Which part of the tea leaves should be picked? When should the tea leaves be picked?

The tea leaves we often drink are picked from special tea trees. There are certain rules for picking tea leaves, and the time is not the same as picking tea leaves wherever you want. You can experience tea picking in some tea tree growing areas, so what should you pay attention to when picking tea?

Which part of the tea leaves should be picked?

Wash your hands before picking tea leaves to avoid contamination of fresh tea leaves. It is best to choose bamboo baskets or backpacks to place tea leaves. When picking tea leaves, gently pinch the bottom of the fresh buds with your middle finger and thumb, and lift the tea leaves upward to separate the tea branches. Do not use your fingernails to pinch off the leaves, as the bottom of the leaves will be damaged and they will lose moisture easily.

Good tea picking should follow the "five no's" principle, i.e. no broken leaves, no folded leaves, no crushed leaf tips, no fish leaves and old stems. Fresh leaves from tea trees in different growing areas should be picked separately, especially early green tea, mid-day green tea and late green tea, which should be strictly separated for production, with mid-day green tea having the best quality.

In addition, when picking tea leaves, you should pay attention to crop rotation and never pick fresh and tender tea leaves all the time, as this will be detrimental to the later growth of the tea trees.

When can tea leaves be picked?

The picking time of various types of tea is roughly the same, and they are all picked in three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn. The tea picked from Grain Rain to Beginning of Summer is spring tea, and its output generally accounts for half of the annual picking volume; the tea picked from Summer Solstice to Lesser Heat is summer tea, and its output is about 1/5 of the annual picking volume. Of course, if you are making black tea, you can increase the amount of summer tea picked appropriately; the tea picked from Beginning of Autumn to End of Heat is autumn tea, which accounts for about 3/10 of the total.

Grasp the time of picking tea leaves, especially the famous and high-quality tea leaves. Speed ​​up the picking of spring tea and finish picking high-quality tea leaves before the Ming Dynasty. Only in this way can you make dry tea with a fragrant and refreshing taste and perfect appearance.

At the same time, there are certain standards for keeping leaves after tea is picked. Spring and autumn tea leaves should keep a large number of leaves, while summer tea leaves should keep one leaf. This way of keeping leaves is beneficial to increasing the yield and quality of tea trees in the coming year.

How to Pick Tea

First: Pick according to the type of tea.

The raw materials used for each type of tea are different. Some need to be picked early, picking tea buds or fetal leaves plus buds, while some need to be picked late, waiting for the tea leaves to open, picking mature leaves or mature leaves plus stems. To pick tea reasonably, you should pick the appropriate part according to the tea you want to make.

Second: time.

Generally speaking, picking depends on the season. Tea can be picked in all seasons, and sometimes even five times. However, considering the fertility of the soil and the quality of the tea, it is recommended to pick tea for one or two seasons, usually in spring and autumn, because the temperature in summer and winter is more extreme, which is not conducive to the growth of tea. In a small sense, within a day, it is recommended to wait until the sun comes out and the dew dries up before picking, and it is best to finish before sunset, so that the tea leaves can be hydrated and increase the aroma and taste of the tea.

Third: picking tools.

With the advancement of technology, a large number of machines have been added to tea picking, which has greatly improved the efficiency of tea picking, but the quality has also slightly decreased. If you want to have a higher standard, it is best to pick tea manually, using a small tea knife or your hands, especially for delicate bud tea, manual picking is essential.