What is the difference between Mingqian tea and Yuqian tea? Is Mingqian tea better than Yuqian tea?

Mingqian tea and Yuqian tea are both types of spring tea. Mingqian tea is picked before Qingming Festival, while Yuqian tea is picked before Guyu. There are some differences between the two types of tea, and the taste of the tea soup is also different. So what are the specific differences?

What is the difference between Mingqian tea and Yuqian tea?

1. Picking time is different

Mingqian tea refers to the tea produced before the Qingming Festival on April 5, and Yuqian tea refers to the tea produced before the Grain Rain on April 5-20. For Tieguanyin, Dahongpao, Pu'er and other teas, there is generally no special distinction between "Mingqian tea" and "Yuqian tea".

2. Different quality of tea

The tenderness of Mingqian tea is obviously tenderer than that of pre-rain tea. The temperature rises around Grain Rain, and there is more rain during Grain Rain, so the tea leaves grow faster. Such tea usually has one bud and one tender leaf or one bud and two tender leaves, and the taste is fresher and mellower.

3. Output determines price

The production of Mingqian tea is small and the price is relatively expensive. The production of pre-rain tea is relatively large and the price is slightly lower, but it is still more expensive than the spring tea in May.

Is Mingqian tea better than Yuqian tea?

In fact, there is no absolute answer to whether Mingqian tea or Yuqian tea is better. Any comparison is conditional. In terms of price, Mingqian tea is more expensive than Yuqian tea.

First, the output is different

When picking Qingqian tea, the tea leaves are still very small and each tea leaf has only one head, so the yield is also small. A slow tea grower can only pick 1-2 kilograms a day.

By the time of pre-rain tea, the tea leaves have already grown, with two leaves at the head being the standard. Some of the tea leaves picked that are of poor quality will have many grown tender leaves. Of course, this way of picking is very efficient, and some tea girls can easily pick 10 kilograms a day.

Secondly, the growth rate is different

Tea grows slowly before Qingming Festival, and the south has not really warmed up before Qingming Festival, so there is a saying of "spring cover". For the same tea tree, it will be difficult to find young leaves to be picked on the second day if you picked them on the first day.

The tea grows much faster before the rain. The rising temperature and the nourishing spring rain mean that there are many young buds when we pick them every day. We only pick the big ones and pick a lot quickly.

Third, fertilizers nourish differently

Generally speaking, tea growers will add fertilizer to the tea trees once between January and February. The tea before the Qingming Festival is of course the best nourished by fertilizer. The fertilizer will become less and less as time goes by. By the time of the tea before the rain, the fertilizer can be ignored.

The thickness of the tea leaves is very obvious in the hands of the tea pickers. Just look at the quality of the tender buds and leaves. The leaves of thick tea leaves will be very thick when they grow up, while the leaves of thin tea leaves will be very thin when they grow up and feel transparent under the sun.

Which is better, Mingqian tea or Yuqian tea?

The taste of tea is related to various factors, mainly the processing method and personal preference, so there is no standard answer to this question.

The tea before the Ming Dynasty is green and beautiful. It tastes fresh and light. Most people like to drink the tea before the rain. The tea before the rain is also called the second spring tea. It is the tea picked before the Grain Rain. At this time, the tea tree has grown a small tea leaf in the shape of a flag. The tea buds are slightly longer and shaped like a gun. Experts call it "flag gun".

Pre-rain tea is not as delicate and precious as pre-Qingming tea, but because its growing period is longer and the temperature after Qingming is already very high and stable, the growth rate of tea is also faster, and relatively speaking, the nutrients in the tea are richer.

The tea before the rain has a stronger flavor and is more durable in brewing. This means that the tea before the rain has no flavor after being brewed twice, but after being brewed three times, its flavor is still very strong and tasty, and the leaves are brighter and more beautiful.