(ECNS) -- The 2021 Guizhou green tea leaf harvest has began in Pu'an Tea Valley in Guizhou Province.
Tea quality depends on tea leaf picking to some extent.
Chinese have a special preference for tasting fresh tea.
Tea leaf picking in Pu'an commences about 20 days earlier than in other regions of China.
"Pu'an tea enters the market earlier than other tea varieties in China. Pu'an is one of the most suitable places for tea cultivation. With good local geothermal conditions, tea leaves sprout as soon as the climate grows slightly warmer," said Huang Shengliang, a tea merchant in Pu'an.
Compared with quick tea leaf picking, tea leaf frying needs patience and skills. At the proper pace and temperature, the tea will instantly give off fragrance.
"Fixation of green tea is done at about 150°C. Then fry the tea leaves at 80°C to shape them. Keep stirring, compress and grind them gently according to the temperature. Finally, we will get the tea with excellent color, texture and flavor," said Yang Xixiang, a tea-frying master in Pu'an.
As the largest tea plantation province in China, Guizhou boasts 467,000 hectares of tea bushes.
Pu'an has an area of about 9533 hectares.
New Year's Day will be designated as the start of the Guizhou green tea picking from 2022.
Pu' an Tea Valley will become the permanent first picking site in Guizhou.
