Basic Introduction to Jingning Huiming Tea
Jingning Huiming Tea is produced on Chimu Mountain, 6 kilometers south of Jingning County, Zhejiang Province.
According to the “Annals of Jingning County,” tea plants were cultivated in Jingning during the Dazhong period of the Tang Dynasty (847-859). In the second year of Xiantong (861), Monk Huiming built a temple on Nanquan Mountain (present-day Huiming Temple Village, Hexi Town, named after the monk and the temple), and planted tea trees around the temple. The tea produced here is of exceptional quality and is also named after the monk as Huiming Tea, with over 1,100 years of cultivation history. A centuries-old tea tree still stands to the right of the temple. The buds of this tea are creamy white with a light yellow hue, turning white upon brewing, with excellent color, aroma, and flavor, known as “White Tea,” “Fairy Tea,” and “Orchid Tea.”
Nutritional Value
Drinking tea can extend life and improve health. True health-beneficial teas can be understood from two aspects: (1) Since tea can both attack and nourish, it can eliminate evil while replenishing the body's deficiencies. Its energy rises and falls appropriately within the organs, organically adjusting bodily functions for coherence, thus promoting longevity. (2) Drinking tea as a way to cultivate one's character helps regulate emotions during the tasting process, leading to a harmonious disposition, smooth liver qi, and balanced blood and qi, contributing to longevity. It has effects such as lowering blood lipids and glucose levels, preventing arteriosclerosis and fatty liver, enhancing the immune system, inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Product Characteristics
Huiming Tea is slender and tightly curled, slightly twisted, with a lustrous green color. It has the characteristics of sweet and mellow aftertaste, rich but not bitter, fresh and refreshing taste, good for multiple infusions, and lasting fragrance, making it a rare treasure among famous teas. Ancient cypresses and pines in the mountain nourish clouds and mist, with smoke and clouds lingering for months. The mountains are covered with lush forests and shrouded in mist all year round. Particularly at Huiming Temple and Jitou Village, located at the waist of Chimu Mountain at an altitude of about 600 to 700 meters, the best tea is produced. The area is surrounded by mist, with fertile soil and ample rainfall, creating a unique environment that produces the finest tea.
Historical and Folklore
According to the “Annals of Jingning County,” tea plants were cultivated in Jingning during the Dazhong period of the Tang Dynasty (847-859). In the second year of Xiantong (861), Monk Huiming built a temple on Nanquan Mountain (present-day Huiming Temple Village, Hexi Town, named after the monk and the temple) and planted tea trees around the temple. The tea produced here is of exceptional quality and is also named after the monk as Huiming Tea. In the eighteenth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1482), Huiming Tea was listed as a tribute item, with a yearly tribute of two pounds of bud tea. It has a cultivation history of over 1,100 years. A centuries-old tea tree still stands to the right of the temple. The buds of this tea are creamy white with a light yellow hue, turning white upon brewing, with excellent color, aroma, and flavor, known as “White Tea,” “Fairy Tea,” and “Orchid Tea.”
Gold Medal Huiming Tea is one of the eight famous teas in Zhejiang Province and also one of the key teas nationwide. It is grown on Chimu Mountain in Jingning County, within the Zhangchun Township, where the main peak is surrounded by misty mountains, ideal for tea growth. The “Annals of Jingning County” state that in the second year of Xiantong, Monk Huiming built a temple in the mountains and, together with the She people, cleared land around the temple to plant tea, naming the tea after the monk. It has a history of over 1,100 years and has been listed as a “tribute tea” through the ages.
Manufacturing Method of Jingning Huiming Tea
The fresh leaves used to make Huiming Tea are those with large buds, tender leaves, and buds longer than the leaves. During production, the buds and leaves are first stir-fried in a copper pot until they reach the appropriate degree, then removed from the pot, cooled, and gently kneaded. They are then baked in a basket oven until they are more than 80% dry, then returned to the pot to shape and stir-fry until fully dried. The finished tea is compact and robust, with full granules, a lustrous emerald green color, and covered with downy hairs. It has a fresh, sweet, and mellow flavor with orchid fragrance, and its infusion is clear and bright green.
Awards and Honors
In 1982, at the national famous tea appraisal meeting held in Changsha, Huiming Tea
ranked among the top 32 famous teas in China, receiving an honorary certificate from the State Ministry of Commerce. In 1986, it was included in the National Ministry of Agriculture's key projects for specialty products bases and was again rated as one of the nation's famous teas. In 1991, at the International Tea Culture Festival hosted by the State Administration of Tourism and the People's Government of Zhejiang Province, it was awarded the title of “Cultural Famous Tea,” receiving the “Rising Star of Famous Tea” title, an honorary certificate, certification, and plaque.