Wild Sparrow Tongue Tea

Wild Sparrow Tongue Tea

　　Wild Sparrow Tongue Tea is a specialty of Tongling County, Tongling City, Anhui Province. This tea features a slightly flat shape resembling a spear, with a delicate aroma, fresh and refreshing taste, clear and bright liquor, and tender, bright green leaves—qualities that have won it widespread acclaim.

　　Commonly known as Wild Sparrow Tongue, this historic famous tea is a type of green tea. It has been produced from the late Ming to the late Qing dynasties. The 11th year of the Republic of China (1922) recorded in the “Industrial Survey of Sixty Counties in Anhui Province” that Wild Sparrow Tongue was produced in areas such as Tongguanshan and the eastern and western mountainous regions. The production method involved roasting fresh leaves with fire. The tea quality was described as rich in flavor with a delicate fragrance, though its production was limited to about a hundred dan (a traditional unit of weight) per year, sold at one hundred yuan per dan in Wuhu and Shun’an... However, the crafting technique for Wild Sparrow Tongue was later lost.

　　Wild Sparrow Tongue Tea was produced by the Wusong Tea Forest Farm. In 1987, Senior Agronomist Ms. Xie Zigui initiated and planned a premium tea development project, proposing a new tea processing technique to revive and develop this historic famous tea. On February 28, 1992, the Municipal Agricultural Economy Commission invited tea experts from within and outside the province to evaluate the feasibility of developing premium teas. On April 22, 1992, and April 20, 1993, samples of Wild Sparrow Tongue were sent twice to the Tea Quality Supervision and Inspection Center of the Ministry of Agriculture for evaluation. The tea was recognized as a premium variety with the following assessment: slightly flat shape resembling a spear, delicate aroma, fresh and refreshing taste, clear and bright liquor, and tender, bright green leaves. Both biochemical and hygiene indicators met national standards. In 1993, Songlan Tea was also rated as a premium green tea.

　　Wild Sparrow Tongue Tea was registered under the brand name “Wusongshan” in 1997, and the tea name itself was registered again in February 1999. Both Wild Sparrow Tongue Tea and Songlan Tea were awarded provincial-level famous tea titles and recognized as high-quality agricultural products in 1992 and 1995. In 1992, Wild Sparrow Tongue won the First Prize for Science and Technology in Tongling; in 1993, it received the Fourth Prize in Anhui Province’s Spark Program; in 1994, it claimed the First Prize at the first “China Tea Cup” competition; in 1995, it earned the Gold Award at the second China Agricultural Expo; and in 1999 and 2001, it was consecutively named a Famous Brand Agricultural Product at the China International Agricultural Expo. In 1995, Songlan Tea was awarded the Third Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress in Tongling.