Basic Introduction to Qi She Jing Tea
Qi She Jing Tea is a specialty of the Mianyang Town, Wuhua County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province. The tea has a slender and uniform appearance, tightly bound with a deep greenish-gray luster. When brewed, the tea yields a deep green and bright infusion, carrying a distinctive Coffee aroma that is long-lasting. It has a rich, smooth, and sweet taste, is highly reinfusable, and leaves a lasting aftertaste.
The tea fields of Qi She Jing primarily grow varieties such as Baiye (White Leaf), Mei Zhan, and Xiaoye Wulong (Small-leaf Oolong). The elevation of Songgangzhang is at least 700 meters, with red soil and gravelly soil types. The pH value of the soil ranges from 5.4 to 6.7, containing organic matter at levels of no less than 1.5%, and the soil depth is not less than 1.5 meters. The process for making Qi She Jing pan-fired Green Tea is simple: withering → fixation → rolling → drying → sorting and re-roasting. Though few in number, these steps are the essence of tea-making passed down by tea masters through countless practices.
Qi She Jing is located in a subtropical region with a maritime monsoon climate, characterized by long summers and short winters, moderate temperatures, long rainy seasons, abundant sunlight, and plentiful rainfall. The average relative humidity is 82.3%, creating a climate very suitable for tea tree growth. Under such climatic conditions, the tea leaves accumulate nutrients and develop their unique flavors. During spring, when the temperature ranges between 12°C and 23°C, the temperature gradually warms up, often accompanied by invasions of cold air from the north, resulting in overcast and humid weather with thick cloud cover and weak light, enriched with blue and violet light. This environment facilitates metabolic processes in the tea trees, leading to higher levels of aromatic compounds, amino acids, Theanine, and water-soluble components. The fresh leaves harvested during this period, when made into tea, yield a rich and sweet taste with a clear and high fragrance. To ensure quality, Qi She Jing Tea is exclusively produced during the spring season.
Processed using local special techniques, Qi She Jing Tea can be stored for 60 years without spoiling, without the need for refrigeration, as room temperature storage suffices. It is particularly warming to the stomach; one cup warms the stomach, two cups induce a gentle sweat, and three cups bring about relaxation in the shoulders and back. Freshly processed tea is not consumed until its heatiness subsides, while second-year tea is a staple in the preparation of local Lei Cha, which can dispel cold and dampness and warm the middle and soothe the stomach. Ten-year-old pan-fired tea is an effective remedy for coughs. There is no concern about the cooling properties of drinking pan-fired tea.
Product Characteristics
Qi She Jing Tea has a slender and uniform appearance, tightly bound with a deep greenish-gray luster. When brewed, the tea yields a deep green and bright infusion, carrying a distinctive coffee aroma that is long-lasting. It has a rich, smooth, and sweet taste, is highly reinfusable, and leaves a lasting aftertaste.
Historical and Folklore
There are historical records of tea cultivation in Mianyang, Wuhua dating back to ancient times. In the “Huizhou Prefecture Annals” published between 960 and 1280 AD, there are records of the production of local tea in Changle (now Wuhua County). In the early 1970s, a group of educated youth went up the mountains and into the countryside to the state-owned Qi She Jing Forest Farm, where they developed the Songgangzhang tea garden. After more than 40 years of growth, the diameter of the tea trees is generally as thick as a bowl, with a well-developed root system reaching depths of more than 5 meters into the soil, enabling them to absorb various minerals from deeper layers of the soil more effectively.
Production Method
Wilt: The thickness of the fresh leaves should be less than 10 centimeters, and the wilting time should be less than 6 hours.
Fixation: Temperature range of 220°C to 260°C, stir-fry until the “grassiness disappears and an aroma develops, the leaf color turns dark green, the texture becomes soft and elastic,” which takes approximately 15 minutes per batch.
Rolling: Roll until the formation rate exceeds 70%. Approximately 15 minutes per batch.
Drying: Temperature range of 120°C to 150°C, stir-fry until 90% dry. Approximately 30 minutes per batch, then combine two batches into one and continue drying for another 30 minutes, repeating this process multiple times.
Re-roasting: Combine several batches into one, approximately 300 kilograms of tea, and re-roast for 6 hours. Before removing from the pan, immediately increase the temperature for a fierce stir-fry for 2 minutes, then quickly remove and cool down.
Awards and Honors of Qi She Jing Tea
In 2013, Qi She Jing Tea was awarded the title of Guangdong Provincial Famous Product;
On December 29, 2025, the original General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China approved geographical indication product protection for “Qi She Jing Tea.”