春茶苦，夏茶涩，要好喝，秋白露

1》

在网上看到一个提问。

“为什么说‘春茶苦，夏茶涩，要好喝，秋白露’？”

有人给出了一番另类答案。

“春茶是清明以前的茶叶，嫩芽中含咖啡碱比较多，泡久了会苦，但不会涩口，但夏茶的品质比较差，喝起来又苦又涩，至于到了秋天，气温没有春季冷，气候条件又很温和，所以产出来的茶叶品质更好……”

显然，这样的说法漏洞满满。

春茶远不止明前茶那么简单。

按二十四节气的分类，立春、雨水、惊蛰、春分、清明、谷雨，都算在春天的范畴内。

期间产出来的茶叶，都属于名副其实的春茶！

再说了，“春茶苦”一说，太过狭隘。

一天之计在于晨，一年之计在于春。

跨过漫漫长冬，经过充分休养生息后，茶树在春季新发出来的芽叶，养分含量丰富，鲜味尤为突出。

“鲜”才是春茶的写照，和苦味何干？

若一款春茶喝起来，只有苦，没有鲜，那它的品质未免太逊！

至于“秋白露”一说，并非放之各大茶类而皆准。

除了铁观音和白茶外，白露茶一说，少有人提。

可见，前文那段讲述，对春茶的了解着实太片面。

又到阳春三月，桃红柳绿，莺歌燕舞，万物复苏。

春天里，一众茶客最为期盼的事，莫过于春茶的回归。

待到春风二三月，石炉敲火试新茶。

既然，茶圈内人人都说春茶好，那什么茶类的春茶最讲究呢？

《2》

一、绿茶。

六大茶类里，绿茶是分布足迹最广的一类茶。

各大茶产区内，都有绿茶的身影。

从海南到广西，从湖南到四川。

从江浙一带的龙井、碧螺春，再到信阳绿茶、日照绿茶……

分布广、产量大、影响力甚远。

决定了每到春季，茶圈内的春茶话题王，必然属于绿茶。

绿茶对春茶的讲究，体现在方方面面。

讲究采茶时间早。

喝绿茶，不少人注重及时、趁早尝鲜。

这样的消费心理，倒逼得春茶在不断“求早”。

在不少绿茶产地，经常能听到这样的说法——早三天是宝，晚三天是草。

甚者，为了求早，不少地方开始大面积推广早生品种。

乌牛早，就属于其中典型。

与此同时，有一部分茶客在买早春绿茶时，本着“抢头柱香”的心态去抢购。

说实话，如此过分“求早”，着实剑走偏锋。

早不代表好，买对品质，更能喝到好茶。

讲究外形的细嫩。

绿茶里，除了极少数的个例外。

如，太平猴魁，六安瓜片等，要采摘相对成熟一些的叶片为原料。

剩余的大部分绿茶，都格外注重芽叶细嫩程度。

越嫩，品相越佳，观赏性也更好。

用玻璃杯泡绿茶时，投一小撮干茶进入，待热水浸润下缓缓舒展。

对视觉而言，无疑是一场美的享受。

《3》

二、白茶。

论白茶的采摘，一年有两季。

分别是春茶季、秋茶季。

其中，春茶季是白茶最重要的、出产品种最齐全的、经济效益影响最大的一个季节。

和秋茶季里，被秋寿眉占据绝对主场地位不同。

白茶的春茶季，从开始到落幕，陆续会有不少重磅嘉宾登场。

往大方向看，有白毫银针、白牡丹、春寿眉。

但再往细了分，以白毫银针为例，又可以分出头采米针、生态银针、抛荒银针、荒野银针等。

大地回春，万物复苏，茶树生长速度快。

枝梢间的芽叶，每隔两三天就会彻底大变样。

为此，春茶季的采摘、做茶节奏，远比秋茶季更忙碌。

而作为茶树沉寂一整个冬天后，迎来的生长大爆发。

在春白茶身上，拥有不少引人瞩目的闪光点。

论外形，春白茶的白毫数量最多。

白毫银针，通体身披银毫。而白牡丹和春寿眉的芽头和叶背，同样覆盖着厚实的白毫。

论颜色，春白茶以“绿”为主。

白毫银针的古称，叫“绿雪芽”。

白牡丹的标准外形写照，芽白叶绿，嫩叶细窄。

春寿眉的叶片，拥有层次丰富的绿，从草绿、砂绿、黛绿到深绿不等。

论茶香，新茶阶段的春白茶，毫香、花香尤为馥郁动人。

这也不奇怪，考虑到白毫数量多，毫香自然也就更加浓郁！

论茶味，春白茶的鲜爽感，能让人过喉难忘。

