Basic Introduction to He Feng Tea
He Feng Tea is a specialty of He Feng County, Hubei Province, and is a Chinese Geographical Indication product. He Feng County is located in the heart of the Wuling Mountain area, with a climate suitable for tea tree growth, making it an optimal environment for high-quality tea. The county has a long history of tea production, being a major producer of tribute tea and “Yi Hong” tea. The tea from He Feng features tight, fine, straight buds with a green color and silvery tips; its infusion is bright green, with a fresh, long-lasting aroma, a fresh and rich taste, and a tender, uniform base. It is naturally rich in selenium. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was offered as a tribute to the imperial court and exported to Western European countries, where the British called it “Queen's Tea.” This tea has won awards such as the Grand Prize at the “Zhongcha Cup” and the Gold Award at the “Luyu Cup,” and has been recognized as one of the “Top Ten Teas in Hubei Province.”
Product Characteristics
(1) Sensory Features: The tea has tight, fine, straight buds with a green color and silvery tips, making it a premium variety.
(2) Quality Indicators: He Feng Tea has a clear, lasting fragrance and a fresh, rich taste. Its infusion is bright green, and its base is tender and uniformly green. It is rich in natural substances, brews well, tastes good, and has a strong freshness. In 100 grams of dry product, there is ≤16g of crude fiber and ≤6.0g of ash. The hygiene standards and pesticide residues meet national standards.
(3) Safety Requirements: He Feng Tea complies with the standards set by the “Green Food – Tea” NY/T288-2002.
Historical Folklore
He Feng, also known as Rongmei, is one of China's oldest tea-producing regions. Since the 3rd to 5th centuries during the Jin Dynasty, the people of He Feng have had the custom of producing and consuming tea, accumulating rich experience. He Feng is one of the origins of tea and produces high-quality tea. According to the “Records of the Land of Jingzhou” written during the late 3rd century to early 4th century in the Western Jin Dynasty: “All seven counties in Wuling produce tea.” Lu Yu's “Classic of Tea” states: “In Bashan and Xiacun, there are trees that two people can embrace,” and mentions: “South of the mountains, Xiazhou is considered superior.” He Feng is located in the heart of the Wuling Mountain area, within the region referred to as “Bashan Xiacun.” In 1704, the Qing dynasty scholar, poet, playwright, traveler, and sociologist Gu Cai, upon the invitation of the local chieftain Tian Shunian, spent five months traveling through Rongmei. His travelogue “Travels in Rongmei” records: “…tea is produced in the mountains, but the profits are very thin, collectively named Dong tea. The top quality sells for one string of cash per pound, while the medium quality is commonly used in the province of Chu, also known as ‘Xiangtan tea.' Therefore, there is constant traffic of tea merchants.”
In 1867, the first governor of He Feng, Mao Junde, recorded in the first county gazetteer: “The tribute tea of Rongmei is widely grown, with only a few plants behind the government office producing the best quality… The taste is extremely clear and rich. When brewed with spring water, it drives away heat and removes miasma, clears the mind and dispels qi, reduces swelling and stops irritability, and cures all kinds of miscellaneous ailments.”
Production Method
Fresh leaves are spread out – pan-fired – rolled – dried (or stir-fried to reduce moisture – thoroughly dried) – re-rolled – re-dried (for pan-fired tea – thoroughly dried) – shaped – dried – inspected – selected – packaged – frozen storage for sale.
The specific operational steps are:
(1) Spreading Fresh Leaves: Overall, the tools should be clean, the leaves thinly spread and rarely turned, i.e., 0.5-1 kg/m² for Grade 2 and above fresh leaves, and 5-10 kg/m² for Grade 3 and below fresh leaves; the spreading time is 4-8 hours; the leaves are considered properly prepared when they have lost 15-20% of their moisture, become soft, and emit a fragrant aroma.
(2) Pan-Firing: For Grade 2 and above tea leaves, continuous drum pan-firing machines 6CSA-40 or 6CSA-50 are used, while for Grade 3 and below, 60-type pan-firing is used. When the cylinder temperature reaches around 250 degrees Celsius, the leaves are added, and they are removed after 120 seconds, with a moisture content of 55-58% being appropriate.
(3) Rolling: Generally, 35 or 45-type rolling machines are used, and the rolling time is 15-25 minutes. The leaves should form threads without breaking and have a moderate amount of tea juice released.
(4) Drying: Intermediate drying is done using small and medium continuous drying machines with temperatures controlled between 110-130 degrees Celsius. The moisture content should be around 45%, and the leaves should feel pliable when squeezed into a ball.
(5) Re-Rolling: The re-rolling time is 12-18 minutes, with only medium pressure applied.
(6) Re-Drying: The temperature is controlled around 90 degrees Celsius, and the moisture content should be around 25%. The leaves should feel sticky when squeezed but not break, and slightly elastic (for pan-fired tea, the temperature is lowered to 80 degrees Celsius and dried until thoroughly dry, i.e., moisture content reaches 5% or less).
(7) Shaping: This is done on an electric wok or stainless steel hot-air platform stove with temperatures controlled between 70-80 degrees Celsius. Four techniques – combing, grasping, kneading, and shaking – are alternately employed. Each operation involves 0.2 kg of leaves and takes 5-8 minutes. The appearance of white down and tight, fine, straight buds indicates that shaping is complete.
(8) Drying: This is done using a drying cage or dryer with temperatures controlled between 70-50 degrees Celsius, starting high and then lowering. The drying time is 40-60 minutes, and the moisture content should be 5% or less.
(9) Inspection: Through sensory evaluation, moisture detection, and ash content detection, those that pass are processed further, while those that do not are handled according to the non-conforming process.
(10) Selection: The leaves are sorted to remove dust and impurities.
(11) Packaging: The tea is sealed into standard packages or packed into commercial packaging.
(12) Cold Storage: The temperature is controlled between 2-8 degrees Celsius.
Awards and Honors Received by He Feng Tea
The quality characteristics of He Feng Tea are: tight, fine, straight buds with a green color and silvery tips; a bright green infusion, a fresh, long-lasting fragrance, a fresh and rich taste, and a tender, uniform base. It is naturally rich in selenium.
This tea has won awards such as the Grand Prize at the “Zhongcha Cup,” the Gold Award at the “Luyu Cup,” and the Grand Prize at the Hubei Province's Best Tea Competition. It has received accolades like “Recommended Product at the China International Famous and Fine Tea Exhibition,” “Top Ten Teas in Hubei Province,” and “Hubei Provincial Government's Brand Product.” Professor Liu Zusheng, a renowned tea expert, wrote after tasting this tea: “China's He Feng, famous for producing fine teas; high fragrance, rich flavor, renowned worldwide.” In April 2006, at the Enshi Tea Fair, factories like Bailing Tea Factory and Cuiquan Company participated in exhibitions and trade fairs, and the “Changyou” brand of He Feng Maojian tea produced by Changyou Company won the Gold Award for Best Tea. The “Xinfeng” brand of He Feng tea produced by Xinfeng Company and the “Shengfu” brand