China’s love of teablossoms in April. Qingming (April 5) on the lunar calendar marks the officialfirst day of the tea harvest across a country that grows tea in commercially in18 provinces.
Qingming is tomb sweepingday, a three-day family holiday celebrating spring and paying tribute toancestors of both the distant and recent past. Millions travel home for theholiday those in tea growing regions often visit tea gardens on their arrival.Tea is China’s most popular drink, earning $32.7 billion (220 billion yuan) inthe domestic market where 1.8 million tons of tea are consumed.
Weather conditions aregood across China with reports of a bountiful pre-qingming harvest and sunnydays throughout most of the tea growing regions.
The price of West LakeLongjing grown near Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province is an indicator of prosperityand consumer demand. The famous Dragonwell marks a tea growing region so wellestablished that plants are plucked only once a year. Tea from the peak ofMount Shifeng processed in the distinctive flat leaf of Longjing, normallysells for 10-times the average cost per kilogram. Longjing is China’s mostfamous tea.
In his article Howto Avoid Getting Ripped Off When Buying Chinese Tea, reporter DylanConroy identifies three basic criteria, the most important of which is location“because there is an understanding that even when the tea isn’t produced asskillfully, the conditions ensure it will likely still have good qualities.”Other considerations include effort; some teas are quite laborious to process,and demand.
Longjing ticks all theboxes and is currently selling online in a broad range. Examples include $55for 100 grams from Xihu; $88 for 250 grams to $350 for 500 grams. Reputablesellers are a must as counterfeit Longjing is common since the tea can be grownin many locations but with less spectacular taste.
Spring teas are rich innutrients. The flesh of the leaf is thick, the aroma and vitamin content arehigh, the taste is fresh, and the shape of the leaves is tight and firm.
Moderate springtemperatures, sufficient rainfall and the fact that the tree has been restingfor much of the year “makes spring buds plumb, bright green in color, suppleand full of amino acids,” says Daniel Cai, marketing manager for Xiamen MorimaTea company in Fujian Province.
Cai is said he iscurrently keeping a close eye on conditions near Wuyi Mountain. “The springseason in Wuyi Mountain is always later than other places, generally startingnear Qingming,” he says. “This is because of the unique microclimate and highaltitude which means the tea matures relatively late,” he says. The harvest ofJin Junmei, a black tea called golden eyebrow, is made entirely with tea buds.“Usually from 1,750 to 1,900 grams of buds are required to make 500 grams ofdry tea. An aunt who has been collecting for decades says the number of budsthat can be picked in a day is about 300-500 grams “which is why Jin Junmei ismore expensive.”
Morima’s spring 2019 JinJunmei sells for $30 for 100 grams. A Jingxian Jin Junmei sells for around $35per 100 grams. Rock oolongs are the most complex tea made in China. Theseoolongs require as many as 32 steps and currently selling for around $82 for100 grams of Qi Dan oolong to $95 for a Qi Lan oolong.
In Yunnan Province LucyWang, director of marketing at YNTeas Agri Tech, reports “last winter was warm,and last summer’s rains were big, so there should be lots of worms in theterraced tea. “
She recently visitedancient growth tea forest and found conditions good. “Yunnan rains are few, sothe minerality of tea (internal material) is denser, spring tea is better thanlast year, but the same conditions mean production is less than last year.”
YNTeas markets a range ofPu’er and Yunnan black tea. A 3-year-old cooked loose leaf Pu’er from Menghaisells for $23 for 250 grams. YNTeas is known for its Shai Hong teamoonlight white tea, which is grown like Pu’er but processed like a white teaand Dianhong black.
In Anhui Province, localgrowers compete annually in Huangshan for recognition as the best tea produceramong 60 varieties grown. In Hubei Province, Lichuan black tea is gainingfavor. The tea is distinctive, requiring 10 hours of processing. It grows at4,000 feet altitude (1,200 meters) near Zhonglu north of Guizhou and sells for$35 for 100 grams.
Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province is China’s thirdlargest freshwater body and home to Biluochun, (snail tea) an aromatic greentea with a taste that lingers as long as it takes a snail to travel.
Fujian exported 20,000 metric tons of tea last year, earning$240 million for its green and white varieties. A silver needle from thecurrent harvest sells for $36 for 100 grams and baimudan 2019 sells for $30 for250 grams.
Lucy Wang writes thatviewing the grave markers of her ancestors, “cleaning thebranches, twigs and wild grass on the tomb, put on the flowers, we begin tomiss our passed away relatives, and think about the essence of living.”
“No matter what your success or failure, richor poor in living, all are lying here equally now, without taking away any fameor possession. What we remember is their love and parenting grace for us.Without them, we have nothing today.”
Sources: Seven Cups, Camellia Sinensis, Tao Tea Leaf(Toronto), Morima Tea