Yiquan Cactus Tea

Yiquan Cactus Tea

Yiquan Cactus Tea is a product with geographical indication status.

　　The tea leaves are palm-shaped with abundant fuzz, producing a clear and fragrant brew. Produced in the area around Yuquan Temple in Dangyang, this tea dates back to the Tang Dynasty and has a history of over 1,200 years. It is a renowned local tea from Hubei Province.

　　Yiquan Cactus Tea is produced in the Yuquan Mountain area and its surroundings in Dangyang City, Hubei Province. As one of China’s famous historical teas, it was named by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai and has been celebrated through the ages as one of the “Three Treasures of Yuquan.” Since the 1980s, Yiquan Cactus Tea has been featured multiple times in media outlets such as China Tea, Hubei Science and Technology Daily, Yichang Daily, Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao, China National Radio, and Hubei TV. It has been recognized repeatedly as a local famous tea in Hubei and Yichang, and has won gold awards at the China Agricultural Expo. This tea combines three major green tea processing techniques—steamed green, pan-fired green, and baked green—resulting in unique quality characteristics: flat, palm-like leaves with emerald green color and visible white fuzz; when brewed, the leaves unfurl and the liquor is tender green; the taste is fresh, delicate, and refreshing, with a light and lasting fragrance. Rich in tea polyphenols, theanine, vitamins, and other beneficial compounds, Yiquan Cactus Tea helps relieve fatigue, refresh the mind, promote salivation, quench thirst, induce diuresis and relieve diarrhea, clear heat and detoxify, soothe coughs and calm wheezing, and aid in digestion and weight loss. It is an excellent choice for tea enthusiasts.

　　Cactus Tea, also known as Yiquan Cactus Tea, is produced in the Yuquan Temple area at the foot of Yuquan Mountain in Dangyang City, Hubei Province. It is a flat, steamed cactus-style tea. According to historical records in Complete Tang Poems Volume 178, the Dangyang County Annals, and the Yuquan Temple Annals, the production of Cactus Tea began at Yuquan Temple during the Tang Dynasty and has a history of over 1,200 years. It was created by Zen Master Zhongyun of Yuquan Temple, a layman surnamed Li and a cousin of the poet Li Bai. During the spring tea season, he would pick tender leaves from the tea trees near the Rukou Cave by the Yuquan Stream, formed by the convergence of Pearl Spring water. Using skilled tea-making techniques, he produced a flat, palm-shaped tea that was fragrant, smooth, and left a lingering sweet aftertaste.

　　Cactus Tea is categorized into Special Grade, First Grade, and Second Grade. For Special Grade tea, the fresh leaves must consist of one bud and one leaf, with the bud longer than the leaf and abundant white fuzz. The bud and leaf length should be between 2.5–3 cm. Processing involves three steps: steam fixation, pan-firing for shaping, and drying for setting the form. Steam fixation is done in a steamer at nearly 100°C for 50–60 seconds until the leaves lose their gloss, turn gray-green, emit a fragrant aroma, and become soft. After steaming, the leaves are fanned to cool and then pan-fired for shaping. This step is divided into first firing, second firing, and shaping—the key processes that define the tea’s unique appearance. The first firing mainly uses shaking to quickly separate the leaves. The second firing combines shaking and pressing to begin forming the tea’s shape. The palm-like shape is primarily achieved through shaping, where the tea maker uses fingers to grasp and press the leaves in the pan, aiming for a flat and straight appearance. When about 70% dry, the leaves are dried to set the shape. Once moisture content reaches around 5%, they are removed, packaged, and stored. The finished tea features a flat, palm-like shape with emerald green color and visible white fuzz. When brewed, the leaves unfold, appearing tender green and pure, like lotus flowers standing upright in water. The liquor is tender green, clear, and bright. The fragrance is elegant and refreshing, the taste fresh, mellow, and delicious. Initial sips are light, followed by a sweet aftertaste, then a rich and refreshing flavor that lingers on the palate, leaving one feeling refreshed and deeply satisfied.

　　In the production of steamed green compressed tea, efforts to address the issues of persistent bitterness and off-flavors led to the gradual adoption of a method where the steamed leaves were not rolled or pressed but directly dried, transforming steamed green compressed tea into steamed green loose tea. This preserved the tea’s aroma and also gave rise to appreciation methods and quality standards for loose tea. This reform emerged during the Song Dynasty. The History of Song · Treatise on Food and Commodities states: “There are two types of tea: compressed tea and loose tea,” with compressed tea referring to cake tea. In the Yuan Dynasty, Wang Zhen detailed the production process of steamed green loose tea in his agricultural treatise, Nong Shu: “After picking, lightly steam the leaves in a steamer to achieve proper doneness. Then spread them thinly on a bamboo tray while still moist, knead them, place them in a dryer, and bake evenly until dry without scorching.” From the Song to the Yuan Dynasty, cake tea, dragon-phoenix compressed tea, and loose tea coexisted. By the Ming Dynasty, due to Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang’s decree in 1391 to abolish compressed tea and promote loose tea, steamed green loose tea became widely popular. Compared to cake and compressed tea, loose tea better retained the tea’s natural aroma. However, steamed green processing still had the drawback of less intense fragrance. This led to the development of pan-fired green tea, which used dry heat to enhance the tea’s aroma. Pan-fired Cactus Tea dates back to the Tang Dynasty. Tang poet Liu Yuxi wrote in “Song of Trying Tea at Xishan Monastery”: “Behind the temple, a few tea bushes… soon pan-fired, filling the room with aroma,” and “From picking to brewing, mere moments pass,” indicating that freshly picked leaves, when pan-fired, quickly filled the space with fragrance. This is the earliest known written record of pan-fired Cactus Tea. Through further development in the Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties, pan-fired tea became increasingly common. By the Ming Dynasty, the pan-fired method was refined, with detailed descriptions found in Tea Record, Tea Discourse, and Tea Analysis. The process generally involved high-temperature fixation, rolling, refiring, and baking to dryness—a technique very similar to modern pan-fired green tea production. Refer to the appendix for the manufacturing process of Cactus Tea.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected production area for Dangyang Yiquan Cactus Tea, a product with geographical indication status, includes the Yuquan Subdistrict Office and Wangdian Town in Dangyang City. It covers 11 villages within the Yuquan Subdistrict: Yuquan, Baibaozhai, Jiaodi, Jinsha, Ganhe, Zaolin, Qingxi, Liulin, Sanqiao, Guandaohe, and Heyi, as well as three villages in Wangdian Town: Mudi, Xindi, and Yanhe. The production area lies between 111°59′07″ to 111°69′22″ east longitude and 30°73′66″ to 30°94′53″ north latitude. The tea plantation area spans 15,000 mu, with an annual yield of 2,028 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. Key External Features: The dry tea leaves of Cactus Tea are flat and palm-shaped, with an emerald green color and visible white fuzz. Each jin (500g) of premium-grade tea contains approximately 28,000 buds, first grade about 23,000, and second grade about 18,000. When brewed, the liquor is clear and bright, with a lasting fragrance, fresh taste, and tender green, even, and bud-filled leaves. 2. Key Internal Qualities: Cactus Tea has a unique quality with rich internal content. It is high in tea polyphenols, with water extract ≥30%, tea polyphenols ≥13%, and crude fiber ≤16%. 3. Hygiene and Safety Indicators: The hygiene and safety indicators of Cactus Tea products must comply with the requirements of GB 2762 and GB 2763.