The first key element to Chinese tea art is “distinguishing tea” – this means one should distinguish the difference between good tea and poor-quality tea. High-quality tea should not only be collected at the right time but also be processed with the proper methods. Since the Song dynasty, China has been very strict with the timing of tea collection. Generally speaking, the week before and after the Qing Ming Festival (4th of April this year) is the best period to pluck the tea. The time of plucking is also crutial! If it’s been too sunny or the collecting basket has been left in the sun, the tea leaves don’t have sufficient moisture and the essence will be lost. If it’s been raining, the quality of tea will also have been influenced – in fact, tea is never picked during rainy days. Therefore, it’s best to pluck the tea early in the morning so that tea leaves stil have a little dew on them.
Furthermore, plucking the tea should be made with the nails but not with fingers because the tealeaves might be affected by the temperature of the hands. The tenderer the buds are, the better the quality will be. Tea processing skills is the most important point in making high-quality tea.
