Gougunao Tea is one of the precious famous teas of Jiangxi. It is produced on Gougunao Mountain in Tanghu Township, Suichuan County, at the southern foothills of the Luoxiao Mountains. The characteristics of this tea are quite different from other teas. Its leaves are fine and even, a jade green tinged with dark green, and the surface is covered with a soft, delicate layer of white fuzz. The tea typically consists of five to seven leaves. The brewed tea liquor is clear and slightly golden. The flavor is cool, aromatic, sweet, and refreshing, with a lingering sweetness in the mouth that lasts for a long time.
Chinese Name: Gougunao Tea Also known as: Gougunao Stone Mountain Tea, Yushan Tea
Place of Origin: Gougunao Mountain, Tanghu Township, Suichuan County, Jiangxi
Category: Green Tea
Gougunao Tea, also known as Gougunao Stone Mountain Tea, was once called Yushan Tea. It is produced on Gougunao Mountain in Tanghu Township, Suichuan County, Jiangxi. The mountain is shaped like a dog, hence the name "Gougunao" (Dog's Brain), and the tea produced there is named accordingly. Gougunao Tea originated in the Qing Dynasty, with a history of nearly 200 years. Legend has it that around the first year of the Jiaqing reign (1796), a raft worker named Liang Weiyi was scattered by water while transporting logs and ended up in Nanjing. The following year, he and his wife returned to their hometown with tea seeds, bought a thatched cottage on the Xie family's stone mountain, settled there, and began growing tea, marking the beginning of tea cultivation at Gougunao. In 1915, tea merchant Li Yushan from Suichuan County used fresh leaves from Gougunao Mountain to produce 1 kilogram each of Silver Needle, Sparrow Tongue, and Pearl tea. He packed them into three cans and sent them to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, USA, where they were awarded a gold medal and a certificate by the International Jury, praised as "Top-grade Green Tea." In 1930, Li Wenlong, grandson of Li Yushan, renamed this tea "Yushan Tea" and sent it to the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Special Products Joint Exhibition, where it won a first-class award. Due to these two awards, the tea produced at Gougunao gained great fame. With historical changes, "Yushan Tea" was renamed "Gougunao Tea." It was rated as a Famous Tea of Jiangxi Province in 1982, as a High-Quality Famous Tea of Jiangxi Province in 1985, and was selected for the China Famous Tea Exhibition and Evaluation.
Gougunao Mountain stands tall at the southern foothills of the Luoxiao Mountains. To its south and north, Wuzhi Peak and Laohu Rock face each other from a distance. About 5 kilometers to the northeast lies the famous Tanghu Hot Spring. Here, there are sturdy pines and bamboo, birds singing, continuous clear springs, pervasive clouds and mist, and fertile black sandy soil. The significant temperature difference between day and night makes it an absolutely wonderful environment for cultivating tea trees.
The tea is picked and processed with great care. Picking generally begins in early April. The standard for high-grade Gougunao Tea fresh leaves is a single bud with one leaf just unfurled. It is required not to pick leaves with dew, not to pick leaves on rainy days, and not to pick leaves at noon on sunny days. After picking, the fresh leaves are further sorted to remove purple buds, single leaves, and fish leaves.
The processing of this tea involves six steps: fixation (kill-green), rolling, shaping, baking, pan-frying to dryness, and packaging. The quality characteristics of the finished tea are: elegant appearance with slightly hooked bud tips and visible white fuzz; a clear and high aroma; after brewing, the leaves sink quickly with no foam on the liquid surface; the liquor is clear and bright; the taste is mellow, cool, and refreshing with a sweet aftertaste, making it a treasure among teas.
Tea Origin
Gougunao Tea is one of the precious famous teas of Jiangxi, produced on Gougunao Mountain in Tanghu Township, Suichuan County, at the southern foothills of the Luoxiao Mountains. The mountain is shaped like a dog's head, hence the name "Gougunao," and the tea produced there is named accordingly. Gougunao Mountain has sturdy pines and bamboo, birds singing, continuous clear springs, pervasive clouds and mist, fertile black sandy soil, and a large temperature difference between day and night, making it an absolutely wonderful environment for cultivating tea trees. 1915: Awarded a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition "Zhejiang-Jiangxi Special Products Exhibition." 1930: Won a first-class award at the Jiangxi Special Products Exhibition. 1988: Gold award at the First China Food Exposition and the 1992 Hong Kong International Food Exposition. Gougunao Tea Gougunao Mountain stands among the mountains of the southern branch of the Luoxiao Mountains, facing north. To the south is Wuzhi Peak, to the north is Laohu Rock, and about 5 kilometers to the east is the famous Tanghu Hot Spring. The mountain is lush with trees and bamboo, with babbling streams, year-round clouds and mist, continuous clear springs in all seasons, no severe cold in winter, no intense heat in summer, and fertile soil, making it a uniquely advantageous place for producing famous tea.
The fresh leaves are picked from the local small-leaf variety. Picking begins around the Qingming Festival each year, with the standard being one bud with one leaf. The processing involves steps such as sorting, fixation, initial rolling, second drying, re-rolling, shaping, raising the fuzz, pan-frying to dryness, etc. The finished product has a tight, elegant appearance with visible white fuzz and slightly hooked bud tips; a high, elegant aroma with a slight floral note; it sinks quickly after brewing; the liquor is clear and bright with a mellow taste; the brewed leaves are yellow-green.