Longjing Tea

Longjing Tea, a specialty of Zhejiang Province, is a nationally recognized geographical indication product in China. Its exceptional qualities make it one of the top ten famous Chinese teas. The top-grade Longjing Tea is flat, smooth, and straight with a bright green color, a fresh and high fragrance, and a crisp, sweet, and mellow taste. The tender, fine leaves make up the basis for its superior quality.

Geographical Origin

• Origin: Zhejiang Province (浙江省)

• Approval Date: October 26, 2001

• Geographical Indication: National Quality Supervision and Inspection Administration (国家质检总局)

Longjing Tea was officially approved as a protected geographical indication product in 2001, ensuring its authenticity and origin.

Characteristics

Longjing Tea is known for its bright green color, beautiful shape, rich fragrance, and mellow taste, which set it apart from other teas. Its unique “light and distant” flavor and extraordinary quality are what make it stand out among numerous other teas. It is considered the best among China’s top ten teas.

Harvesting Characteristics

The harvesting of Longjing Tea has three key features: early, tender, and diligent. Local farmers often say, “Tea leaves are time-sensitive; harvesting three days early is a treasure, while harvesting three days late is just grass.” Longjing Tea is famous for its careful harvesting of tender leaves, which forms the foundation of its quality. The diligent harvesting method involves picking larger leaves while leaving the smaller ones behind, with approximately 30 batches of tea harvested throughout the year.

Traditional Processing Techniques

Longjing Tea undergoes a traditional pan-frying process that involves ten distinct techniques: tossing, shaking, laying, fanning, pressing, flipping, grabbing, pushing, tapping, and grinding. Each of these methods is adapted depending on the quality of the tea. Due to differences in the ecological conditions of the production areas and the frying techniques, West Lake Longjing (西湖龙井) tea is divided into five categories: “Lion” (狮), “Dragon” (龙), “Cloud” (云), “Tiger” (虎), and “Plum” (梅).

Quality Features of Longjing Tea

Top-Grade Longjing Tea

Top-grade Longjing Tea leaves are flat, smooth, and straight, with a bright green color and a glossy sheen. The fragrance is fresh and delicate, while the taste is crisp, sweet, and mellow. The leaves are tender and finely formed, creating an overall exquisite appearance.

Varieties and Characteristics

• Spring Tea: The highest-quality West Lake Longjing and Zhejiang Longjing have flat, smooth leaves with a bright green color. The aroma is fresh and sweet, with a slight roasted fragrance. The taste is crisp, with the liquor being a light yellowish-green. The leaf tips are more pronounced than the leaves, and the leaves remain tender and intact. As the tea grade decreases, the color transitions from bright green to deep green, and the leaves grow larger and rougher. The aroma shifts from fresh and light to heavier and coarser, with grade four teas beginning to develop a rough taste. Summer and autumn Longjing tea typically has a darker green color, larger leaves, and a more intense, slightly bitter taste. Its overall quality is lower compared to spring teas.

• Machine Processed Longjing Tea: Today, machine-produced Longjing tea is also popular, with some teas produced using fully automated machinery and others combining machine and handcraft techniques. Machine-processed Longjing often has a stick-like appearance and is less refined, with a darker green color and lower overall quality compared to hand-fried varieties.

Types of Longjing Tea Varieties

Group Varieties

The Group variety is the earliest and best quality type of Longjing Tea, with the West Lake Longjing harvested from Shifeng Mountain (狮峰山) being the most famous. These plants are typically harvested later than other varieties, around the Qingming Festival (清明节). The planting area is limited to the West Lake region, making it a rare and highly sought-after variety.

Longjing 43

Longjing 43 is a cultivar developed by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Tea Research Institute. It is an early-maturing variety that produces tender, high-quality leaves, suitable for producing flat green teas like Longjing and Yuye (玉叶). The flavor is aromatic and balanced, with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste. It is generally used for making green tea.

Pingyang Early Tea (平阳特早)

This early-maturing variety has large buds and high germination rates. It is notable for its distinctive high aroma, though the flavor is milder compared to other varieties. It is harvested around mid to late April in the Qingdao region.

Zhenong 117 (浙农117)

Zhejiang University bred this early-maturing, high-yield variety, which passed provincial-level certification in 2002. It is known for its strong growth, resistance to cold, and excellent aroma and taste. The tea made from this variety is fresh and fragrant, with a good, mellow flavor.

Zhenong 139 (浙农139)

Also developed by Zhejiang University, this variety is known for its high yield, early maturation, and resistance to cold. Its flavor is fresh and pleasant, with a rich, sweet aftertaste. The tea has strong resistance to pests, but slightly lower resistance to diseases.

Wuniuzao (乌牛早)

This is the earliest-maturing variety, with leaves beginning to sprout as early as the start of the lunar spring. It is widely cultivated and produces high-yield, robust Longjing tea with a flavor similar to that of West Lake Longjing.

Historical Origins

Before the Sui (隋) and Tang (唐) Dynasties, tea culture in Hangzhou (杭州) was in its infancy. During the Three Kingdoms (三国) and Jin Dynasties (晋), the economy and culture along the banks of the Qiantang River (钱塘江) began to develop, and religious activities such as Buddhism and Taoism became more prevalent. West Lake (西湖), with its famous mountains and waters, gradually started to be developed, and tea was cultivated and spread with the establishment of temples and Taoist monasteries. After the Sui Dynasty (隋朝) opened the Grand Canal, Hangzhou’s advantageous location as a transportation hub made it a wealthy and famous city in Southeast China, and the tea culture began to flourish. By the Tang Dynasty (唐朝), tea was widely cultivated in Hangzhou.

