Basic Introduction to Longzhou Oolong Tea
The Longzhou Oolong Tea has a bright yellow-green liquor, a rich and long-lasting aroma, a distinct “tea character,” a mellow taste with a sweet aftertaste, which is why it's favored by tea enthusiasts both domestically and in Southeast Asia. Oolong tea is made through processes including fixation, withering, shaking, semi-fermentation, and baking, among others. It evolved from the Song Dynasty tribute teas of Dragon Spheres and Phoenix Cakes and was created around 1725 (during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty). After tasting, one is left with a lingering fragrance in the mouth and a fresh, sweet aftertaste.
Since 2000, the Guangxi Subtropical Crop Research Institute station located in Longzhou County has introduced high-quality tea varieties such as Tieguanyin, Huangzhixiu, Jinxuan, and Cuiyu from Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan, and other regions. Using tea tree grafting technology, they successfully replaced large-leaf Yunnan tea varieties with oolong tea varieties, achieving production of oolong tea in the same year as the grafting. This has turned Longzhou into a major oolong tea production base in Guangxi.
Geographical Location
Longzhou is located in the South Asian tropical monsoon climate zone, with a temperate climate, abundant sunshine, ample rainfall, a long frost-free period, and elevations exceeding 1,000 meters. The vertical climate is significant, and the temperature difference is large. The strong photosynthesis makes it a natural greenhouse. The light, heat, and water conditions can fully satisfy the growth and development of oolong tea. In particular, the warm winter climate here is unique in Guangxi.
Mount Daqing is situated in the southwest of Longzhou County, spanning the China-Vietnam border in Binqiao Township. Its peak reaches over 1,000 meters in altitude, with fresh air quality and no “three wastes” pollution. The Soil is fertile with organic matter content above 8%, resulting in tea leaves that are thick and dark green in appearance. These leaves also have the characteristic of being green and pesticide-free. Apart from the original oolong tea tree varieties native to the deep mountains of Mount Daqing, in 2000, the Guangxi Subtropical Crop Research Institute experimental station introduced Tieguanyin, Huangzhixiu, Jinxuan, Cuiyu, and 16 other high-quality tea tree varieties from Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan, and other regions. Researchers used tea tree grafting technology to successfully replace large-leaf Yunnan tea varieties with oolong tea varieties, achieving production of oolong tea in the same year as the grafting. This has turned Longzhou into a major oolong tea production base in Guangxi.
Quality Production Standards
I. Variety
Jinxuan
II. Site Conditions
Elevation ≥ 400 m, soil type sandy loam, pH value 4.50-6.50, soil layer thickness ≥ 80 cm, soil organic matter content ≥ 2%.
III. Cultivation Techniques
1. Seedling Propagation: Cuttings propagation.
2. Plant Density: ≤ 45,000 plants per hectare.
3. Fertilization: At least 35 tons of mature organic fertilizer per hectare annually.
4. Environmental and Safety Requirements: Pesticides and fertilizers must comply with national regulations and must not pollute the environment.
IV. Harvesting
Harvest according to standards: pick two leaves with an inter-node, the second, third, and fourth single leaves.
V. Processing Technology
Processing Procedures: Harvesting → Sun Withering → Green Making (Shaking, Resting) → Stir-frying → Wrapping and Rolling → Drying → Packaging → Finished Product
1. Sun Withering (Sunlight Withering): Sun withering is done during late afternoon when the sun is slanted or when the sunlight is weaker in the afternoon. Leaf temperature ≤ 30°C, time 20-40 minutes, the temperature should be controlled below 35°C.
2. Green Making: Shaking and resting are alternated 3-5 times. The room temperature for green making is 18-24 degrees Celsius, and the leaf volume in the shaking cage should not exceed two-thirds of its capacity. Each shaking lasts 1-5 minutes, followed by resting for 30-60 minutes.
3. Stir-frying (Fixation): Stir-frying temperature 250-280°C, stir-frying degree is when the green smell disappears and the tea aroma becomes apparent. The stir-fried leaves should be spread out to cool down immediately after being removed from the Wok.
4. Wrapping and Rolling:
Initial Wrapping and Rolling: Wrapping and unrolling are alternated 3-4 times, each wrapping lasting 2-5 minutes.
Re-Wrapping and Rolling: After the initial wrapping and rolling, the tea is re-baked, then wrapped and unrolled again, alternating 3-4 times, each wrapping lasting 2-5 minutes.
5. Drying: Temperature 80-100°C, dried to 80% dryness.
6. Re-drying: Temperature 60-80°C, dried to complete dryness.
Product Characteristics
1. Sensory Features
The tea leaves are thick and tightly rolled, with a sand-green, dark, and lustrous color, and are evenly sized. The liquor is bright yellow-green, the aroma is rich and long-lasting with a distinct “tea character,” the taste is mellow and sweet aftertaste. The infused leaves are soft and bright with a lingering fragrance. It is highly resistant to brewing, and there is still a lingering fragrance and taste even after seven infusions.
2. Chemical Index
Water-soluble Extracts ≥ 32%.
Historical Folklore
Longzhou Oolong Tea, as a specialty product of Longzhou County, has a history of more than 130 years. According to the “Annals of Longzhou County,” “Longzhou's tea-making industry has a long history. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were Longzhou Oolong tea trees in the deep mountains of the Daqing Mountain region in the former Shanglong Division. These trees had thick trunks and lush, dark green leaves. The tea produced had a clear but bitter taste at first, followed by a strong sweetness, and a quick aftertaste. The people of Longzhou have a special fondness for Longzhou Oolong tea.” Longzhou Oolong tea is grown in a suitable environment with high altitude, misty conditions, abundant rainfall, and a temperate climate, giving it the characteristics of a rich and long-lasting aroma, and a refreshing, sweet, and mellow taste. The locals cannot do without Longzhou Oolong tea throughout the year.
During the period when Deng Xiaoping led and launched the Longzhou Uprising in Longzhou, he also drank Longzhou Oolong tea. Vietnamese leaders such as Ho Chi Minh and Huang Wenshu, who engaged in revolutionary activities in Longzhou County for 18 years, also enjoyed drinking Longzhou Oolong tea.
In 2004, a national expert group identified Longzhou Oolong tea as having superior quality and unique internal characteristics, a strong and lasting aftertaste, and a high and lingering fragrance, placing it at the leading level among similar products nationwide. It can be compared to similar products from Anxi, Fujian. Longzhou Oolong tea has