Maoshan Tea

Maoshan Tea

　　　　      In 1995, Jintan was named the "Hometown of Chinese Green Tea (Famous Tea)." Maoshan Tea comes in a wide variety of types and is of high quality. Among them, "Maoshan Qingfeng" won a national gold award, while "Yuhua" and "Que She" received gold awards at China's first Food Expo.

(Jintan)

　Jintan enjoys the reputation of being the "Hometown of Chinese Green Tea (Famous Tea)." "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea is renowned across the Jiangnan region for its uniquely elegant appearance, exquisite quality, and strong sales performance. "The fragrance—nothing surpasses the fragrance of homegrown tea; the closeness—nothing compares to the affection of fellow villagers." This insightful saying by the mathematician Hua Luogeng perfectly illustrates and celebrates the Maoshan tea from his hometown of Jintan.

　　The Development and Quality Characteristics of "Maoshan Qingfeng" Tea

　　"Maoshan Qingfeng" tea evolved from "Maolu Tea." Its long history and unique craftsmanship endow it with qualities unmatched by other famous teas. Jintan’s Maoshan is one of the old tea-growing regions in Jiangsu, already known as a Jiangnan tea area since the Sui Dynasty. In the 1930s, the "Qiqiang" tea produced by the Maolu Company at the eastern foot of Maoshan gained considerable fame and was exported to Southeast Asia. After the liberation, numerous tea plantations were established on the eastern slopes of Maoshan, making tea production an important agricultural sideline industry in the mountainous areas. Famous teas such as "Qiqiang" and other black and green teas were collectively sold under the name "Maolu" tea and became popular in cities along the Shanghai-Nanjing railway line. "Maolu" tea was beloved by consumers for its characteristics of green color, flat shape, straight lines, and glossy finish; premium "Qiqiang" tea, in particular, was famed across Jiangnan for its tender green hue, smooth and straight leaves, and refined fragrance. Marshal Chen Yi once presented specially made "Qiqiang" tea from the Maolu Tea Farm as a gift to foreign diplomats, explaining that this tea was unique because you had to pour the water before adding the leaves. The craftsmanship techniques displayed in making "Qiqiang" tea—such as "fine grasping," "careful rolling," and "monitoring the wok temperature"—laid the technical foundation for the development of "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea.

　　In the early 1980s, the Maolu Tea Farm gathered over 20 senior experts from the province’s tea industry and its own technical personnel. Over three years, they innovated the traditional production techniques of the famous "Qiqiang" tea and successfully developed "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea. This led to a complete set of craftsmanship processes for creating premium specialty teas, along with a series of standardized technical parameters. Upon its debut, "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea quickly gained popularity among consumers for its noble quality and moderate pricing. The name "Maoshan Qingfeng" signifies its origin from the eastern foot of Maoshan; its shape resembles a green sword blade, symbolizing the Maoshan Anti-Japanese Base Area established by Marshal Chen Yi—like a sharp sword thrust into the enemy’s rear.

　　By the mid-1990s, with the prosperity of the economy and culture and the rapid spread of tea-drinking customs, the traditional handmade "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea could no longer meet market demand. Tea production gradually adopted advanced machinery, and company technicians embarked on a journey of process reform and technological innovation. After repeated testing and refinement, withering machines, tea shaping machines, and multifunctional machines eventually replaced traditional manual methods. Based on different company production scales and how to optimally match machinery, scientific processes and technical parameters were established. Mechanically produced "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea not only maintained the thoroughness and uniformity of the fixation process and the neatness of the strips, preserving an attractive appearance, but also significantly improved both product yield and quality. More importantly, it laid a solid foundation for "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea to compete in the fierce market.

　　Entering the new century, departments in Jintan including agriculture and forestry, science and technology, industry and commerce, and quality and technical supervision intensified efforts to build the "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea brand. While ensuring the continuous expansion of Jintan’s tea industry, they consistently maintained the premium quality of "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea. Major enterprises such as Maolu Tea Farm, Fanglu Tea Farm, Xinpin Tea Industry Co., Ltd., Shima Tea Farm, and Maolu Tea Factory strictly adhered to standards such as NY5244-2004. Tea production successfully obtained "Pollution-Free Food" certification and the right to use "Pollution-Free Food" and "Green Food" labels, earning authoritative recognition for the safety, nutrition, and health benefits of "Maoshan Qingfeng" tea.