Long Jing)
- Grown in Xihu(西湖) near Hangzhou in province Zhejiang
- Harvest time: April 5, 2013
- Flattened tea leaves, bud with two or three leaves
Nonpareil Te Gong Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea
- Grown in Shexian(歙县) County, Huanshan City, Anhui Province
- Harvest Time: March 23, 2013
- Pre-ming green tea, has curly strips, yellowish green color, beautiful tips.
Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea
- Produced in Tianmu Mountain(天目山), Lin’an County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang, China
- Harvest time: March 20, 2013
- One bud with one or two leaves
- From Qiyun Mountain(齐云山), Liu'an, Anhui province
- Harvest Time: April 2, 2013
- Round shaped, vibrant leaves without any bud or stems
- Produced in Xinyang(信阳) in Henan province
- Harvest time: April 1, 2013
- Long, thin, dark green leaves, with straight tips
Premium Dragon Well Green Tea (Long Jing)
- Grown in Xihu(西湖), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Harvest Time: March 20, 2013
- Flattened tea leaves, with one bud and one or two leaves
Bi Luo Chun Green Tea (Pi Lo Chun)
- From Mt. DongTing(洞庭山) in Jiangsu province
- Harvest Time: March 20, 2013
- Compact rolled up buds with white tips
- Grown on Mt. Huangshan(黄山) in Anhui province
- Harvest Time: April 4, 2013
- An golden yellow combination of plump buds with one attached leaf
Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea , Bai Hao Yin Zhen will be coming soon. Keep your eyes on us!
