Shortage of water won't dilute attraction of famed Longjing tea

The government's anti-extravagance campaign, including cutting the public expenses on luxury products and encouraging frugality have also reduced both government and personal purchases of high-end teas, cigarettes and alcohol since last year.

Because Longjing tea has a history spanning more than 1,000 years and is famous for its strong aroma and sweet flavor, it is frequently given as a present and supplied to Chinese embassies overseas for cultural exchanges. It has been classified into six grades in the domestic market: superior at the top end and then one down to five.

Amazing view of tea fields in NW China

Testing time for China's tea growers

"Although all the tea trees are growing well, the total output of spring Longjing tea will be decided by the weather," said Qi Guowei, general manager of Hangzhou West Lake Longjing Tea Co.

Spring is the crucial season for Longjing tea, and is considered to be the best time to pick the highest quality leaves created by low temperatures and dry conditions. The picking time for Longjing tea in Hangzhou is usually from the middle of March to early April.

"The picking season will be shortened if the temperature rises fast in the meantime, which means that the total output of spring Longjing tea will be reduced," Qi said.

Under such circumstances, tea plantation owners have to scramble to gather enough tea pickers to collect all the spring leaves during the second half of this month; otherwise the fragrance of the tea leaves will disappear.

If the leaves grow too big, all the delicacy of the jade-like leaves fades away, and they cannot be sold for a good price.

With 1,330 hectares of tea plants, the information office of Beijing-based China Tea Marketing Association forecast that the total production of spring Longjing tea in Hangzhou will remain around 3 million metric tons, similar to its output in 2013.

 

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