Chinese Tea Annals

China has been enjoying springtime since Chinese New Year, which the Chinese call Spring Festival (春节) and marks the beginning of spring according to the Chinese lunar calendar. For the tea industry spring means the first harvest of the year. Situated in subtropical regions, most of the Chinese tea producing areas can have up to three harvests a year: the spring harvest, the summer harvest and the autumn harvest.

The tea picked before the end of May is called Spring Tea (春茶). It is reputed for its high quality. Because the tea plants have had the whole winter to rest and recover, Spring Tea’s content of vitamins, amino acids as well as caffeine is relatively high. For the same reasons its fragrance and taste are rather intense. As a consequence Spring Tea is a well sought after item and therefore holds a crucial importance for the tea industry.

A further distinction is made between tea that was harvested before or after Qingming (清明), sometimes translated in English as Tomb Sweeping Day. Qingming occurs at the beginning of April (this year it is the fourth), before the heavy spring rains. Tea picked before Qingming (明前茶) is considered to be of even higher quality.

Like any agricultural good, the quality and quantity of a tea harvest depends on the weather conditions that were prevailing during the months prior to the harvest. This year it seems that, due to cold temperatures, the production from Sichuan province will be smaller than previous years. In Zhejiang province, on the contrary, the conditions seem to have been ideal and the producers of Longjing (龙井) are looking for a production increase of thirty percent of best quality tea. In the Longjing production area, where Spring Tea is a big deal, the authorities have supplied the farmers with power supplies, so that the processing of the freshly picked tea leaves could be done in time without any power shortages. It is necessary, since this work is more and more done with the help of machines.

Spring Tea doesn’t have to be drunk in Spring, since it can be stored without any problem. Its freshness and intensity of taste is ideal for a hot summer day.

Chinese sources: 今年龙井茶品质比去年好，产量增30%左右; 川茶受冻涨价 重庆暂未受影响