What are spring tea, autumn tea and summer tea?

The division of spring tea, summer tea and autumn tea is mainly based on the change of seasons and the intermittent growth of new shoots of tea trees.

In most tea-producing areas of China, tea tree growth and tea harvesting are seasonal. Usually, tea leaves are divided into three seasons according to the picking time: spring, summer and autumn. However, the division standards are inconsistent. Some solar terms: Qingming to Xiaoman is spring tea, Xiaoman to Xiaoshu is summer tea. Some are divided by time: spring tea is picked before the end of May, and summer tea is picked from early June to early July. The tea of that year picked after July is considered as autumn tea. The quality characteristics of spring tea, summer tea and autumn tea are described as follows:

In different tea seasons, there are great differences in the appearance and quality of tea. For example, green tea has moderate temperature in spring, abundant rainfall, green color, soft leaves and rich amino acids and vitamins, which makes spring tea fresh and refreshing, full of aroma and obvious health care function. Moreover, spring tea generally has no pests and diseases, and no pesticides are needed. Tea leaves are pollution-free, so spring tea, especially early spring tea, is often the best quality in a year. The new shoots of summer tea grow quickly, but they are easy to age. The contents of amino acids and vitamins in tea decreased obviously, while the contents of anthocyanins, caffeine and tea polyphenols increased obviously, and the taste was bitter.

Spring tea, summer tea and autumn tea can also be identified from two aspects.

1, just look. Mainly from the appearance, color and aroma of tea. Where black tea and green tea are tied tightly, pearl tea particles are round and firm; Black tea is dark and green tea is green; Tea is fat and heavy, or hairy; Even the quality characteristics of spring tea. Where black tea and green tea are loose, pearl tea particles are loose; Black tea is ruddy, and green tea is dark or black; The lotus land is light and wide, and the tender stems are slender; A little coarse aroma is always the quality characteristic of summer tea. Where tea leaves vary in size, the leaves are thin and thin; Green tea is yellow-green, and black tea is deep red; Mild fragrance of tea is the quality characteristic of autumn tea. In addition, it can also be judged by combining the flowers and fruits occasionally mixed in tea. If there are young fruits of tea tree, it is estimated that the size of fresh fruit is similar to that of mung bean, so it can be judged as summer tea. In autumn tea, the fresh fruit of tea tree is almost as big as longan, and it is generally not easy to mix with tea. However, tea buds began to bloom in July and August, and flowering began in September. So whoever has buds and flowers mixed with tea is autumn tea. However, in the process of tea processing, the selected flowers and fruits are rarely mixed together, so comprehensive analysis must be carried out to avoid one-sidedness.

2, wet look. It is to conduct a review of soup opening, and further judge by smelling the fragrance, tasting the taste and looking at the bottom of the leaves. When brewing, the tea leaves sink faster, with rich and lasting aroma and mellow taste; Green tea soup is green and yellow, and black tea soup is red and gold; The bottom of tea is soft and thick, with many normal buds and leaves; The veins of leaves are delicate, and the sawtooth of leaves is not as obvious as spring tea. Where the tea leaves sink slowly during brewing, the aroma is not high; Green tea tastes bitter, the soup is green, and there are copper-green buds at the bottom of leaves; The taste of black tea is not strong or astringent, the soup is red and black, and the leaves are red and bright; Whether it is black tea or green tea, the leaf base is thin and hard, with more leaves sandwiched, thicker veins and obvious serrated edges. This is summer tea. Autumn tea belongs to the kind with low aroma, light taste, copper-green leaf buds at the bottom of leaves, different leaf sizes, many opposite leaves and obvious sawtooth leaves.