Basic Introduction to Yuexi Cui Lan
Yuexi Cui Lan is a famous Han Chinese Tea, a high-quality cloud and mist tea grown in the Dabie Mountains. It is a newly created tea named after the traditional production techniques of Xiao Lan Hua tea.
The name “Yuexi Cui Lan” was chosen mainly because this type of tea has a green color, a shape resembling orchid flowers, and is produced in Yuexi.
Other reasons for the name include:
1. Cui Lan tea was developed based on the traditional production methods of the historical tea “Xiao Lan Hua,” which was produced in the northeastern part of Yuexi County near the Yaohe and Toutu Rivers. The characteristic of “crisp green freshness” stands out, hence the name.
2. Yuexi County is located in the heart of the Dabie Mountains, with good ecological conditions and wild orchids covering the mountainsides, drawing attention. In the ninth year of Ming Chongzong (1636), when Zhang Xianzhong's army occupied Yuexi, the area was named “Orchid County.” Since there are many orchids, the tea here naturally absorbs the fragrance of orchids. In 1984, a new tea created in Yuexi County stood out in the first place at the Anqing region's famous tea competition. In 1985, someone suggested naming this “green and orchid-scented” tea “Yuexi Cui Lan,” which received widespread approval.
Product Features
Its shape consists of one bud and two leaves, with the buds and leaves connected, naturally spread out, shaped like an orchid, with a jade-green color, fresh and tender texture, fragrant aroma, and visible white down. After brewing with boiling water, it has a lasting delicate fragrance, rich and fresh taste, light green and bright broth, and fresh green leaves at the bottom of the cup.
The outstanding quality features are the “three greens,” that is, dry tea is emerald green, broth is bright green, and the infused leaves are tender green. The shape is characterized by buds and leaves connected, naturally spread into flower-like shapes, with a vivid green color. The inner quality has a clear and high fragrance, sweet and refreshing taste, floral aroma, and tender and uniform infused leaves. The tea contains a high amount of amino acids, and the Dabie Mountain's excellent ecological environment ensures that the tea gardens are far from industrial pollution.
The expert evaluation group of the National New Famous Tea Evaluation Exhibition jointly organized by the State Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery and the Chinese Tea Society commented that Yuexi Cui Lan “has a shape of buds and leaves connected, spread out, emerald green color, and visible white down; a clear and fresh aroma; a rich and fresh taste; a light green and bright broth; and tender and uniform infused leaves with a bright green color.” Comprehensive evaluation: excellent inner quality, unique style, truly a top-quality tea among China's famous teas.
Historical Folklore
According to legend, during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, in the territory of Yaohe Town in Yuexi, there was a girl named Orchid, who was beautiful, virtuous, and skillful, and the tea she processed was of exceptional quality. One year, a Huizhou tea merchant came to Xiaotian with a large sum of money and paid a high price to purchase the tea processed by Orchid. Due to poverty, the considerate Orchid worked day and night to pick and process tea to earn more money for her family, which eventually led to her death from overwork at a young age. Locals named the tea she processed “Orchid Tea” to commemorate her, which is the predecessor of today's Yuexi Cui Lan.
Production Method
Cui Lan production techniques include: picking, airing, pan-firing, shaping, airing, initial drying, airing, and final drying.
Picking: Yuexi Cui Lan has strict requirements for fresh leaves, generally starting harvesting around the Qingming Festival. The picking criteria are “three musts, three nots, and five nos,” meaning the same grade of fresh leaves “must be uniformly sized, consistently mature, and equally robust or slender; do not bring old leaves, old stems, or single-leaf pieces; do not pick fish-scale leaves, rain-soaked leaves, diseased or damaged leaves, purple shoots, or opposite leaf pairs.” Fresh leaves are placed in a bamboo basket carried on the person, covered with a thin cloth to prevent exposure to sunlight.
Airing: Freshly picked leaves need to be aired promptly. The airing area should be cool, dry, and well-ventilated; airing containers should be clean bamboo trays. Airing should be even and thin, with leaves sorted during the process.
First Frying: The purpose of the first frying is to eliminate grassy odors and develop tea aromas, which is the pan-firing stage in Cui Lan production. Pan-firing is a critical step for Green Tea, determining its quality. It involves destroying the enzymes in fresh leaves to stop oxidation and prevent the leaves from turning red, forming the green tea characteristic of “green leaves and green broth.” As the moisture evaporates, the grassy odor dissipates, enhancing the tea's aroma. The temperature for the first frying is 120°C–130°C, ideal when the leaves sizzle upon contact. The quantity of fresh leaves per pot varies by tea grade. The frying technique includes three stages, each using different hand movements: “grabbing, shaking, and scattering,” “shaking, lifting, and flicking,” and “gathering, lifting, and flicking.” Once the leaves become soft, the grassy odor disappears, and the tea aroma appears, they are swept into the second pot with a small broom.
Second Frying: The second frying aims to shape and enhance the aroma. This step shapes the tea's appearance. The temperature is 80°C–100°C, ideal when the hand feels hot touching the bottom of the pot. The shaping technique involves “gathering, lifting, spreading, grinding, and rolling” until the tea takes form, then sweeping it out of the pot. Different grades of Cui Lan require slightly different shaping techniques. Hand shaping is characterized by the natural and spread-out shape of the dried tea. After pan-firing and shaping, the tea is about 70% dry.
Initial Airing: Initial airing involves thinly spreading the second-fried leaves on mulberry paper to dissipate moisture and heat, allowing the moisture and grassy odors to further evaporate. After cooling completely, the tea is dried with initial fire.
Initial Drying: Initial drying uses a bamboo tray, roasted over chestnut charcoal. This is the first step in drying the tea, primarily aimed at removing moisture and shaping, while fully developing the tea's aroma. The top temperature of the bamboo tray is 80°C–90°C. Techniques used include placing a layer of mulberry paper, spreading the tea, and lifting the paper to roll the tea onto the tray. During initial drying, the tea needs to be lightly turned periodically. When the tea is 70% dry, it is removed from the heat and aired.
Secondary Airing: A bamboo basket (also known as a baking basket) is placed over red-hot charcoal, and another layer of mulberry paper is laid on top. The purpose is to prevent fine tea particles from falling through the basket's gaps and affecting the tea's flavor. The shaped and aired tea is placed on the paper, and both hands tightly hold the edges of the paper. The tea is gently shaken rhythmically to ensure it spreads evenly on the mulberry paper for baking.
Final Drying: Final drying involves low-temperature slow roasting. The top temperature of the bamboo tray is 50°C–70°C. Initial drying makes the tea 90% dry. After the tea cools completely, it undergoes final drying to reach full dryness. The charcoal used throughout, from pan-firing and shaping to initial and final drying, is smokeless, odorless, and provides even heat. The tea is periodically turned until fully dried, then removed and aired for packaging.
Awards and Honors for Yuexi Cui Lan
Yuexi Cui Lan won the title of “High-Quality Agricultural Product” awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1985 and was recognized as one of the first ten newly created “Top Ten Teas” of the People's Republic of China. Subsequently, it twice won the Gold Prize at the International (Wuhu) Tea Expo, the Gold Prize at the first An