“Jinshan Shiyu” Famous Tea

“Jinshan Shiyu” Famous Tea

“Jinshan Shiyu” is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　 Jinshan Shiyu tea is produced under specific natural ecological conditions, using the tender buds and leaves of local tea plant varieties as raw materials. It undergoes a unique processing technique: “spreading fresh leaves → fixing → rolling → forming the blank → cooling → shaping → cooling → full firing → removing broken pieces.” The tea is known for its quality features: “tightly twisted spirals resembling a coiled bun, a long-lasting and high floral fragrance, clear and bright liquor, mellow and refreshing taste,” and is highly resistant to brewing. Originally named “Jinshan Mingwu” (Jinshan Tea Mist), it was praised in a poem by Zhang Tingjiong from Jixi County during the Qing Dynasty: “Exotic herbs thrive in this spiritual land, fragrant mist veils cliffs and fields. Village girls pluck spring leaves to bring home, community fires roast them beneath the eaves. After three boils, it fills fine porcelain cups, its threads still curling like seal script.” It was the treasured product of the Wangyutai Tea House founded in Shanghai by people from Jixi in 1850, officially named in 1868, and by 1894, Wangyutai began offering “Jinshan Shiyu” tea as a tribute, making it an imperial tea.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Features: As a premium green tea variety, it has tightly twisted strips with slight white pekoe, a rich and mellow taste, aromatic and refreshing flavor with a sweet aftertaste, clear and bright liquor, and tender golden-green leaves. It is highly resistant to brewing, only beginning to weaken on the sixth infusion. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: Jinshan Shiyu is a top-grade green tea. It contains moderate levels of tea polyphenols and caffeine at 25% and above 3.5% respectively, amino acids at over 3.2%, along with abundant aromatic substances and vitamins such as A, B1, B2, and C.

　　Geographic Range

　　Jinshan Shiyu tea is produced in eight townships in Jixi County, Anhui Province: Shangzhuang Town, Chang’an Town, Yangxi Town, Jinsha Town, Fuling Town, Jiapeng Township, Yingzhou Township, and Jingzhou Township. Jixi is located in the southeast of Anhui Province, with geographical coordinates between 118°20′–118°55′ east longitude and 29°57′–30°20′ north latitude. It borders Lin’an District of Zhejiang Province to the east, and connects with Ningguo County and Jingde County to the north. It stretches 59.5 km from east to west and 42 km from north to south, covering a total area of 1,126 square kilometers. The total tea production area is 1,800 hectares, with an annual output of 850 tons.