Reasonable picking is one of the important measures for stable, high yields of high-quality Tea. Reasonable tea picking involves considering factors such as the tea plant variety, climatic conditions, tree age, growth vigor, and different levels of fertilization and irrigation, in conjunction with market demand. It combines harvesting and nurturing to ensure both tea production and healthy tree growth, achieving sustainable high yields and quality.

Picking Young Tea Trees

Under normal fertilization and irrigation management, after two shaping prunings, young tea trees can reach a height of over 45 centimeters during the late Spring Tea season. After the third shaping pruning, when the trees are around 60 centimeters tall, they can be picked using the “topping and leaf retention” method. The standards for picking and retention are: for spring tea, retain two or three leaves and pick one Bud with one or two leaves; for summer tea, retain two leaves and pick one bud with one or two leaves; for autumn tea, retain one leaf and pick one bud with one or two leaves. During the picking process of young tea trees, attention should be paid to the principles of “picking the top and nurturing the sides, picking the higher parts and nurturing the lower parts, picking densely grown areas and nurturing sparsely grown areas.” After three shaping prunings and topping and leaf retention picking, when the tree reaches a height of 60 to 80 centimeters and a width of about 130 centimeters, it can be managed with adult tree picking measures.

Picking Adult Tea Trees

Adult tea trees should adhere to the principle of “picking primarily, combining picking and retention, and timely picking” to achieve relatively high economic benefits over a longer period. For spring tea, pick raw materials suitable for premium teas, usually single buds or one bud and one leaf just beginning to unfold. If 5% of the buds meet the picking standard, then the picking can begin. To produce premium tea, the raw materials should be fine and uniform, generally picking one bud and one leaf just beginning to unfold, one bud and one leaf unfolded, or single buds. For bulk black tea, Green Tea, and black tea cuttings, the raw materials should be of moderate tenderness, typically picking one bud with two or three leaves or tender opposing leaves. For dark tea and Liubao tea, pick basically mature shoots and opposing leaves with two to three leaves. Generally, the methods used can be “leaving the fish leaf all year round” or “leaving the fish leaf for spring and summer tea, leaving one leaf for autumn tea, and picking in a timely manner, in batches, according to standards.”

Mechanical Picking

In recent years, tea harvesters have been promoted and tested on large tea farms in China. These include double-person carrier-type, motorized, spiral blade cutting-type tea harvesters, and horizontally rotating blade cutting-type tea harvesters. Both types of tea harvesters offer good picking quality, are easy to operate, and can adapt to various terrains in tea gardens, increasing efficiency by approximately ten times compared to manual picking. In tea gardens where mechanical picking is being tested and promoted, fertilizer and cultivation measures also need to be appropriately strengthened.

Fresh Leaf Management

Freshly picked leaves should be promptly transported to the Tea processing factory, where they are inspected by a specialist and quickly spread out in a clean, shaded indoor area. Containers for transporting fresh leaves should be well-ventilated and clean, such as bamboo baskets, with a capacity of 50 to 100 kilograms. During transportation, avoid squeezing and reduce damage. Generally, fresh leaves should arrive at the factory within four hours of picking. If they cannot be delivered promptly, avoid exposure to sunlight and rain, and spread them out in a clean, ventilated area to preserve freshness before sending them to the processing factory as soon as possible.