Basic Introduction to Wuniu Early Tea
Wuniu Early Tea is an ancient famous tea in China that was lost for several hundred years before being restored in 1985. The Wuniu Early Tea from Yongjia County is a newly created famous tea named after the town of Wuniu where it is mainly produced. It is one of the earliest budding varieties of tea and can be harvested as early as mid-March. The “Wuniu Early Longjing” processed from this variety has a flat shape, a rich and fragrant taste, and a bright green color, making it a rare treasure among teas.
Nutritional Value
A sample of dried Wuniu Early Tea with one bud and two leaves contains approximately 4.2% amino acids, 17.6% polyphenols, and 3.4% caffeine, slightly higher than the physical and chemical indicators of other green teas. The superior ecological environment, precious early budding variety, and exquisite processing techniques have given birth to the high-quality and famous “Yongjia Wuniu Early” tea. Regular consumption of this tea can have various effects, including anti-cancer, weight loss, digestion, de-greasing, refreshing and awakening, diuretic and cooling actions.
Product Characteristics
This variety buds exceptionally early, with the spring sprouting period generally occurring in late February or early March; it has a high density of buds and leaves that are plump and bright green, rich in amino acids. The content of amino acids in fresh spring leaves is about 4.2%, and the downiness is moderate. It maintains tenderness well; it has good resistance and yields moderately high. It is suitable for making Green Tea, especially flat-shaped high-quality teas. The quality of the tea made from it is outstanding, with a clear fragrance and a sweet taste, making it a rare early spring green tea. The appearance is flat, smooth, upright, and uniform, with prominent buds slightly covered in down, and a tender green luster. The inner quality has a high and fresh aroma, a sweet and mellow taste, a clear and bright infusion, and young, sturdy leaves that are uniform and form whole leaves. This variety is suitable for promotion in Zhejiang Province, especially in areas producing flat-shaped high-quality teas, as an early maturing variety.
History and Folk Customs
Two hundred years ago, Wuniu Early was a wild tea plant growing on Changjialing between the villages of Baling and Wuniu Town in the lower reaches of Nanxi River in Yongjia County. It was discovered by Mr. Jin Zehong from Longtou Village in Oubei Town who noticed the particularly lush growth and early sprouting of this tea plant while visiting relatives during the Spring Festival. Mr. Jin transplanted this tea plant back home along with its soil. Since this tea could be harvested around the Spring Equinox (one bud and two or three leaves), which was about 15 days earlier than other varieties, it was named “Wuniu Early.” It was also referred to as “Lingxia Tea” because it was first found in Lingxia. Over the years, Lingxia Tea became widely planted in Luodong and Wuniu, becoming the dominant local variety. In 1988, “Wuniu Early Longjing” passed provincial new product certification in Hangzhou and was officially named “Yongjia Wuniu Early.” By 1994, the Wuniu Early tea base centered in Wuniu Town had 80 hectares of contiguous tea gardens and spread to surrounding towns. That year, Yongjia County had 533.33 hectares of Wuniu Early tea gardens, producing approximately 60 tons. Since 1995, it has won numerous awards. It received the Gold Medal at the Second China Agricultural Expo and the Gold Medal at the Hong Kong High-Quality Food Expo that same year. From 2001 onwards, it consecutively won the Gold Medal at the Zhejiang Provincial Agricultural Expo. In 2002, it obtained national green food certification and the Gold Medal at the Zhejiang Provincial Agricultural Expo. Also in 2002, it received a renowned trademark in Zhejiang Province and the title of Green Agricultural Product in Zhejiang Province. Among these, “Sanwu Early Tea” was recognized as a well-known brand in Wenzhou.
Preparation Method of Wuniu Early Tea
The characteristics of Yongjia Wuniu Early Tea are its early budding and excellent quality. Its buds and leaves are plump and slightly covered in down. The raw materials must meet very strict standards. Production takes place within 50 days from late February to mid-April. Harvesting begins after rainfall and ends before the Grain Rain, with the highest grade fresh leaf standard being one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves just beginning to unfold. Tea pickers search the mountains for tea, picking every bud they see, ensuring uniformity in size and length, and avoiding fish leaves, stems, and other foreign objects. It takes over 22,000 golden buds to make 500 grams of top-grade finished tea, truly demonstrating the saying, “Who would know in their cup of tea, each grain is hard-won!”
The processing technology of Yongjia Wuniu Early is similar to that of West Lake Longjing.
Fresh Leaf Spreading: This is a unique feature of Wuniu Early Tea processing. Fresh leaves are spread out on ventilated, cool, and clean bamboo trays, with a thickness of 1000 grams per square meter. The ideal spreading time is when the fresh leaves lose about 20% of their weight. They should be spread until the leaves feel soft, their color turns darker, and there is a slight floral fragrance. Processing should begin within 12 hours of spreading, ensuring no accumulation, no heat generation, no reddening, and no breakage. The principle of grading and spreading and processing in batches should be followed.
Green Frying and Final Frying: During the process, there are 16 techniques such as shaking, lifting, guiding, broadening, and rubbing. These techniques change based on the age of the fresh leaves and the degree of development of the tea in the pan. The purpose is to achieve a flat, smooth, upright, and uniform appearance, with a prominent bud tip slightly covered in white down, a tender green luster, and no yellow leaves or tender stems as impurities.
Differentiating Authentic from Fake
One look. New tea leaves are light green, while old tea leaves are dark green. The edges of the leaves are serrated, with 16 to 32 pairs of teeth, and the tips are concave. Their young stems are flat and round, and the backs of the leaves have white down. The shape is tight and fine, with young tea containing stems. The color is yellowish-green, clean and uniform, and the dried flowers are yellowish-white. Fake tea leaves do not have these distinct features, and their color is dull. Look at the water color, the bottom of the leaves is neither as red and bright as Black Tea nor as green as green tea.
Two burn. Take a few tea leaves and ignite them. Real tea leaves have a rich and fragrant aroma. Crush the ashes with your fingers and smell them to detect a tea scent. Fake tea leaves have an odd smell without the aroma of tea. It's best to compare real tea leaves with those you wish to identify using fire.
Three brew. Take a small amount of the tea you want to identify and real tea leaves, and steep them separately twice with boiling water. Carefully observe after brewing for 10 minutes each time, allowing the leaves to fully unfurl. Place them in two white porcelain dishes filled with clear water and carefully examine the leaf shape, veins, and serrations. Real tea leaves have distinct reticulate veins, with the main vein directly shooting towards the apex. The side veins extend to about 2/3 of the leaf edge before curving upwards and joining with the upper branch veins. The back of the leaf has white down, and the leaf edges have pronounced serrations, with fewer serrations at the base. Fake tea leaves have less visible veins, with some side veins extending straight to the edge. Some may have white down on both sides, and the leaf edges have pronounced serrations or large serrations.
Awards and Honors
Since 1995, it has continuously won numerous honors. In that year, it received the Gold Medal at the Second China Agricultural Expo and the Gold Medal at the Hong Kong High-Quality Food Expo. From 2001 onwards, it has consecutively