因白茶工艺特殊，不揉捻不杀青，仅仅以萎凋、干燥为主。

最大程度地保留下天然本味。

喝起来，茶味自然格外清甜、鲜爽、柔美。

论鲜味，春白茶毫无疑问能实现遥遥领先，一马当先！

《4》

三、红茶。

走高端路线的红茶，以春茶为主。

以正山小种、金骏眉为例，桐木当地的红茶加工，以春茶季为主。

桐木一带位于武夷山国家级自然保护区内，海拔高，森林覆盖率高，生态条件极佳，是正山小种和金骏眉的摇篮地。

和外地红茶有所不同，桐木红茶（包括金骏眉和正山小种）喝起来最大的口感特色是鲜爽感强，茶味鲜醇饱满。

这份鲜醇口感，得益于三方面。

桐木当地的生态环境好。

桐木一带，山高谷深林密，拥有良好的高山小生态调节。

桐木当地的红茶以春茶为主，鲜爽物质含量更高。

正因为这股极致的鲜醇爽口风味，使得桐木当地的红茶，在茶圈内走红多年。

但提到当地的春茶采摘，有一个特别之处。

那就是，由于当地海拔高，平均海拔超过千米。

早春时节，气温尚低，茶树发芽慢。

为此，正宗的金骏眉和正山小种，采茶时间要比其它红茶略迟。

基本上要等到四月前后才开采，具体要以当年天气情况决定。

人间四月芳菲尽，山寺桃花始盛开。

说的，正是桐木红茶的真实写照。

对春茶采摘而言，不论红茶，还是其它别的茶，采茶时间都不宜求早。

不早不晚，时节恰好。

得时节精华，才能产出好茶！

《5》

四、乌龙茶。

以铁观音（闽南乌龙）和武夷岩茶（闽北乌龙）为例。

论采摘时间，铁观音有春茶季和秋茶季之分。

简单概括下，春水秋香是铁观音的风味特色。

春季采下来的铁观音，原料内质更丰沛，汤感表现更突出。

进入秋茶季后，秋高气爽，光照充足，更易生出高扬、馥郁的茶香。

和铁观音略有不同，武夷岩茶的加工，主流只做春茶。

和注重芽叶外形细嫩的绿茶不同。

乌龙茶的采摘，不论铁观音还是武夷岩茶，都注重开面采。

要以发育成熟相对成熟的叶片为原料。

考虑到“开面采”的要求，岩茶大多要到谷雨前后，才陆续开采。

从谷雨前后，一直到立夏前， 都是岩茶采摘、初制的关键期。

论岩茶的春茶季，持续时间集中在四月、五月。

等到五一，大部分岩茶品种已经采摘完毕。

等到五月中旬，个别晚生种（较迟发芽的品种茶），也采摘完毕。

至此，一年一度的岩茶春茶季，正式画上句号。

考虑到岩茶的加工复杂繁琐，按茶农的说法，为了照顾品质，他们只做春茶。

从实际制茶情况看，四、五月采下来的岩茶原料，第一时间要抓紧做青。

接着就是焙火精制。除了六七月，迎来部分轻火茶上市外，大部分岩茶还处在焙火关键期。

等到中秋前，等到下半年，大批焙火足的好茶，才能正式亮相。

考虑到岩茶加工周期长，工艺繁琐等。

夏秋季节正是各家岩茶上新销售的旺季，哪能匀出精力再去做茶？

《6》

最后，简单聊聊普洱。

普洱茶，主产区是云南，高端茶以春茶为主。

这点参考各大山头的茶青价，可见一斑。

同一山头的茶青原料，春茶价格要远高于秋茶。

甚者，有的要高出好几倍。

春茶养分足、风味足、内质积累更充足。

做出来的普洱成品(生普），风味会更霸气。

但也有部分喝茶不喜欢口感太霸道的茶客，更愿意欣赏秋茶的柔和与高性价比。

林林总总看下来，不难看明白一点。

春茶季，对不少茶而言，都是一年中最重要的主产季。

茶圈内，究竟什么茶类最讲究春茶？

这个问题没有标准答案。

对每一款茶而言，都拥有自己大放光彩、绽放魅力的“春天”！

英语翻译

1"

Saw a question online.

"Why do you say 'spring tea is bitter, summer tea is astringent, it is better to drink it, autumn white dew'?"

