Mapo Tea

Mapo Tea

Mapo Tea is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Mapo Tea is grown in 26 villages in Sanli Township, Jianshi County, including Dashuhe, Panlong, Zhaoyukou, Mapo Village, Yaochang, and Longfei, covering a planting area of over 15,000 mu. The tea varieties used in the production of Mapo Tea include “Echa No. 10,” “Echa No. 1,” “Fuding Dabai,” “Longjing No. 43,” and “Anji White Tea.” Mapo is a small place name in Sanli Township, Jianshi County, Hubei Province, and is now an administrative village. According to the 1983 edition of the *Jianshi County Place Names Gazetteer*, “Mapo is located 9.25 kilometers southwest of Sanliba, at an altitude of 820 meters. The mountain resembles a lying horse, covers an area of 0.3 square kilometers, and the tea produced here is famous throughout the county.” In modern times, when naming it, it was combined with the local place name, hence the name “Mapo Tea.” The unique red sandy soil and geographical climate of the region have nurtured the distinctive internal qualities of “Mapo Tea,” which are highly favored by consumers and praised by many tea experts and scholars. Compared to other teas, Mapo Tea has its own unique characteristics: sweet taste, clear and bright green soup, long-lasting and fragrant aroma resembling bean or roasted chestnut. The first brew yields a clear, green soup with the initial hint of sweetness; the second brew reveals a light yellow tint in the green soup, with rich, mellow, and fresh flavors of beans and roasted chestnuts; the third brew produces a bluish-green soup with a concentrated and mellow taste. Internal quality characteristics: tea polyphenols content ≥13.0%, moisture content ≤5.0%. Its product series—including flat-shaped tea, needle-shaped tea, and roasted green tea—have won gold awards in the “China Tea Cup” and “Hubei Tea Cup” competitions for high-quality teas, fully demonstrating the unique quality of “Mapo Tea.”

　　Mapo Tea is a specialty of Mapo, Sanli Township, Jianshi County, Enshi Prefecture, Hubei Province. “Mapo Tea” has a cultivation history of over 300 years and features unique qualities such as “fine and round tips, tightly twisted strips; clear and green soup, bright and transparent leaves; rich and fragrant aroma, long-lasting aftertaste.” Mapo Tea is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Sanli Township’s Mapo in Jianshi County has long been known for its tea production, and Mapo Tea has become an important brand among the county’s agricultural products. With a cultivation history of over 300 years, during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, a scholar from Lvjiawan (Mapo Village), Lv Tianchao, achieved success in the imperial examination held in the capital and was summoned by Emperor Daoguang, who appointed him as a defender. When presenting himself to the emperor, Lv Tianchao offered the 12 tea plants (introduced from Hangzhou and planted in Heshuiping) as a tribute. The emperor was delighted after tasting it and bestowed the name “Mapo Tea.”

　　The tea gardens in Mapo Village are mostly distributed at altitudes between 800 and 1,200 meters, within a subtropical monsoon humid climate zone with abundant sunlight, distinct seasons, an average annual temperature of around 15°C, relative humidity of 80%, and approximately 1,300 hours of annual sunlight. Due to the long daylight hours and mild climate, the area is particularly suitable for tea growth, which helps accumulate internal substances in the tea leaves. The content of effective components such as tea polyphenols and catechins, as well as trace elements beneficial to the human body, is quite rich.

　　The unique red sandy soil and geographical climate of Sanli Township have created the distinctive qualities of Mapo Tea, characterized by “fine and round tips, tightly twisted strips; clear and green soup, bright and transparent leaves; rich and fragrant aroma, long-lasting aftertaste.” The planting area is nearly 10,000 mu, with numerous tea enterprises in the region. The tea is of special quality and has won multiple awards at agricultural expos.

　　The Mapo Mingzhu Tea Industry Professional Cooperative in Jianshi County is a farmer professional cooperative engaged in tea production and operation, established by Cui Xiaofeng from Jiaochang Village, Sanli Township, along with local tea farmers. Since its establishment, the cooperative has adhered to the business philosophy of “innovation for development, quality to win the market, and service to win customers,” pursuing the harmonious unity of “heaven, earth, and humanity.” Guided by the concept of “professional cooperation and shared development,” it is committed to developing Mapo’s distinctive high-quality teas. Its tea gardens have obtained green food certification from the China Green Food Development Center, making it the only ecological tea garden in Jianshi County with green food certification, as well as the only tea industry professional cooperative in the county with such certification. Its flagship product, “Mapo Yuhao” green tea, is highly praised by tea enthusiasts for its quality, characterized by “greenish color, sweet aftertaste, and long-lasting fragrance.”

　　To further strengthen the Mapo tea brand, the cooperative applied to register the Jianshi County Mapo Yuhao Tea Co., Ltd., and organized technical experts to develop “Noon Mapo Yuhao Tea,” a product with distinct regional characteristics. During its participation in the 7th Wuhan Agricultural Expo, the product received high praise from tea enthusiasts and experts, standing out among numerous exhibitors and winning the title of Gold Award Agricultural Product.

　　In 2013, the “Mapo Tea” applied for by the Mapo Mingzhu Tea Industry Professional Cooperative in Jianshi County passed the review of the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, and was implemented under the national geographical indication agricultural product registration and protection system.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The suitable planting area for Mapo Tea borders Hongyan and Gaoping to the east, the Xiaoxikou Hydropower Station to the west, Changliang and Maotian to the north, and Cui’ba Town of Enshi City to the south. It lies at an altitude of 600–1,200 meters, within the transitional zone of warm temperate to mid-subtropical monsoon humid mountain climate. The geographic scope of Mapo Tea spans from 30°33′N to 30°39′N latitude and 109°56′E to 109°47′E longitude, covering a land area of 170.7 square kilometers (including forests and mountains). The geographical indication area of Mapo Tea is 15,000 mu, with a yield of 600 tons. The core area includes 26 villages: Dashuhe, Panlong, Zhaoyukou, Cuijiavillage, Mapo Village, Yaochang Village, Longfei Village, Shipai Village, Xiangshuwan Village, Yanghugou Village, Qinglinkou Village, Laocun Village, Dahong Village, Xiaohong Village, Hejiapo Village, Dapai Village, Daxing Village, Sangao Village, Erlongwan Village, Xiaotun Village, Sunjiaba Village, Fengxiangshu Village, Yangliu Village, Heshuiping Village, Nongke Village, and Cacapo Village in Sanli Township.