Basic Introduction to Taishun Three-Cup Aroma
Taishun's specialty, the Three-Cup Aroma Tea, is produced in Taishun, located at the southernmost tip of Zhejiang Province and bordering Fuding City, Fujian Province. The area has an altitude above 800 meters, with mountains surrounding it, misty clouds, intersecting streams, a mild climate, short daylight hours, and soil primarily consisting of yellow and gray-brown forest soils containing quartz gravel, which is loose and rich in organic matter. These conditions make for ideal natural surroundings for tea cultivation. Taishun, one of China's key tea-producing counties, specializes in Green Tea and is known as the “China Tea Capital” and “China Famous Tea Capital.” As a regional public brand, “Taishun Three-Cup Aroma” enjoys a certain level of national recognition, having won gold awards at international Tea culture festivals and the Zhejiang Green Tea Expo multiple times. It was once designated as the official tea of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and featured at the DEVNET Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo. This tea is typically harvested from Qingming (around early April), with spring, summer, and autumn harvests possible. Spring tea is considered the best quality, followed by autumn and then summer teas.
The Taishun Three-Cup Aroma tea is made from fresh leaves of local and small- to medium-leaf high-quality tea plants grown in Taishun. Using traditional Taishun green tea production techniques, this tea is a specialty of Zhejiang Province, characterized by its “high fragrance and mellow taste, lasting and resistant to multiple infusions.” Its appearance is fine, tight, and graceful, with visible downy tips, uniformly sized, and a lustrous emerald green color. Internally, it boasts a fresh or chestnut-like aroma that is fragrant and long-lasting, a fresh and full-bodied taste, a bright green infusion, and tender, lively leaves at the bottom of the cup. The main steps in its production include fixing, rolling, stir-frying the three greens, and sorting the rough tea. Tools used in tea-making include baskets, steaming containers, molds, and stoves. For hand processing, equipment includes iron pans, tea brooms, drying machines, and tea stoves; for machine processing, there are tea stir-fryers and drying machines.
Taishun County, with its proximity to the sea and mountainous terrain, falls within a subtropical maritime monsoon climate zone. It has distinct seasons, a mild climate, abundant rainfall, synchronous water and heat during spring and summer, complementary light and temperature in autumn and winter, misty highlands, humid lowlands, no extreme heat in summer, and no severe cold in winter. The air is fresh, and the environment is pollution-free, earning it the reputation of “Spring City in Southern Zhejiang.” The average annual temperature is 17.80°C, the average annual precipitation is 1991.7 millimeters, the average annual sunshine duration is 1759.2 hours, solar radiation is 101.96 kcal/square centimeter, effective radiation is 49.98 kcal/square centimeter, and the effective accumulated temperature above 10°C is over 4999.7°C. The diurnal temperature difference is large, with a frost-free period of 242 days and an average relative humidity of 83%. The atmospheric environment quality reaches the national primary standard (GB3095) throughout the year. The superior natural geographical conditions, suitable soil, and climate provide an ideal natural environment for tea plant growth.
Product Characteristics
Sensory Quality Characteristics: The Taishun Three-Cup Aroma tea is made from fresh leaves of local and small- to medium-leaf high-quality tea plants grown in Taishun using specific processing techniques. It is a renowned product with excellent quality and unique flavor, well-known for its “high fragrance and mellow taste, lasting and resistant to multiple infusions.” Its appearance is fine, tight, and emerald green, with a bright green infusion, a high and lasting fragrance, a thick and fresh taste, and tender, uniform leaves at the bottom of the cup. The expert panel agreed that the Taishun Three-Cup Aroma tea meets the sensory quality characteristics specified in the quality technical standards for the product.
Physical and Chemical Quality Indicators: Unique components of Taishun Three-Cup Aroma tea: moisture content in dry tea ≤6.5%, water-soluble extractives ≥37%, crude fiber content ≤14.5%, total ash ≤6.5%, following the regulations stipulated in DB3303/T35.6 “Taishun Three-Cup Aroma Tea Part Six Quality and Safety Requirements.”
Historical Folklore
Taishun is located in the southern mountainous region of Zhejiang Province and is a national-level ecological demonstration county, one of China's key tea-producing counties, the “China Tea Capital,” and the “China Famous Tea Capital.” It is also the birthplace of the famous “Tea-Picking Dance.” Taishun has a long history of tea production, with records in the “Taishun County Gazetteer” from the sixth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty stating, “There are many tea plants near the mountains, but those in the Sixth Prefecture's Sijxi and the Third Prefecture's Nanqiao are particularly excellent.” During the Qing Dynasty, “Yellow Infusion” and “White Down Silver Needle” produced in Taishun were listed as tribute items. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the stir-fried green tea produced in Taishun was always a blending ingredient for the export of eyebrow tea by the Shanghai Port Company and Zhejiang Tea Company, earning the title of “flavor enhancer” for Zhejiang green tea. Its products were sold in more than forty countries and regions. Starting in the 1980s, Taishun stir-fried green tea began to be marketed domestically under the name “Three-Cup Aroma,” receiving widespread acclaim.
Production Method
Harvested from Qingming (around early April), spring, summer, and autumn harvests are typically possible, with spring tea being the highest quality, followed by autumn and then summer teas. The picking standard for Three-Cup Aroma is one bud and two leaves. The production method is generally similar to that of stir-fried green tea, involving fixing, rolling, powder baking, stir-frying the second green, pan frying, and shaping.
Awards and Honors of Taishun Three-Cup Aroma
The Taishun Three-Cup Aroma tea has won gold awards at international tea culture festivals and the Zhejiang Green Tea Expo multiple times. It is a Zhejiang brand-name agricultural product and was once designated as the official tea of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, featuring at the DEVNET Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo.
On December 24, 2010, the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China approved the implementation of geographic indication protection for “Taishun Three-Cup Aroma Tea” as an agricultural product.
On November 15, 2025, Taishun Three-Cup Aroma tea was included in the directory of Chinese agricultural brands.
On July 20, 2025, Taishun Three-Cup Aroma tea was included in the first batch of protected geographical indications under the China-EU agreement.