Basic Introduction to Taoyuan Wild Tea King
Taoyuan Wild Tea King is a specialty of Taoyuan County, Hunan Province, and a Chinese national geographical indication protected product. This tea is a critically endangered mountain wild large-leaf tea variety. It is characterized by “large leaves, soft leaf texture, deep green color, robust buds, abundant downy hair, emerald-colored Infusion, fragrant aroma, and lingering aftertaste.” Through local research and protection, the artificial propagation of this variety has been achieved, with production gradually increasing.
Product Features
In 1969, Mr. Lu Wanjun, a native and graduate of the Hunan Tea School, and tea taster Mr. Liao Yuzhao discovered two rare large-leaf tea trees in the wild tea population of Lujiazhong Village, Taipingpu Township. These trees had “large leaves, soft leaf texture, deep green color, robust buds, abundant downy hair, emerald-colored infusion, fragrant aroma, and lingering aftertaste.” Upon evaluation by tea experts, it was determined that this tea is rich in Selenium, zinc, and other trace elements beneficial to human health, as well as over 500 types of phenolic substances. The tea polyphenol content reaches up to 35%, and the amino acid content is as high as 8.56%, both higher than any other tea varieties. This tea also exhibits strong resistance to adverse conditions, a long picking period, and fresh leaf yields three times greater than those of other tea populations.
Historical Folklore
“In the south there is fine wood, its leaves have true fragrance.” According to legend, this southern region refers to the area where Taoyuan, Anhua, and Yuanling counties meet, near the Xuefeng Mountains where the Yuan and Zi rivers almost intersect. In ancient times, this was a magical kingdom of tea. “Shennong tasted hundreds of Herbs, encountering seventy-two poisons, and was cured by tea,” a story from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) tells of General Fubo falling ill on his way to conquer the barbarians in Wuyang and being saved by tea.
In the 8th-9th centuries AD, Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi wrote in his poem “Song of Trying Tea at West Mountain Temple”: “A few clusters of tea bushes grow behind the temple's rear eaves, in spring they sprout new shoots amidst the bamboo. They seem to dress themselves and rise, picking the tender shoots like an eagle's beak. Soon after, the room fills with the scent of freshly roasted tea, pouring water from the golden sand spring below. The sound of rain and pine waves enter the pot, clouds linger in the bowl, the aroma lingers for days, the clear and sharp taste thoroughly cleanses the spirit… The new shoots curl tightly, half-unfurled, from picking to brewing takes but a moment. The scent is slightly similar to magnolia petals wet with dew, the color surpasses even the finest grass by the water.”
In 1630 (the third year of Chongzhen reign during the Ming Dynasty), Zhang Jingxin wrote in his “Six Poems on the Taoyuan Grotto”: “In August, no flowers bloom on the peach trees; along the river, I search for the fisherman's boat. The mountains are tranquil and serene, only autumn waters flow, flowing into the world as wild tea.” This not only indicates that the term “wild tea” is not without foundation but also reveals the poet's affection for wild tea.
In the 3rd-4th centuries AD, the Western Jin Dynasty's “Record of the Land of Jingzhou” states: “All seven counties of Wuling produce tea, the best of which comes from here.” At that time, the capital of Wuling Commandery was set in Yuanling County, while Taoyuan belonged to Wuling Commandery. However, Yuanling County did not produce tea at that time, so this “best” tea naturally referred to the wild tea from the deep mountains and ravines of the Xuefeng Mountains in Taoyuan.
In folk tradition, a popular tea-picking song has been sung for thousands of years, with one verse going: “Homegrown tea can't match the fragrance of wild tea, for you I am infatuated and mad, homegrown tea fills three rooms with its fragrance, but wild tea's fragrance pervades nine.”
Awards and Honors
In 1997, “Taoyuan Wild Tea King” won the Silver Award at the Beijing International Tea Expo;
In 2000, it was awarded the “China-Japan-South Korea International Famous and High-Quality Tea Gold Award” by the China-Japan-South Korea International Famous and High-Quality Tea Selection Committee;
In December 2005, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine approved the implementation of geographical indication product protection for Taoyuan Wild Tea King;
In 2008, Taoyuan Wild Tea King won the Gold Award for National Geographical Indication Products at the first China (Beijing) International Geographical Indication Products Exhibition.