During the Northern Song Dynasty (北宋), the Longjing Tea (龙井茶) area had begun to take shape, and teas from places such as the fragrant forest cave of Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺) and the White Cloud Peak of Shangtianzhu (上天竺白云峰) were considered tribute teas. During the Ming Dynasty (明朝), in the Jiajing period (嘉靖年间), it was noted that “the teas of Hangzhou, though many, cannot surpass the quality of Longjing, especially the fine buds picked before the rain, which are considered treasures.”

By the Yuan Dynasty (元朝), Longjing Tea began to gain fame, and the poet Yu Ji (虞集), a lover of tea, wrote a famous tea poem titled “Tour of Longjing” that praised its exquisite qualities. During the Qing Dynasty (清朝), Emperor Qianlong (乾隆帝) visited the area six times and wrote six imperial poems on Longjing Tea, personally honoring “Eighteen Imperial Tea Trees” (十八棵御茶树), which elevated Longjing Tea to a supreme status.

After the Republic of China (民国), Longjing Tea gradually became one of China’s most famous teas.

Environmental Conditions

Zhejiang Province (浙江省) has a subtropical monsoon climate, with distinct seasons, moderate annual temperatures, abundant sunlight, and plenty of rainfall. The average annual temperature is between 15°C and 18°C, with January being the coldest month and July the hottest. The rainy season peaks in May and June. The region experiences extreme temperatures ranging from a high of 44.1°C to a low of -17.4°C. Annual rainfall ranges from 980 to 2000 mm, with an average of 1710 to 2100 hours of sunshine per year.

The terrain of Zhejiang is a stepped incline from southwest to northeast. The southwest is dominated by mountains, the central region by hills, and the northeast is a flat alluvial plain. It is divided into six major topographic areas: the Northern Zhejiang Plain (浙北平原), Western Zhejiang Hills (浙西丘陵), Eastern Zhejiang Hills (浙东丘陵), the Central Jinqu Basin (中部金衢盆地), Southern Zhejiang Mountains (浙南山地), and the Southeastern Coastal Plain (东南沿海平原), as well as the coastal islands.

Production Overview

In 2015, Longjing Tea production was 25,000 tons. By 2019, production had slightly decreased to 24,000 tons, with an agricultural output value of 4.87 billion yuan, marking a growth of 9.1% and 11.9% respectively from the previous year.

Product Honors

• In 2001, Longjing Tea was officially approved as a geographical indication product by the National Quality Supervision and Inspection Administration (国家质监总局).

• In 2008, Longjing Tea was registered as a geographical indication certification trademark by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (国家工商行政管理总局).

• In May 2020, it was included in the first batch of “Zhejiang Cultural Imprint” (浙江文化印记) list.

Geographical Indication

According to the “Regulations on the Protection of Origin Products” (《原产地域产品保护规定》), the Longjing Tea geographical indication application was reviewed and approved in 2001 by the National Quality Supervision and Inspection Administration. The official protection of Longjing Tea’s origin began in 2001.

Geographical Protection Area

The geographical indication for Longjing Tea covers four cities: Hangzhou (杭州), Shaoxing (绍兴), Jinhua (金华), and Taizhou (台州), including 18 counties (districts): West Lake District (西湖区) in Hangzhou, Xiaoshan District (萧山区), Binjiang District (滨江区), Yuhang District (余杭区), Fuyang District (富阳区), Lin’an District (临安区), Tonglu County (桐庐县), Jiande City (建德市), Chun’an County (淳安县), Yuecheng District (越城区), Keqiao District (柯桥区), Shangyu District (上虞区), Xinchang County (新昌县), Shengzhou City (嵊州市), Zhuji City (诸暨市), Pan’an County (磐安县), Dongyang City (东阳市), and Tiantai County (天台县).

Longjing Tea Production Areas

The Longjing Tea production areas are divided into the West Lake (西湖) production area, the Qiantang (钱塘) production area, and the Yuezhou (越州) production area. The West Lake production area includes West Lake District (西湖区) of Hangzhou. The Qiantang production area includes other counties and districts in Hangzhou that produce Longjing Tea, while other counties producing Longjing Tea belong to the Yuezhou production area.

Quality Standards

In 2002, the GB18650-2002 “Origin-Related Product Longjing Tea” standard was implemented. In October 2008, the updated GB18650-2008 “Geographical Indication Product Longjing Tea” standard came into effect. On August 10, 2020, the national standard physical samples of Longjing Tea passed technical approval by the Zhejiang Tea Standardization Technology Committee.

Special Mark Usage

Producers within the Longjing Tea origin area who wish to use the special geographical indication mark for Longjing Tea must apply to the local quality and technical supervision bureau. Once approved, they may use the “Origin-Related Product Longjing Tea” mark.

On March 9, 2020, the National Intellectual Property Office approved companies such as Hangzhou Wanrongtang Tea Co., Ltd. (杭州万融堂茶业有限公司) and Hangzhou Hanyuan Tea Co., Ltd. (杭州杭源茶叶有限公司) to use the “Longjing Tea” geographical indication product special mark.

By November 2020, the first batch of 103 companies had passed the review and were granted access to use the geographical indication product mark.