Huangshan Maofeng is of high quality, which is not only related to its growing environment but also closely connected to the picking process. When to pick and what kind of tea leaves to pick are not arbitrarily decided. Let’s take a look at the precautions for picking Huangshan Maofeng.

1. Precautions for Picking Huangshan Maofeng: Picking Time

The picking time for Huangshan Maofeng is mainly concentrated in April. If the weather conditions are favorable that year, picking can begin as early as the end of March. However, generally, the picking of Huangshan Maofeng should wait until 10-15% of new buds have sprouted in the tea garden. If there are too few new buds, the quantity that can be picked is relatively small, and it would require repeated back-and-forth picking, which is too troublesome. (Remember, picking is usually done only in the morning.)

2. Precautions for Picking Huangshan Maofeng: Picking Requirements

In addition to the picking time, the picking requirements for Huangshan Maofeng are also very high. During manual picking, flat leaves and abnormally growing buds should be picked as much as possible. For young tea plants, the principle is "focus on nurturing, supplement with picking, top the buds to protect the edges, pick the high and nurture the low, and pick lightly to maintain the canopy." For mature tea plants, the principle is "focus on picking, supplement with nurturing, and combine picking and nurturing." When picking, avoid using fingernails to pinch off the tea leaves, and do not squeeze the tea leaves tightly. Strictly prevent stripping all the leaves, crushing the buds, breaking branches, or roughly grabbing a mix of old and young leaves.

These are the precautions for picking Huangshan Maofeng. There are still over two months until the picking of Huangshan Maofeng begins, and the release of new Huangshan Maofeng tea is still some time away. If you have vacation time, you can visit the Huangshan Scenic Area to see this year's Huangshan Maofeng.