Basic Introduction to Guiding Cloud Mist Tribute Tea
The Cloud Mist Mountain, standing eighty kilometers south of Guiyang, is home to the industrious and intelligent Miao people, who have a historical tradition of growing tea. This is the birthplace of the renowned Guiding Cloud Mist Tea: Guiding County's Yangwang Town and Cloud Mist Town. Cloud Mist Mountain is the main peak of the Miaoling mountain range, reaching an altitude of 1,500 meters. The soil in the villages of the two towns is loose and acidic. The mountains are shrouded in clouds and mist all year round; they receive both cloud cover and sunlight, with significant temperature differences between day and night. Streams crisscross the mountains, making it one of the ancient tea-growing areas, producing exceptionally high-quality tea. According to the “Guiding Gazetteer” of the Republic of China period, “All provinces in Guizhou produce tea, but Guiding Cloud Mist Tea is the most famous. Unfortunately, its production is too small, making it very hard to obtain… In the past, it was all reserved for tribute.”
As a top-quality tea, Guiding Cloud Mist Tea is determined by the local Yangwang variety, which has a high flavor profile, excellent quality, and good physical and chemical indicators. After three rounds of stir-frying and rolling, shaping and raising the downy hairs, and slow baking over a low fire, the finished tea appears like fishhooks, uniformly beautiful, with a tender green color and a layer of fine white down on the back. It has a fragrant and rich aroma, and even after four infusions, its flavor remains excellent, hence it is in high demand.
Geographical Scope
Guiding Cloud Mist Tribute Tea is distributed across twenty townships within Guiding County's administrative area. Located in central Guizhou Province, Guiding County's geographical coordinates are between 106°59′ and 107°22′ east longitude and 26°05′ and 26°47′ north latitude. This includes Yunwu Town, Tieliang Township, Baoguan Township, Changming Town, Houchangbao Township, Yanshang Township, Gungu Township, Duli Township, Dingnan Township, Jiuzhi Town, Yanshan Town, Panjiang Town, Chengguan Town, Dingdong Township, Dexin Town, Xinpu Township, Xinba Town, Luobeihe Township, Machanghe Township. The total production area for Cloud Mist Tribute Tea is 3,000 hectares, with an annual output of 1,800 tons.
Product Characteristics
The Cloud Mist Tea is harvested from the local “Yangwang” variety, known for its green leaves, abundant down, robust bud and leaf, and strong ability to retain tenderness, as well as its rich internal components. The unique ecological environment and high-quality fresh leaves create ideal conditions for the formation of the tea's quality.
The Cloud Mist Tea is picked while very young, commonly referred to as “picking young to pamper the mouth,” indicating the extreme tenderness of the buds and leaves. There are about five rounds of picking throughout the year, with Spring Tea being picked three times. The first picking takes place around Qingming Festival, the second around Guyu, and the third after Lixia, with a maximum of two to three pickings. No Autumn Tea is harvested. The picking standard is primarily one bud and one or two leaves.
The processing techniques are exquisite, involving either three stir-fryings and three rollings followed by drying, or four stir-fryings and four rollings followed by drying. The process after three stir-fryings and rollings is as follows: initial frying (kill-green), rolling, second stir-frying (shaping and tightening the strips), third stir-frying (rolling into balls and raising the downy hairs), and drying. The fourth stir-frying adds an additional step of rolling into balls and raising the downy hairs. The initial frying is done at a temperature of 85-90°C with a leaf volume of 1,000-1,250 grams and lasts about ten minutes. Rolling takes approximately five minutes, achieving the goal of preliminary strip formation. The second stir-frying is done at around 70°C, allowing some moisture to be released before seizing the opportunity to shape the strips while still hot. The third and fourth stir-fryings are done at around 50°C, with the strips being shaken, rolled, and shaped into balls and then loosened, repeated multiple times, with the pressure decreasing gradually until the shape resembles a fishhook and the downy hairs are exposed. The final step is to dry the tea slowly over a low heat in the pot until fully dried. The entire process takes about two hours.
The quality characteristics are: shaped like a fishhook, curved and beautiful, covered with down, with a tender green color, a rich fragrance, a mellow taste, a clear green broth, and tender, uniform, bright leaves at the bottom of the cup.
Historical Folklore
The history of Guiding Cloud Mist Tea is long-standing. According to the “Guizhou Gazetteer” of the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi era (1673): “In the Guiyang Military and Civil Government, tea is produced at Dongmiaopo in Longli. The locals only pick the leaves when they are large, and their processing methods are rudimentary, resulting in unsatisfactory taste. However, recently, they have started to pick the shoots, which can be slightly enjoyed. In the Pingyue Military and Civil Government, tea is produced in Xintian and Yangbaoshan.” The “Zunyi Prefecture Gazetteer” (1936) cites “Chunzhai Oubǐ” as stating: “Yangbaoshan is ten miles north of Guiding County, extremely high and towering. At the summit, tea grows in the clouds and mist, called Cloud Mist Tea. It is the best tea in Guizhou, annually used as tribute.” The “Guizhou Gazetteer” (1948) records: “All regions in Guizhou produce tea, but the most famous is Guiding Cloud Mist Mountain. Unfortunately, its production is too small, making it very hard to obtain. Shiqian tea and Meitan Eyebrow-tip tea were also once tribute items.” According to stone inscriptions, the exact year that Cloud Mist Tea was designated as tribute tea was in the 55th year of the Qianlong era (1790).
Awards and Honors
Guiding Cloud Mist Tea has long enjoyed a distinguished reputation domestically. In 1985, it was invited to the “National Famous Tea Exhibition and Evaluation Conference” in Nanjing. In December 1986, it participated in the “China Famous, Special, and Superior Products Exhibition” in Beijing and was included in the “China Famous Tea Research” book, entering the annals of Chinese famous teas. Since 1986, it has continuously won the title of “Famous Tea of Guizhou Province.” In 1988, it received a Silver award at China's First Food Expo.
In November 1988, it received the title of “New Product of Guizhou Province”; in the same month, a special envoy from the State Council conducted interviews and included it in the “Directory of China's Famous and Superior Products,” promoting it widely at home and abroad. In July 1988, Guizhou Television produced and broadcasted a special program titled “Cloud Mist Fragrant Tea.” On November 17th of the same year, the “Guizhou Daily” published a feature article. In October 1992, it won the award for high-quality product at the First Chinese Agriculture Expo. In April 1993, it participated in the China Guizhou Azalea Festival Exhibition and Sales Meeting, receiving an award for quality and trustworthiness.
Provincial Governor Wang Chaowen of Guizhou wrote a commendation on the “Introduction to Cloud Mist Tea.” Professors Chen Chuan, a master of Chinese Tea studies, and Deng Naipeng, a famous tea scientist in Guizhou, among others, have written poems praising the superior quality of Guiding Cloud Mist Tea. Currently, this tea is sold in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xi'an, Shenyang, Chongqing, and Chengdu, and is highly praised and favored by renowned tea merchants and many consumers. Demand exceeds supply in the market.