Comparison of Yunnan black tea, Taiwan black tea, Fujian black tea and Darjeeling black tea

Spring tea is usually green. The first season is marked 1st Flush, which refers to the most picked tea in spring. When it comes to picking tea in spring, it is usually green tea. The reason why tea is green is not because it is spring tea. The reason why it is green is that it is processed purposefully. When making tea, green tea is produced through a very short fermentation time. Even 1st Flush, if the fermentation time is long, it is possible to produce standard black tea color like autumn picking, and if the fermentation time is longer, it is also possible to produce black tea suitable for milk tea.

The unexpected reason for 1st Flush's listing from February to March usually starts around February when Darjeeling 1st Flush's new tea comes on the market. In March, 1st Flush sales reached a peak. The latitude of Darjeeling is similar to that of Fujian Province and Taiwan in China, and farther north than that of Yunnan Province. Therefore, the growth of tea is roughly the same as that of China. In fact, tea harvests in Yunnan, Taiwan and tea gardens at an altitude of 2000m are all in mid-April. Until 2019, I will stay in the producing area of Yunnan Province in China (2000 meters above sea level) for more than a month every spring to observe the growth of tea throughout the tea season. Because of this experience, we have a very detailed understanding of when and at what altitude tea can be harvested.

Why do tea producers in Yunnan and Taiwan not harvest tea until April, while Darjeeling, which is more northerly in latitude, will not be harvested until February or March? In fact, Darjeeling 1st Flush, which appeared a long time ago, is produced in tea gardens with lower elevations. Tea can also be harvested in March at an altitude of 1500 meters in Yunnan Province. When you reach the 1000-meter level, the harvest will be earlier. On the contrary, at an altitude of about 2400 meters, tea is harvested from late April to early May. In Darjeeling, the tea garden is a mountain. Each tea garden is a large agricultural enterprise, with hundreds of people working. The tea gardens cover an area of several hundred hectares, ranging from several hundred meters to nearly 2000 meters above sea level. For example, the elevation of the New Bree Tea Garden is between 360m and 1230 m, and that of Lixihart Tea Garden is between 760m and 1460 m. Many people only pay attention to the high altitude of the tea garden, but in fact the shape of the mountain is conical, so the area of low altitude accounts for the overwhelming majority. As we all know, the lower the altitude, the earlier the spring comes, and the spring in Darjeeling begins in the low-altitude tea garden.