Pre-Qingming tea refers to tea leaves harvested before the Qingming Festival. They suffer less pest damage, with tender buds and leaves, emerald color, subtle fragrance, mellow taste, and beautiful shape, making them a premium variety. At the same time, due to generally low temperatures before Qingming, limited bud sprouting, and slow growth, the yield meeting picking standards is very low, hence the saying "Pre-Qingming tea is as precious as gold."

Characteristics of Pre-Qingming Tea: Tenderness, rich mineral content, and scarcity.

Spring tea leaves are generally tightly wrapped, plump and thick, some with many pekoe hairs, bright and moist color, and a fresh, rich aroma.

Premium Tea

Appearance: Fresh jade green with an oily sheen, many pekoe hairs, flat and straight shape, pointed tips not curved. Dry tea aroma is pure.

Leaf Base: Tea fragrance is natural, elegant, and ethereal. The entire leaf is light green and clear, neatly shaped.

Brewing: Tea liquor is jade green or clear yellow. The taste is fresh and stimulating, with a refreshing and pleasant sensation.

Secondary Tea

Appearance: Green without oily sheen, many old leaves, or slightly yellowish. Few pekoe hairs, shape slightly curved or flat but not tight. Dry tea fragrance is low.

Leaf Base: Leaves are broken, dark green; or slightly yellowish-brown, showing some signs of fermentation.

Brewing: Tea liquor is yellowish or dull yellow. The taste is stimulating with bitterness and astringency. Has a grassy smell.

New tea sinks quickly when brewed, with a strong and lasting aroma and a mellow taste. Notes for brewing new tea:

First, it's best not to drink freshly roasted Pre-Qingming tea immediately. New tea should be stored in a refrigerator for one to two weeks for better flavor. Proper storage not only removes the "fire" taste but also reduces the moisture content of the dry tea.

Second, do not use boiling water to brew Pre-Qingming tea. Since Pre-Qingming tea is relatively tender, the water temperature should generally be around 85 degrees Celsius. The more tender and greener the tea leaves, the lower the brewing temperature should be. This ensures the tea liquor is tender green and bright, with a fresh and refreshing taste, and minimizes the destruction of nutrients in the tea leaves.

Third, it is best to use a glass cup for brewing. Pre-Qingming tea requires not only a green liquor, fresh taste, and rich aroma but also beautiful appearance.