Introduction
The production process of Longjing tea is closely intertwined with its regional characteristics. The unique regional environment gives birth to the exquisite production process, jointly creating the excellent quality of Longjing tea.
Production ProcessHarvesting
Longjing tea harvesting is extremely particular, featuring earliness, tenderness, and diligence. It is generally carried out before the Qingming Festival or the Grain Rain. At this time, the tender buds of tea leaves have high tenderness and good quality. The harvesting standard is mostly one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves just unfurled, and the buds and leaves should be complete, even, and free from damage or pest marks.
Spreading
The freshly picked leaves need to be evenly spread on bamboo trays and other utensils and left to lose water naturally for 4-8 hours. The purpose is to make the fresh leaves emit part of the water, reduce the grassy smell of tea, enhance the tea aroma, and at the same time make the leaves softer for the subsequent fixation process.
Fixation
It is carried out in a high-temperature wok with a temperature of about 200°C. Through techniques such as tossing, spreading, shaking, throwing, and pressing, the fresh leaves are heated evenly in the wok, quickly destroying the enzyme activity in the tea leaves, fixing the quality and aroma of the tea, and maintaining the characteristics of clear soup and green leaves of green tea. The fixation time is about 15-20 minutes.
Moisture Regain
After the tea leaves are taken out of the wok after fixation, they need to be naturally regained for 3-4 hours, so that the internal water of the tea leaves is evenly redistributed and a certain degree of softness is restored, preparing for the subsequent roasting process.
Roasting
The tea leaves after moisture regain are put into the wok again, with a temperature of about 100°C. Using techniques such as grasping, buckling, grinding, pressing, and pushing, the tea leaves are further dried and made more flat and smooth to achieve the best quality and aroma. The roasting time is about 15-20 minutes.
Regional CharacteristicsWest Lake Production Area
Environmental CharacteristicsLocated among the mountains around the West Lake in Hangzhou, with dense forests, the soil is mostly rich yellow loam, white sandy soil, etc., with appropriate acidity and alkalinity, a mild climate, and abundant rainfall, providing unique natural conditions for the growth of tea trees.
Quality CharacteristicsWest Lake Longjing is the outstanding one among Longjing teas, featuring green color, rich aroma, mellow taste, and beautiful shape. Among them, the 'Shi' brand Longjing tea produced in the Lion Peak area has a yellowish-green color, commonly known as 'rough beige'. After brewing, it has a high, fresh, and lasting aroma, with an obvious bean flower fragrance and a sweet, fresh, and mellow taste.
Production Process CharacteristicsThe production process of West Lake Longjing has been passed down for thousands of years, and the traditional handmade production technique has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. When making it by hand, the tea-making master needs to rely on rich experience and exquisite skills, constantly changing and stir-frying through ten techniques such as 'grasping, shaking, tossing, spreading, pressing, pushing, buckling, throwing, grinding, and pressing', with more precise quality control of tea leaves.Qiantang Production Area
Environmental CharacteristicsCovering some areas on both sides of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, the terrain is relatively open, the soil types are diverse, and the climate conditions are slightly different from those of the West Lake production area, but generally it is also relatively suitable for the growth of tea trees.
Quality CharacteristicsThe quality of Qiantang Longjing is also quite good, with a flat and smooth shape, yellow-green color, high and long aroma, and mellow taste, having a unique flavor.
Production Process CharacteristicsBased on inheriting the traditional production process, some tea farmers and enterprises in the Qiantang production area are also constantly exploring and innovating, combining modern technology and equipment to improve production efficiency and the stability of tea quality. For example, some use a combination of machine and hand to make tea, so that the tea can better meet market demands while ensuring quality.Yuezhou Production Area
Environmental CharacteristicsLocated in Shaoxing and surrounding areas, tea gardens are mostly distributed in hilly and mountainous areas, with fertile soil, sufficient water sources, and a good ecological environment, providing a broad space for the growth of tea trees.
Quality CharacteristicsThe tea leaves of Yuezhou Longjing have a flat shape, green color, rich aroma, fresh and sweet taste with a return of sweetness, having high quality and market competitiveness.
Production Process CharacteristicsThe production process in the Yuezhou production area focuses on standardized production and quality control of tea while retaining traditions. Some large tea enterprises introduce advanced tea-making equipment to carry out fine management of harvesting, spreading, fixation, roasting and other links to ensure the consistency and stability of tea quality.
