Yingshan is located beside the Dabie Mountains in China, with high elevation, abundant mountain water resources, and a mild climate, making it an ideal place for producing high-quality Tea. The local Yunwu tea in Hubei's Yingshan not only absorbs the essence of plants but also gains nourishment from the misty environment. As early as the Tang Dynasty, it was presented to the imperial court as tribute tea.

This article will introduce you to the complete production process of Yingshan Yunwu tea, from picking to final product.

Picking

The picking technique for Yingshan Yunwu tea is quite particular. When picking the leaves, one must use an upward motion and only select the three tender tips at the top; it is forbidden to forcefully pinch the leaves with fingernails, as this can cause the base of the leaf to turn black when processed. The correctly picked tea buds appear fresh, succulent, and vividly green.

Yingshan Yunwu tea is a Spring Tea, harvested only once a year. To produce one pound of tea, farmers need to pick tens of thousands of tea buds. This action needs to be repeated tens of thousands of times to gather enough buds to make a pound of tea, making it a precious commodity. To pass the time during these long hours of picking, farmers often sing traditional tea-picking songs, filling the fields with melodious tunes.

Fixation

After the arduous picking process, the young tea buds undergo a series of intricate steps to transform into tea leaves, and the first step is fixation.

Following the saying “take ancient trees, follow ancient methods,” the handcrafted Yunwu tea from Yingshan typically uses a large Wok for processing. With years of experience, the tea makers don't need scales to measure the tea buds; they simply grab between four and four and a half ounces of fresh leaves, ensuring a consistent weight. Once the wok reaches the right temperature (not below 280 degrees Fahrenheit or above 320 degrees Fahrenheit), the tea buds are added.

During fixation, the hands should never leave the tea, and the tea should not stick to the wok. The leaves are tossed and scattered to ensure even fixation. While tossing, one can feel the moisture in the leaves, which fixation aims to remove by eliminating steam. After dispersing the steam, the surface of the leaves is gently rubbed in a clockwise direction to break them slightly. Using high heat, the tea juice reacts with the air, altering the fundamental nature of the tea.

The fixation process lasts about eight minutes, after which the tea is quickly cooled and loosened to prepare for the next step.

Second Fixation

The second step in the tea-making process is the second fixation, which shapes the tea leaves. After cooling and loosening the leaves in the previous step, the farmer continues to toss and repeatedly roll the leaves while stirring. This process continues until the tea strips are slightly prickly to the touch. After the second fixation, the tea has a stronger aroma and a more attractive shape.

Aroma Enhancement

To meet the standards of fine tea, having an attractive appearance is not enough; the taste is equally important. Therefore, there is a crucial step that bridges the two: aroma enhancement. Tea makers typically use a drying method for aroma enhancement, employing chestnut charcoal as the heat source. It is essential to control the temperature throughout this process to achieve the desired chestnut fragrance in the Yingshan Yunwu tea.