Basic Introduction to Congqing Loquat Tea

Congqing Loquat Tea is a specialty of Chongzhou City, Sichuan Province (formerly known as Congqing County), and is a Chinese Geographical Indication product. It is a precious and rare tea tree variety in China, named after its leaves resemble loquat leaves. This tea is the result of long-term natural evolution and cultivation, forming a group variety of tea trees. The production area is located in the Qionglai Mountains, growing at an altitude of around 1,000 meters on mist-shrouded high mountains, in a unique environment. Congqing Loquat Tea is characterized by early budding, thick shoots and leaves, strong branching capacity, high fragrance, rich flavor, and good brewing endurance. As early as the Qing Dynasty, it was acclaimed as “tribute tea.” In 1965, it was rated as one of the 21 excellent tea tree varieties in China. In 1984, it was recognized by the Sichuan Provincial Tea Tree Variety Appraisal Committee as one of the five major local superior tea tree varieties in Sichuan.

Product Characteristics

Congqing Loquat Tea is named for its leaves resembling loquat leaves and is unique to Chongzhou. It used to be a tribute item and is also known as “Longmen Tribute Tea.” Congqing Loquat Tea is characterized by early budding, thick shoots and leaves, strong branching capacity, high fragrance, rich flavor, and good brewing endurance.

Congqing Loquat Tea (Camelia sinensis cv. Chongqingpipacha) is one of the sexually propagated tea tree varieties. It originated in Qingxia, Congqing County, Sichuan Province, and is mainly distributed in counties such as Congqing and Dayi. It is a tree type with large leaves, with an upright posture, a height of 3-10 meters, elongated oval leaves, particularly long petioles, green color, lustrous surface, and leaves that grow horizontally or droop. It buds early, about half a month earlier than most local varieties. Its shoots have few hairs, with flowers having a diameter of 41mm and 8-10 petals, while the calyx is hairless. When made into Black Tea, it has a high fragrance and red color, similar to Yunnan black tea style, but lacks intensity in taste; when made into border tea, it has better quality. It has strong resistance to drought and disease but weak cold tolerance, making cuttings difficult and producing few seeds. It is suitable for cultivation in southern tea regions of Sichuan Province.

Historical Folklore

Congqing Loquat Tea is a precious and rare tea tree variety resource in China, formed through long-term natural evolution and cultivation. It originates from the Qionglai Mountains near the towns of Sanlang, Huaiyuan, Wanjia, and Gou's Hometown in Chongzhou City, growing at an altitude of about 1,000 meters on mist-shrouded high mountains, unique to Chongzhou. The planting history of Congqing Loquat Tea dates back to the Tang and Song dynasties, when it was widely cultivated in mountainous areas like Sanlang, Wenjinjiang, Huaiyuan, Jiezi, and Jiguanshan in Chongzhou. After the Qing Dynasty, the area under cultivation gradually shrank. According to the “Product” section of the “Chongqing Prefecture Annals” published during the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty: “Loquat tea grows to one or two zhang tall, with coarse and large leaves, named as rough-haired tea. Recently, its tender tips are harvested to mimic Pu'er, with a similar taste…”. During the Qing Dynasty, this tea was used as raw material to produce “Longmen Tea,” which was presented as tribute and received much praise. The oldest Congqing Loquat Tea tree is found in Dabeishan, Wenjingjiang Town, Chongzhou City, with an age of over 400 years and a height of 9.2 meters, earning the title of “Sichuan Loquat Tea King.”

Awards and Honors

Congqing Loquat Tea was acclaimed as “tribute tea” as early as the Qing Dynasty. In 1965, it was rated as one of the 21 excellent tea tree varieties in China. In 1984, it was recognized by the Sichuan Provincial Tea Tree Variety Appraisal Committee as one of the five major local superior tea tree varieties in Sichuan. The “Loquat Immortal Tea” product of Congqing Loquat Tea won the titles of “High-Quality Famous Tea” at both the municipal and provincial levels in the second “Ganlu Cup” of Chengdu City and the third “Ganlu Cup” of Sichuan Province. On May 27, 2009, it was listed as a protected agricultural product under the geographical indication by the Ministry of Agriculture.