Basic Introduction to Hangan Longjian Tea
Hongan Longjian Tea is a specialty of Xiaochang County, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province. Xiaochang has a moderate climate, abundant rainfall, ample sunlight, and the terrain is characterized by low mountains and hilly areas of the Dabie Mountains north of the Yangtze River. The average altitude is 380 meters. In the tea region, mountains undulate, clouds shroud the area in mist, streams crisscross, and tea gardens are interspersed throughout. The tea gardens are far from cities, towns, industrial zones, and major transportation routes, providing good isolation conditions and an unpolluted origin environment. The soil in the tea gardens is deep-layered yellow-brown sandy loam with a suitable acidity, a pH value of 4.5–6, and high organic matter content. The soil physical and chemical properties are favorable. The forest coverage rate in the production area reaches 71-80%, with mountain forest areas more than ten times larger than the tea garden areas, providing a rich natural source of nutrients such as straw, wild green manure, mountain grass, and tree leaves that can be used as organic fertilizers. Xiaogan City has accumulated rich experience in seedling management, tea garden management, tea processing, and other aspects related to Hangan Longjian Tea, and has established specialized quality management requirements.
Geographical Scope
Hongan Longjian Tea is produced in six counties and districts under the jurisdiction of Xiaogan City, Hubei Province: Dawu, Xiaochang, Xiaonan, Yingcheng, Anlu, and Shuangfeng, including towns such as Sanlicheng, Daxin, Xuanhua, Lvyang, Zhouxiang, Fengshan, Xiaowu, Wangdian, Tiandian, Yanghe, Sanhe, Wangyizhen, Muzi, Yangdian, Xihed, Zougang, etc. Geographical range: 113°19ˊ–114°06ˊ East Longitude, 30°42′–31°29′ North Latitude, bordering Wuhan City and Hong'an County to the southeast, Xinyang City to the north, and Jingmen City to the west. The total geographical area is 8,910 square kilometers, with 3 million mu suitable for tea cultivation, currently 370,000 mu of tea gardens, and an output of 7,124 tons.
Product Characteristics
1. Sensory Characteristics: Hangan Longjian Tea is flat and straight like a sword, with a lustrous emerald green color, neat and clean, a lasting chestnut aroma, a fresh and mellow taste, a tender and clear bright green liquor, and a tender green leaf base with buds intact.
2. Inner Quality Characteristics: Hangan Longjian Tea is rich in nutrients, not only containing abundant amino acids, tea polyphenols, and alkaloids, but also selenium, zinc, and many other trace elements essential for the human body. Amino acids ≥ 2.5%, water-soluble extracts ≥ 36.0%, total ash ≤ 6.5%, broken tea ≤ 5.0%, crude fiber ≤ 14.0%, moisture ≤ 6.0%.
3. Safety Requirements: The food safety standards for Hangan Longjian Tea comply with the provisions of the People's Republic of China Agricultural Industry Standard NY/T288-2002 for Green Food Tea.
Historical Folklore
After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the implementation of the contracted responsibility system in rural areas, the continuous advancement of science and technology, and the rapid changes in economic construction led to solutions for people's basic living needs and improved living standards. However, people's mental pressures and work stresses increased, and competition grew fiercer, leading to a desire to take a break and enjoy a cup of tea. People began to pursue cultural and healthy lifestyles, shifting from ordinary stir-fried Green Tea to high-grade stir-fried green tea, from machine-produced stir-fried green tea to handcrafted stir-fried green tea, namely Hangan Longjian Tea, and now towards a combination of machine and handcrafting for premium Hangan Longjian stir-fried green tea.
Before the 1990s, Xiaogan City primarily produced stir-fried green tea, but the sales prices were low. This was not due to poor quality of Xiaogan's stir-fried green tea, but rather because the labor costs in Xiaogan were higher than the selling prices of Yichang stir-fried green tea in Xiaogan City. The cost of picking one jin (0.5 kg) of fresh leaves in Xiaogan City was 10–15 yuan, and the cost of picking one jin of dry tea was 40–60 yuan, which could purchase one jin of high-quality Yichang green tea. Consequently, the production of Xiaogan stir-fried green tea faced severe challenges from large-scale sales of Yichang stir-fried green tea into Xiaogan City. The tea production in Xiaogan was severely impacted, with tea garden revenues of only 500–600 yuan per mu. At the time, many tea farms were unwilling to produce tea, leading to tea garden neglect and even the destruction of tea plants for fruit and grain cultivation in some counties: for example, 200 mu of tea plants were destroyed in Jiefang Village, Yangdian Town, Xiaonan District, to plant early-ripening peach trees, and all 300 mu of tea gardens at the Fengzigang tea farm in Yunmeng County were dug up to plant fruits and grains.
To find a way out and revitalize Xiaogan's tea industry, in the mid-1980s, we introduced West Lake Longjing tea processing techniques for trial at Phoenix Mountain Tea Farm. At the time, handcrafted Hangan Longjing tea had a decent taste, marking the start of high-grade green tea production. The introduction of Hangan Longjing Tea not only raised the grade and variety of Xiaogan green teas but also guided the pursuit of famous and quality teas. However, samples of Hangan Longjing Tea submitted to provincial competitions for famous and quality teas failed to win major awards. This prompted us to reconsider the direct application of West Lake Longjing tea processing techniques. West Lake Longjing tea is a renowned Chinese Tea with top-notch techniques, but they might not be suitable for our local conditions in Xiaogan. Why not innovate on the basis of West Lake Longjing tea processing techniques? Thus, based on the principles and characteristics of flat-shaped green tea production, we began the design and research work for Hangan Longjian Tea processing techniques.
Manufacturing Method
1. Fresh Leaf Picking Management: Strict selection criteria for Hangan Longjian Tea. Fresh leaves are picked around Qingming Festival, choosing the initial unfolding of one bud and one leaf, while removing single leaves, purple buds, diseased and insect-infested leaves, opposing leaves, scales, and tea stalks. After a light spreading of 3-5 hours, the leaves are ready for processing.
2. Initial Stir-Frying and Shaping: Performed in a polishing pot. When the pot temperature reaches about 150°C, begin the initial stir-frying. Each pot contains approximately 500g of fresh leaves. Initially, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, then lower the pot temperature to 80-90°C. Using techniques such as “leading,” “stirring,” “spreading,” and “pressing,” continue stir-frying until the leaves become soft, the green scent dissipates, and a fragrant aroma emerges, then proceed to shaping. For the shaping process, mainly use techniques like “pressing,” “leading,” and “grabbing” with a pot temperature around 80°C. When the tea takes on a sword-like shape, slightly prickly to the touch, and about 70% dry, it is removed from the pot.
3. Cooling and Moisture Regaining: Thinly spread the shaped tea leaves on a clean tray, cover with a clean white cloth to cool down and regain moisture, ensuring the moisture within the tea leaves is evenly distributed to prevent them from being dry on the outside and moist inside. After 30-40 minutes, proceed to final stir-frying.
4. Final Stir-Frying: The pot temperature for final stir-frying is around 80°C, and each batch contains approximately 300g of leaves. Techniques such as “pressing,” “flattening,” and “pressing” are employed, requiring constant contact between the hands and tea,