The Green Tea Production Skills (Yuhua Tea Production Skills) are mainly practiced in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. Yuhua tea plantations mostly adopt an intercropping model with trees and bushes, primarily located on loess hills between 20-50 meters above sea level. The soil is a yellowish-red type, slightly acidic, with an organic matter content of 1.89%.
In the late Qing dynasty, Lu Yong and others established the national tea research institution “Jiangnan Planting Tea Bureau” on Zijin Mountain in Nanjing. They reclaimed land around Linggu Temple for tea planting and production, naming the tea “Cloud Mist Tea.” After the Xinhai Revolution, tea makers developed the technique of rolling the leaves into slender shapes, giving Cloud Mist Tea its initial pine needle-like appearance. Following liberation, they incorporated techniques of grabbing and straightening the leaves, which finalized the tea's tight, fine, round, and straight pine needle shape. It was renamed “Yuhua Tea” in 1959.
Production Skills
The Green Tea Production Skills (Yuhua Tea Production Skills) represent traditional Chinese green tea needle-shaped production techniques. The main process of Yuhua Tea production involves: fresh leaf picking → spreading out → pan-firing → rolling → preliminary drying → shaping → final drying → refinement → baking → packaging.
01
Fresh Leaf Picking
Yuhua Tea is typically picked around the Qingming Festival, using the standard of one bud and one unfurled leaf. The picking requires that the buds and leaves be complete and uniform, avoiding rain-soaked leaves, purple buds, diseased or insect-damaged leaves, and opposite leaves. Each 500 grams of finished Yuhua Tea contains about 50,000 to 60,000 buds and leaves.
02
Spreading Out
After picking, the fresh leaves are spread out promptly in a cool, ventilated area at room temperature for 2-3 hours, turning them 1-2 times during this period. The handling must be gentle, ensuring the leaves are evenly scattered.
03
Pan-Firing
Pan-firing is carried out in a flat-bottomed wok, requiring a temperature of over 200°C. About 500 grams of fresh leaves are added to each wok, and the pan-firing time is 5-7 minutes. The goal is to achieve “charred edges but not charred leaves, breaking the stems without breaking them.”
04
Rolling
Cold rolling is employed, a critical step in forming the tight, fine, and round shape of Yuhua Tea. The requirements include tightly rolled, finely rolled, and roundly rolled leaves. After rolling, the cell walls are broken to a high degree, resulting in a more mellow flavor.
05
Rolling into Shape
Rolling into shape is one of the primary crafts for shaping Yuhua Tea. The pot temperature starts high and then decreases from 80°C to 50°C. When rolling the leaves, the palms should be full of tea, following the principle of light – heavy – light. The purpose of rolling is to further perfect the tight, fine, and round shape.
06
Shaping (Grabbing and Straightening)
Grabbing and straightening is the core craft for shaping Yuhua Tea. During this process, the fingers naturally curve together, with the thumb extended. Through the contraction of the palm, the tea moves from the back of the hand through the gap between the thumb and index finger, allowing the leaves to roll freely in the palm. The aim of grabbing and straightening is to form the characteristic tight, fine, round, and straight shape, resembling pine needles.
07
Sieving and Refinement
Different sizes of Bamboo sieves are used, employing techniques such as shaking, lifting, and floating to separate the tea based on size, coarseness, and weight.
08
Baking
The baking cage is shaped like a pointed roof, with the temperature increasing with height. The charcoal fire is arranged in steps, with the tea rolling downward from top to bottom for baking.
Quality and brewing
The finished Yuhua Tea combines the advantages of flat and curled green teas, resembling pine needles. It is tight, fine, round, and straight, with a neat appearance and a lustrous green color. The white down is subtly visible. The aroma is elegant, the taste is fresh and mellow, and the infused leaves are tender and bright green.
Green tea is generally brewed in glass cups. When steeped in boiling water, the leaves sink and rise in the cup, producing a strong aroma, clear color, and fresh, mellow taste.
Inheritance and Protection
The Green Tea Production Skills (Yuhua Tea Production Skills) were listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Project Catalogue in 2021.
Chen Shengfeng is a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage representative inheritor in Jiangsu. Since the 1990s, Chen Shengfeng and the fifth-generation group of Yuhua Tea inheritors have established national standards for Yuhua Tea, conducted training courses, and compiled promotional materials for Yuhua Tea, dedicated to the inheritance, protection, and innovation of Yuhua Tea production skills.
Reference: “National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Project Recommendation Application Document – Green Tea Production Skills (Yuhua Tea Production Skills)”