Jinshan Shiyu Tea

Jinshan Shiyu Tea is produced in Jixi County, She County City, Anhui Province, and is a type of green tea. So how did this name come about? Originally, “Shiyu” is a term used to refer to a famous tea from southern Anhui. This particular tea is grown in Shangjinshan, a neighboring village of Shangzhuang in Shangzhuang Town, Jixi County, hence the name “Jinshan Shiyu.” One can’t help but say that this name is truly poetic. By the early years of the Republic of China, “Shiyu” had been sold to more than ten countries and regions including Hong Kong and Singapore, and since then, “Shiyu” has gained fame both at home and abroad.

Jinshan Shiyu was originally called “Jinshan Mingwu.” A poem by Zhang Tingjiong, a native of Qingyi during the Qing Dynasty, titled “Jinshan Mingwu,” reads: “Exotic herbs nurtured by spiritual land, fragrant mist drapes over cliffs and fields. Village maidens pluck spring leaves to bring home, while community fires roast them under the eaves. Boiled thrice and poured into fine porcelain, the threads still curl like seal script.” It was the treasured product of the Shanghai-based Wang Yutai Tea House established by people from Jixi in 1850. The tea was officially named in 1868, and by 1894, Wang Yutai Tea House began submitting Jinshan Shiyu as a tribute tea, making it an imperial offering.

The production process of Jinshan Shiyu Tea is more complex than that of ordinary green teas. It requires a specific set of processing steps: “spreading fresh leaves → fixation → rolling → forming the rough shape → cooling → shaping → cooling again → full roasting → removing broken pieces.”

External sensory characteristics: As a premium green tea, it has tightly twisted leaves with a slight white down, rich flavor, aromatic and refreshing taste with a sweet aftertaste. The tea liquor is clear and bright, and the leaves at the bottom are tender green with golden hues. It is highly resistant to brewing, only starting to weaken on the sixth infusion.