Pan'an Yunfeng Tea

Pan'an Yunfeng Tea

　　Pan'an Yunfeng Tea – 2015 National Famous, Special, and High-quality New Agricultural Product

　　Pan'an Yunfeng Tea is produced in the Dapan Mountain area of Pan'an County, Zhejiang Province. Pan'an has a long history of tea production. During the Tang Dynasty, the “Wuzhou Dongbai Tea” produced in Pan'an was one of the tribute teas for the imperial court. In 1979, the trial production of Pan'an Yunfeng premium tea began, achieving instant success. The product is sold across the province and to major cities nationwide. It was also test-marketed in Japan, receiving praise from both consumers and merchants.

　　Yunfeng Tea is produced in the Dapan Mountain area of Pan'an County, Zhejiang Province. This region features high mountains, clear waters, dense forests, heavy fog, murmuring springs, and the fragrance of wild orchids. The average annual temperature is 13.9–17.4°C, with annual rainfall of 1440–1528 mm. The air has high humidity, is free of pollution, and enjoys a mild and moist climate. The soil pH ranges from 4.5–5.5, is fertile, and has a deep layer of 50–100 cm with organic matter content between 3.5–14.8%. This unique natural environment provides ideal conditions for the quality formation of Yunfeng Tea. [1]

　　Harvesting Technique Editing

　　Yunfeng Tea is harvested from the new shoots of the local high-quality tea variety – the Schima superba. The harvesting time varies depending on the altitude of the tea garden. Typically, tea gardens below 600 meters above sea level begin harvesting in mid-to-late April, while those above 700 meters start in early May. The picking standard for Grade 1–2 Yunfeng Tea is one bud with one leaf or one bud with two leaves just unfolding. For Grades below 3, it is one bud with two leaves, with bud and leaf length not exceeding 3.5 cm and leaf opening angle not exceeding 40 degrees. After fresh leaves enter the factory, they are spread out for 3–5 hours until they lose about 5% of their moisture weight.

　　History Editing

　　A rising star among Zhejiang's famous teas, it was first created in the 1970s and won top honors in provincial and municipal famous tea competitions year after year since the 1980s. In 1986, at the Ministry of Commerce’s Quality Products Competition, it won the national famous tea title for its beautiful shape, emerald color, high fragrance, and mellow taste – characterized as the “three greens and one fragrance.”

　　Processing Technique Editing

　　The stir-frying technique of Yunfeng Tea incorporates the essence of techniques from famous teas such as West Lake Longjing, Taiping Houkui, and Emei E’rui. The main process consists of three steps: fixation, shaping, and drying.

　　Fixation: Performed in a slanted wok. When the wok temperature reaches around 160°C, about 150 grams of withered leaves are added. Using a bamboo stirrer or palm-leaf broom, the leaves are stirred and tossed evenly and continuously until the leaves are green but not overcooked, ripe but not yellow, and the stems are not broken. Then the leaves are removed from the wok and spread out to cool.

　　Shaping: Done in a flat iron wok with a temperature of around 80°C. About 150–200 grams of fixed leaves are added. Three techniques – shaking, pressing, and aligning – are used. More shaking is applied to tender leaves, less to older ones; no pressing on tender leaves, heavier pressing on older ones. The three techniques are flexibly and alternately mastered. When the buds and leaves become tightly straight and formed into strips, they are taken out and spread to cool.

　　Drying: Comprises two stages – initial drying and final drying. The goal is to evaporate moisture, fix the shape, and enhance aroma. Initial drying is done at 100–120°C. When the moisture content is around 30% and the leaves have a prickly feel, they are taken out to cool. Final drying uses a slow, low-heat method to achieve even dryness and full aroma release. When the leaves can be crushed to powder by hand, with moisture content around 6%, they are removed from the dryer, cooled, sieved, de-stemmed, and inferior leaves removed before packaging and storage.

　　Yunfeng Tea comes in large and small packages. Large packages use aluminum foil kraft paper boxes, with two packets of one-kilogram quicklime bags placed inside the box. The tea is stored around the sides of the box in a warehouse that is dry, odor-free, and not exposed to direct sunlight.

　　Famous Tea Appreciation Editing

　　Overall, it embodies the “three greens and one fragrance” – tight, straight, and slender strips, emerald color, tender green liquor, bright green leaves, high and lasting fragrance with a hint of orchid aroma. To taste Yunfeng Tea, it is best to use a glass cup and brew with water around 85°C. After pouring the boiling water, the leaves unfurl and release fragrance. The sprouts and leaves stand upright, bobbing up and down vividly like orchid petals. The experience of sipping and admiring leaves a lingering fragrance, refreshing the heart and mind, creating a sense of joy and relaxation.

　　Honors Received Editing

　　From 1986 to 1988, Pan'an Yunfeng Tea was rated as a first-class high-quality tea by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture for three consecutive years. In 1986, it was awarded the title of “National Famous Tea” by the Ministry of Commerce. In 1989, it received the “Zhejiang Famous Tea Certificate.” In 1991, it was named “Cultural Famous Tea” at the Hangzhou International Tea Culture Festival in China. Later, it won multiple “Gold Awards” at the China Premium Tea Expo, Zhejiang Agricultural Expo, and Zhejiang Green Tea Expo. During the 2007 Zhejiang Green Tea Expo, the Tea Quality Supervision, Inspection and Testing Center of the Ministry of Agriculture tested Pan'an’s tea. Results showed that the water extract content reached 47%, 11 percentage points higher than the national standard of 36%. No pesticide residues were detected among the thirteen tested, and lead content was 0.74 mg/kg, far below the national pollution-free tea standard of 5 mg/kg. It exhibits the typical quality characteristics of mountain-grown premium tea.