Daguankuihua Tea

Daguankuihua Tea

　　Daguankuihua Tea is a specialty of Kuihua Temple at the foot of Cuiping Mountain in Daguan County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. The production of Kuihua Tea has a history of over 500 years. The tea leaves are carefully handpicked—about ten days before Qingming Festival, tender one-bud-one-leaf and one-bud-two-leaf sprouts are selected and meticulously processed. Today’s Kuihua Tea is made following the production method of Hangzhou Longjing Tea. It features a flat, smooth, and straight appearance, with a yellowish-green and glossy color. The tea liquor is clear and bright, the aroma is rich and fresh, the taste is mellow and refreshing, and the leaves at the bottom are tender, even, and green. With its characteristics of “beautiful shape, fragrant aroma, and refreshing taste,” Kuihua Tea has earned widespread acclaim.

　　Daguan has a long history of tea production, and the renowned “Kuihua Tea” gets its name from being produced around Kuihua Temple on the slopes east of Daguan County. During the Qing Yongzheng era, there were dozens of high-quality tea trees around Kuihua Temple, introduced by the monks there. The terrain around the temple is sunny, and the soil and climate are suitable for tea tree growth. The monks were also skilled in tea processing techniques. Every year around Qingming, one-bud-two or three fresh leaves were picked, then undergo three rounds of frying and kneading, followed by sun drying to produce a high-quality green tea with excellent color, aroma, and flavor. Fresh Kuihua Tea leaves are tender, and after processing, they curl into ring shapes with slight golden stripes. When steeped in hot water, the leaves dance gracefully in the cup, earning it the poetic nickname “Golden Earrings.” In 1915, it won an honorary second-class trademark award at the Panama International Exposition.

　　Kuihua Tea is produced from medium-leaf variety tea trees. It comes from Kuihua Town in Daguan County. Kuihua Town is located between latitude 27°44' to 27°46' north and longitude 103°51' to 103°55' east, at an elevation of 1,100 to 1,400 meters. The area receives over 1,018 mm of rainfall annually, with maximum temperatures reaching 38.5°C and minimums dropping to -4°C. The average relative humidity is 80%, and there are 1,019 annual sunshine hours, with 257 overcast days. The soil is slightly acidic, with alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen at 80 ppm, available phosphorus at 48 ppm, and available potassium at 80 ppm. The tea plantations are often surrounded by palm and broadleaf forests, and both the geographical and ecological environments are well-suited for tea tree cultivation.

　　In September 1981, test results from the Tea Chemistry Lab at Yunnan Agricultural University showed that Kuihua Tea contains 443.67 mg of amino acids per 100 grams, which is 80% more than the 279.29 mg found in Yunnan’s large-leaf tea “Nannuobeihao.” As a result, the Yunnan Tea Society praised Kuihua Tea as having flat, straight tea strips, an attractive appearance, neat and uniform leaves, yellowish-green and clear tea liquor, a delicate fragrance, a mellow taste, and tender, bright leaves. Therefore, from 1980 to 1983, it was selected as one of China’s Famous Provincial Teas for four consecutive years.

　　In 1999, after the Daguan County Government changed the tea company to contract-based management, the company invested 460,000 yuan to renovate 600 acres of old tea plantations. After renovation, the fresh tea yield increased by 25 kg per acre annually, and the output value reached over 300 yuan per acre. This enabled the company to grow from producing just 20 tons per year to over 100 tons annually, with an output value of more than 2 million yuan. Currently, the company is building its brand and using various marketing strategies to promote the “Huangliuhe” brand premium tea series across China, establishing brand value. This enriches Daguan’s tea culture, and Daguankuihua Tea will surely spread its unique aroma across the land of China.