Everyone knows that most Pu'er Tea on the market is divided into spring and autumn teas based on the time of picking and production. Due to the difference in picking times, teas from the same mountain can have distinct taste characteristics, which experienced tea drinkers often refer to as “spring water, autumn aroma.” So what are some things to consider when it comes to spring teas? Today, Shang Shang will guide you through them.

Spring Tea can be understood as “tea picked and produced during spring.” The season of spring is defined according to the 24 solar terms, spanning from the Start of Spring to the Start of Summer. Teas made within this period are considered spring teas.

Many tea enthusiasts may wonder: why do some spring teas cost significantly more than others, disregarding the influence of famous mountain origins?

The reason is that while all tea picked between the Start of Spring and the Start of Summer is called spring tea, there are typically three pickings: pre-spring tea, main spring tea, and late spring tea.

Pre-spring tea is usually picked in February to March, between the Awakening of Insects and the Qingming Festival; main spring tea is picked and processed in March to April, after the Qingming Festival and before the Grain Rain; and late spring tea is picked and processed from mid-April to mid-May, from the Grain Rain until the Start of Summer. Different picking times result in significant price differences.

Another point to note is that the age of the tea tree also affects the picking time, with older trees generally budding later.

However, this does not affect their classification into the three categories: the first picking is pre-spring tea, the second is main spring tea, and the third is late spring tea.

Due to the impact of rainfall, temperature, ecological environment, and other factors, there may be slight variations in the timing of budding. You might ask how one can judge these differences then?

Apart from considering the timing, you can also evaluate the tea by its appearance, flavor, and aroma. For example, pre-spring tea, being the first picking after a winter of accumulation, has plumper buds and denser downy hair. Main spring tea, growing during a period of abundant rainfall, is more vigorous, with thicker stems and longer internodes compared to pre-spring tea.