Proper picking of tea leaves is one of the key measures for stable, high yield and quality of tea. In picking, it is essential to balance harvesting and nurturing. It is necessary to pick in batches, promptly, and leave leaves reasonably. Picking should be conducted according to the standards required for different types of tea. For instance, needle-shaped tea requires single buds, coiled teas (such as Biluochun) and flat teas (such as West Lake Longjing) require 1 bud with 1 leaf just starting to unfold, and Mao Feng tea is made from 1 bud with 1-2 leaves. For Oolong Tea, small to medium open-faced shoots with 2-3 leaves are ideal. For green tea production, when 10% to 20% of shoots meet the picking standard, harvesting can begin. Different standards should be set for nurturing based on the tree age and vitality.

(1) Picking from Young Tea Trees

Picking can be done using the “top pruning and side nurturing” method. The standards are: Spring Tea leaves – leave 2-3 leaves, pick 1 bud with 1-2 leaves; summer tea leaves – leave 2 leaves, pick 1 bud with 1-2 leaves; Autumn Tea leaves – leave 1 leaf, pick 1 bud with 1-2 leaves. During picking, attention should be paid to the principles of “top picking and side nurturing, top picking and low nurturing, dense picking and sparse nurturing.”

(2) Picking from Mature Tea Trees

The principle of “mainly picking, combining picking and nurturing, and timely picking” should be followed. Spring tea for premium teas usually picks single buds or 1 bud with 1 leaf just starting to unfold, and picking can start when 5% of the shoots reach the picking standard. For bulk green tea, Black Tea, and black broken tea, medium tenderness raw materials are required, typically picking 1 bud with 2-3 leaves and tender opposite leaves. Oolong tea and black tea require picking basically mature shoots and 2-3 opposite leaves. A common approach is “leaving the fish scale leaf all year round” or “leaving the fish scale leaf for spring and summer tea, leaving 1 leaf for autumn tea, and picking promptly, in batches, according to the standard.”

(3) Precautions

Freshly picked leaves should be transported to the tea processing factory promptly. Containers used for transporting fresh leaves should be well-ventilated, clean bamboo baskets, with a capacity of about 50-100 kilograms. During transportation, avoid compressing the leaves to minimize damage. Ideally, fresh leaves should arrive at the factory within 4 hours of picking. If they cannot be delivered to the factory immediately, avoid exposure to sunlight and rain, and spread them out in a clean, airy place to keep fresh before sending them to the processing factory as soon as possible.