Introduction to Lushan Cloud Mist Tea

Lushan Cloud Mist Tea is a type of Green Tea, named after its origin in Lushan, Jiangxi Province, China. It dates back to the Han Dynasty and is one of China's top ten famous teas, listed as an imperial tribute tea during the Song Dynasty. There is a poem praising it: “Lushan Cloud Mist Tea, strong and spicy in taste, if you drink it regularly, it will prolong your life.” It is well known for its “rich flavor, beautiful color, fragrant aroma, and clear liquor.” The tea liquor is light and jade-like, with a fragrance that surpasses Longjing. “The beauty of Lushan is unparalleled, and drinking Cloud Mist Tea can extend life.” The unique scenery of Lushan's clouds and mists is one of its wonders. Located in a basin, the abundant water vapor from the river and lake forms rolling clouds and mists around Lushan, creating a mystical and ever-changing landscape. Due to its long exposure to the nourishing springs and waterfalls of Lushan, as well as the influence of the clouds and mists, Lushan Cloud Mist Tea has developed a unique quality: thick leaves with many fine hairs, rich and sweet flavor, high nutritional value, and longevity benefits.

Product Characteristics

Lushan Cloud Mist Tea was formerly known as “Wenlin Tea.” Legend has it that Lushan Cloud Mist Tea originated as a wild tea, later domesticated by the famous monk Huiyuan of Donglin Temple, who served his friends with tea he grew and made himself, often chatting about tea and reciting poetry all night. During the Song Dynasty, Lushan's famous tea became an imperial tribute tea.

The main tea-growing areas are above 800 meters elevation at places like Hanpo Pass, Five Old Men Peak, Mount Hanyang, Little Heavenly Pool, and Fairy Cave, where the mist formed by the water vapor from the river and lake is common, with over 195 days of fog per year. Due to the slow warming here, tea buds typically sprout after the Grain Rain period, around late April to early May. Since this period coincides with the most foggy days, it creates the unique qualities of Cloud Mist Tea. Especially between Five Old Men Peak and Mount Hanyang, the mist never dissipates, producing the best quality tea.

Lushan Cloud Mist Tea has plump, green, and hairy buds, compact and elegant strips, fresh and lasting aroma, rich and sweet taste, clear and bright liquor, and tender and uniform leaves. It is a high-quality green tea, renowned for its “rich flavor, beautiful color, fragrant aroma, and clear liquor.” Lushan boasts beautiful mountains, excellent water, and fragrant tea. Since ancient times, it has been said that “the peaks are magnificent, the mountains are beautiful, and the tea is fragrant.” If brewed with mountain spring water from Lushan, the tea tastes even more delicious and fragrant.

Lushan Cloud Mist Tea is often described with the “six excellences:” “thick and sturdy strips, green with many fine hairs, bright liquor, tender and uniform leaves, fresh and lasting aroma, rich and sweet taste.” Due to the cool and foggy climate of Lushan and the limited direct sunlight, Cloud Mist Tea has thick leaves, many fine hairs, and is rich and durable for Steeping.

The liquor of Lushan Cloud Mist Tea is a clear greenish-yellow hue due to the high content of chlorophyll in the tea buds. Larger leaves produce a pale green liquor. For summer or autumn teas, the liquor may be slightly yellowish. Good tea requires good water for brewing; the best spring water in Lushan is the water from the King's Spring in the King's Valley of Kangwang Gorge. The tea saint once rated this spring as the best in the world, and using this water to brew tea results in a clear and fragrant taste and sweet liquor.

The aroma of Lushan Cloud Mist Tea varies depending on the growing area. The best has a floral scent, while those grown near Wulao Peak have a chestnut-like aroma. The aroma of those grown near the Botanical Garden is different yet.

The tea season for Lushan Cloud Mist Tea begins around Qingming Festival (April 5) each year. Pre-Qingming tea is the most expensive. Following are Qingming tea, Guyu tea, summer tea, and autumn tea. Summer and autumn teas are rarely picked due to their low added value. Lushan Cloud Mist Tea comes in various shapes. Traditionally, they were handcrafted, with loose strips. Because they are stir-fried at low temperatures, the polyphenols oxidize at lower temperatures, resulting in a dark green color, but the leaves turn bright green when brewed. Mechanically processed tea has a better appearance, and since it is stir-fried at high temperatures, the tea retains a better color, appearing fresh green. However, the aroma of mechanically processed tea is far inferior to that of handmade tea.

History and Folklore

Tea cultivation in Lushan began in the Han Dynasty. In the Northern Song Dynasty, it was once listed as an imperial tribute. In 1951, after entering the international market, Lushan Cloud Mist Tea gained great popularity.

Tea cultivation in Lushan has a long history. As far back as the Han Dynasty, there were already tea plants here. According to the “Lushan Gazetteer,” Buddhism was introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and there were more than 300 temples in Lushan at that time, attracting a large number of monks. They climbed cliffs and braved waterfalls to pick wild tea. In the depths of the clouds, they split cliffs and filled valleys, planting tea trees and making tea. By the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Lushan had become one of the centers of Buddhism. According to records, the famous monk Huiyuan lived on the mountain for over thirty years, gathering disciples, teaching Buddhist studies, and developing tea cultivation on the mountain. During the Tang Dynasty, Lushan tea was already quite famous. The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi planted medicinal herbs and tea on Lushan Peak and wrote poems about it: “At the head of a stream under a long pine tree, wearing a spotted fawn robe and white cotton robe, my business is herb gardens and tea fields, and my companions are wild deer and forest herons.” By the Song Dynasty, there were already well-known teas from Lushan such as Hongzhou Heiling Tea, Hongzhou Shuangjing Tea, White Dew, and Eagle Claws. Although there is no explicit mention of Cloud Mist Tea at that time, the poems of Song Dynasty poet Huang Tingjian suggest that Cloud Mist Tea might have existed during the Song Dynasty. His poem reads: “In my home in the south of the Yangtze River, we pick the finest tea, grinding it into a powder finer than snow.” Here, “cloud-nourished” refers to white and plump tea leaves, and “grinding it into a powder finer than snow” indicates that the powdered tea, due to its many white hairs, is whiter than snow. There is no doubt that there were white-haired teas during the Song Dynasty. By the Ming Dynasty, the name “Lushan Cloud Mist Tea” appeared in the “Lushan Gazetteer,” suggesting that Lushan Cloud Mist Tea has a history of at least 300 years.

Differentiating Authenticity

Lushan in Jiangxi Province has beautiful natural scenery and is shrouded in mist, making it a famous tourist destination. Lushan Cloud Mist Tea is one of the local specialties of Lushan, prized for its refreshing and lasting aroma and rich, sweet taste. It is one of China's top ten famous teas, originating in the Han Dynasty with a cultivation history of over a thousand years, and listed as an imperial tribute tea during the Song Dynasty.

Lushan Cloud Mist Tea has plump buds with visible fine hairs, elegant strips, rich and sweet aroma, and clear liquor. It is a high-quality green tea, renowned for its “rich flavor, beautiful color, fragrant aroma, and clear liquor.” When carefully tasted, its color resembles that of Tuo tea but is lighter, like jade in a bowl. If brewed with mountain spring water from Lushan, the tea becomes even more fragrant and delicious.

In the international tea market, Lushan Cloud Mist Tea is a highly sought-after premium product. “Fortunate to drink Lushan Cloud Mist Tea, I now understand the true nature of Lushan.” This poetic praise speaks volumes about its status and value.

Awards and Honors of Lushan Cloud Mist Tea

In 1971, Lushan Cloud Mist Tea was classified as a special-name tea in the category of Chinese