Basic Introduction to Gugunao Tea

Gugunao Tea, also known as Gugunao Shishan Tea, was once called Yushan Tea. It is produced on Gugunao Mountain in Tanghu Town, Suichuan County, Jiangxi Province. The mountain is named “Gugunao” for its dog-like shape, and the tea produced there bears the same name. The tea is harvested with great care. Harvesting usually begins in early April, and the standard for high-grade Gugunao Tea is one bud with a single leaf just unfolded. Harvesters are required not to pick dew-covered leaves, not to harvest on rainy days, and not to pick leaves at noon on sunny days. After picking, the fresh leaves undergo further selection to remove purple leaves, single leaves, and fish leaves.

Nutritional Value

The surface of Gugunao Tea is covered with a layer of soft, delicate white down, giving it a lustrous appearance. Its liquor is clear and slightly golden, leaving a refreshing, sweet taste that lingers in the mouth after drinking. It can help invigorate the mind, aid digestion, and benefit the liver and kidneys.

It strengthens microvascular resilience, preventing vessel rupture; lowers blood sugar and lipids, inhibiting atherosclerosis and reducing the risk of hypertension and coronary heart disease; exhibits antibacterial properties; protects against radiation damage, blocking the synthesis of carcinogenic substances, inhibiting cancer cells, and preventing mutations.

Maintains the body's fluid balance, acts as an antioxidant, enhances immune system function, and prevents osteoporosis. It lifts the spirit, improves mental acuity, and enhances reaction time; has diuretic and detoxifying effects; strengthens the heart and relaxes smooth muscles, aiding digestion.

Supplies nutrients, including complete proteins. Maintains the functions of nerves, heart, and digestive systems; exhibits anticancer, antioxidative, and anti-aging properties; detoxifies and prevents arterial hardening.

Product Characteristics

The tea has an elegant appearance, with slightly curled buds and visible white down. It has a high fragrance; when brewed, the leaves quickly sink, producing no foam on the surface of the liquid. The liquor is clear and bright, with a rich, mellow flavor that is cool and refreshing, leaving a sweet aftertaste. It is considered a rare treasure among teas.

Gugunao Mountain stands at an altitude of over 900 meters, with dense forests, fertile soil, abundant rainfall, and frequent mists. Streams flow gently throughout the area. The tea plants grow here with short periods of direct sunlight and more diffused light, which helps keep the buds tender and increases their amino acid, Caffeine, and aroma content. From harvesting to processing, Gugunao Tea employs unique, meticulous methods. Strict rules govern the picking process, and before processing, the fresh leaves are carefully selected. The choice of processing site and equipment is also critical. During processing, the tea goes through specific steps like sorting, spreading, pan-firing, initial rolling, second frying, re-rolling, shaping and tip enhancement, and final drying. Each step requires precise techniques and careful temperature control. After production, the packaging and storage methods are also distinctive.

Gugunao Tea is tightly bound and gracefully shaped, with slender, uniform strands. Its color is a vibrant green with a hint of dark green, covered in fine, soft white down, giving it a lustrous appearance. The liquor is clear and slightly golden, with a refreshingly sweet taste that lingers in the mouth. Drinking Gugunao Tea invigorates the mind, aids digestion, and benefits the liver and kidneys.

This tea is distinct from others due to its fine, uniform leaves, which have a vibrant green hue with a hint of dark green. The surface is covered in soft, delicate white down. Each cluster consists of five to seven leaves, and the liquor is clear and golden. The taste is refreshingly sweet and fragrant, with a lasting sweetness in the mouth.

The tea is harvested with great care, usually starting in early April. High-grade Gugunao Tea is made from the first flush of one bud with a single leaf. Harvesters must avoid dew-covered leaves, refrain from picking on rainy days, and not pick at noon on sunny days. After picking, the fresh leaves undergo further selection to remove purple leaves, single leaves, and fish leaves. They then go through six processes: pan-firing, rolling, shaping, baking, stir-drying, and packaging. On January 29, 2004, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine announced the approval of geographical indication product protection for Gugunao Tea. Since then, this specialty of Suichuan has been on a fast and healthy development path.

History and Folklore

Gugunao Tea originates from Tanghu Town in Suichuan County, named after Gugunao Mountain in the local village of Chashan. During the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty (1796–1820), a timber merchant named Liang Weiyi, from what is now Tanghu Town, transported a batch of timber by water to Nanjing for sale. However, due to a sudden flood, all the timber was lost. Liang Weiyi found himself in dire straits and drifted in Nanjing, where he was taken in by the daughter of a wealthy family, Yang, and they married. Yang was skilled in tea-making, and later, Liang Weiyi returned home with her, bringing some tea seeds. They cultivated a small tea garden on Gugunao Mountain, making their own tea, which came to be known as “Gugunao Tea.” Due to its exquisite craftsmanship, remarkable color, aroma, and flavor, the tea gained popularity. In the Republican era, it won awards at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Special Products Joint Exhibition. As a result, it became widely known. The technique for making Gugunao Tea was traditionally kept secret within the Liang family. In 1943, Liang Demei, the fifth-generation inheritor of the tea, to prevent counterfeits, used his father Liang Jixing's name to stamp the packaging paper of the tea sold, which read: “Suichuan County Tanghu Upper South Village Gugunao Stone Mountain Tea Ancestral Transmission Fine-Made Qing Shui Fa Customer Goods Genuine Price Please Recognize the Picture as a Mark Liang Jixing.” He sold the tea in Nanxiong and Shaoguan, Guangdong.

Awards and Honors of Gugunao Tea

In 1915, the tea merchant Li Yushan from Suichuan County used fresh leaves from Gugunao Mountain to produce 1 kilogram each of Silver Needle, Finch Tongue, and Round Bead teas, packing them into three jars. These were sent to the Panama International Exposition in San Francisco, USA, where they received a gold medal and certificate from the international jury, being hailed as “top-grade Green Tea”;

In 1930, Li Wulong, the grandson of Li Yushan, renamed the tea “Yushan Tea” and sent it to the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Special Products Joint Exhibition, where it won the First-Class Award. Due to these two victories, the tea produced in Gugunao became famous. With historical changes, “Yushan Tea” was renamed “Gugunao Tea”;

In 1982, it was recognized as a famous tea in Jiangxi Province;

In 1985, it was recognized as a high-quality famous tea in Jiangxi Province and selected for the China Famous Tea Exhibition and Evaluation Conference.