Daye Green Tea

Daye Green Tea

Daye Green Tea is a geographical indication protected product.

Daye Green Tea is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Region

　　　　　Daye is located in a mountainous area with a moist climate, significant temperature variations, and mostly acidic or slightly acidic sandy loam soil, providing ideal natural conditions for tea tree growth. As a result, the county is abundant in green tea production.

　　Specific Qualities

　　　　　　Daye green tea features fine leaf veins, thick leaf flesh, rich mineral content, high tea polyphenol levels, and superior quality. Since 1983, tea production has developed rapidly, forming a production pattern where “where there are mountains, there is tea; even where there are no mountains, tea is planted,” leading to substantial increases in both yield and quality.

　　Cultural Stories

　　　　　　Shuangqiao Maojian is mainly produced in the Shuangqiao area. It is a strip-shaped baked green tea, developed in the early 1980s by the state-owned Shuangqiao Tea Farm. In 1983, it was named one of Hubei Province’s Famous Teas, ending the history of “Daye having no famous tea.” Since then, it has won the provincial-level Famous Tea Gold Award eight times and was recommended as an International Famous Tea in 1998. This tea has also been included in various monographs such as Hubei Famous Teas, Hubei Famous, High-quality and Special Products Compendium, Hubei Famous Quality Teas, The Chinese Tea Classics, and The Collection of China’s Famous Quality Teas. The following is an excerpt from the book Hubei Famous Quality Teas describing the quality of Shuangqiao Maojian: “Tightly twisted strips showing fine tips, emerald green color, mellow taste, bright yellowish-green liquor, lofty and lasting aroma, tender and evenly colored leaves, thirst-quenching and mouth-watering upon drinking, refreshing and fragrant with a lingering aftertaste, sweet and smooth on the throat, and long-lasting brewability.”

　　The production area of Daye Green Tea covers the current administrative regions of 17 towns and townships in Daye County, Hubei Province: Chengguan Town, Yangping Town, Fangfan Town, Xincheng Town, Liuji Town, Xiadian Town, Hekou Town, Lvwang Town, Huangzhan Town, Xuanhuadian Town, Fengdian Town, Gaodian Township, Daxin Town, Sanlicheng Town, Dongxin Township, Pengdian Township, and Sigu Town.

　　I. Varieties

　　Suitable tea tree varieties for making Daye Green Tea include Echa No.1, Fuding Dabai Tea, and others.

　　II. Site Conditions

　　Within the production area, altitude should be above 300m, soil pH value between 4.5 and 6.5, soil organic matter content ≥1.5%, soil layer thickness ≥80cm, loose soil texture, good permeability, and no waterlogging.

　　III. Cultivation Management

　　1. Planting: Row spacing of 1.5m, inter-row spacing of 0.40m, plant spacing of 0.33m, double-row double-plant planting, with 80,000 to 90,000 plants per hectare. Planting time is from February to March.

　　2. Fertilization: From October to November, apply well-rotted organic fertilizer heavily based on soil fertility and tea tree growth condition, supplemented with N, P, and K fertilizers.

　　3. Pruning: Use methods such as setting cut, light pruning, heavy pruning, and coppicing according to tree age, growth condition, and desired tree shape, to cultivate and optimize high-yield tree canopies.

　　4. Environmental and Safety Requirements: The use of pesticides, fertilizers, and other substances must comply with national regulations, and must not cause environmental pollution.

　　IV. Harvesting

　　1. Harvesting Time: March to May.

　　2. Harvesting Standard: Start harvesting when one bud and one leaf reach 5% to 6%.

　　3. Harvesting Method: Pick by hand in batches according to standards. Do not strip-pick or grab-pick. Keep buds and leaves intact, fresh, and uniform.

　　V. Processing

　　1. Processing Procedures:

　　(1) Flat Tea: Withering → Fixation → Shaping → Firing → Sorting → Packaging → Warehousing.

　　(2) Maojian Tea: Withering → Fixation → Rolling → Initial Drying → Straightening → Drying → Scenting → Packaging → Warehousing.

　　(3) Shoumei Tea: Withering → Fixation → Rubbing → Firing → Baking → Sorting → Packaging → Warehousing.

　　2. Processing requirements: The spread leaf thickness should be 2cm to 5cm, with a spreading time of 5h to 6h (hours), and a weight reduction rate of 10% to 15%.

　　VI. Quality Characteristics

　　Daye green tea is divided into flat tea, Maojian tea, and Shoumei tea according to different processing methods.

　　1. Sensory characteristics:

　　(1) Premium grade: Flat tea is flat, glossy, straight, and sharply tapered; Maojian tea has tightly rolled, fine, and slightly curved strips; Shoumei tea is slightly flat and straight with visible tips. The aroma is tender and lasting, the taste is fresh, tender, and refreshing, the liquor color is bright tender green, and the leaf base is soft, bright, and uniform.

　　(2) First grade: Flat tea is flat, glossy, and straight; Maojian tea has tightly rolled, fine, and smooth strips; Shoumei tea is tightly rolled. The aroma is fragrant and lasting, the taste is fresh, mellow, and refreshing, the liquor color is bright tender green, and the leaf base is bright and uniform.

　　(3) Second grade: Flat tea is flat, straight, and fairly glossy; Maojian tea has tightly rolled strips that are slightly curved; Shoumei tea is fairly tight. The aroma is fragrant, the taste is fresh and mellow with moderate freshness, the liquor color is green and bright, and the leaf base is fairly bright and fairly uniform.

　　2. Physicochemical indicators: moisture ≤6.0%, total ash ≤6.5%, broken tea ≤2.0%, crude fiber ≤14.0%, water extract ≥38.0%.