Someone gave an alternative answer.

"Spring tea is the tea before the Qingming Festival. There is more caffeine in the tender buds. After soaking for a long time, it will be bitter, but not astringent. However, the quality of summer tea is relatively poor, and it tastes bitter and astringent. As for autumn, the temperature is not high. The spring is cold and the weather conditions are mild, so the quality of the tea produced is better…”

Obviously, this statement is full of flaws.

Spring tea is much more than Mingqian tea.

According to the classification of the twenty-four solar terms, Beginning of Spring, Rain, Insects, Spring Equinox, Qingming, and Grain Rain are all included in the category of spring.

The tea produced during this period is a veritable spring tea!

Besides, "spring tea is bitter" is too narrow.

A day's plan is in the morning, and a year's plan is in the spring.

After a long winter, after a full recuperation, the new buds and leaves of the tea tree in spring are rich in nutrients and especially in umami.

"Xian" is the portrayal of spring tea, what does it have to do with bitterness?

If a spring tea is only bitter and not fresh, its quality is too low!

As for the "Qiu Bailu", it is not applicable to all major tea types.

Except for Tieguanyin and white tea, Bailu tea is rarely mentioned.

It can be seen that in the previous paragraph, the understanding of spring tea is really too one-sided.

In the spring of March, the pink and willows are green, the birds sing and dance, and all things recover.

In spring, what most tea drinkers look forward to is the return of spring tea.

In February and March of the spring breeze, the stone stove hits the fire to try the new tea.

Since everyone in the tea circle says that spring tea is good, what kind of spring tea is the most important?

"2"

One, green tea.

Among the six major types of tea, green tea is the most widely distributed type of tea.

Green tea is found in all major tea producing areas.

From Hainan to Guangxi, from Hunan to Sichuan.

From Longjing and Biluochun in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, to Xinyang green tea and Rizhao green tea...

Wide distribution, large output, and far-reaching influence.

It is determined that every spring, the king of spring tea topics in the tea circle must belong to green tea.

Green tea's emphasis on spring tea is reflected in all aspects.

Pay attention to picking tea early.

Drinking green tea, many people pay attention to the timely and early taste.

This kind of consumer psychology has forced Spring Tea to continue to "seek early".

In many green tea producing areas, you can often hear the saying that three days early is treasure, and three days late is grass.

What's more, in order to seek early, many places have begun to promote early-born varieties on a large scale.

Wu Niu Zao is a typical one.

At the same time, when some tea shoppers buy early spring green tea, they buy it with the mentality of "grabbing the first fragrance".

To tell the truth, being so "seeking early" really means the sword is slanted.

Early does not mean good, buy the right quality, and you can drink good tea.

Pay attention to the delicate appearance.

Green tea, with very few exceptions.

For example, Taiping Houkui, Lu'an Guapian, etc., should pick relatively mature leaves as raw materials.

Most of the remaining green teas pay special attention to the tenderness of the buds and leaves.

The more tender, the better the appearance and the better viewing.

When brewing green tea in a glass, pour a small amount of dry tea into it, and let it slowly stretch under the hot water.

Visually, it is undoubtedly a beautiful enjoyment.

"3"

Second, white tea.

Regarding the picking of white tea, there are two seasons a year.

They are spring tea season and autumn tea season.

Among them, the spring tea season is the most important season for white tea, with the most complete varieties and the greatest impact on economic benefits.

It is different from Qiu Shoumei's absolute home position in the autumn tea season.

From the beginning to the end of the spring tea season of white tea, many important guests will appear one after another.

Looking in the general direction, there are white silver needles, white peony, and spring eyebrows.

But further subdivided, taking Baihao silver needle as an example, it can be divided into head picking rice needle, ecological silver needle, waste silver needle, wilderness silver needle and so on.

The earth rejuvenates, everything recovers, and the tea tree grows fast.

The buds and leaves between the branches will change drastically every two or three days.

For this reason, the rhythm of picking and making tea in the spring tea season is much busier than the autumn tea season.

And after being silent for a whole winter as a tea tree, it ushered in an explosion of growth.

In Chunbaicha, there are many eye-catching flash points.

In terms of appearance, Chunbai tea has the largest number of pekoe.

Silver needles with silver needles, the whole body is covered with silver needles. The buds and leaf backs of White Peony and Chunshoumei are also covered with thick pekoe.

In terms of color, Chunbai tea is dominated by "green".

The ancient name of Baihao Yinzhen is "Green Snow Ya".

The standard appearance of white peony, the buds are white and green, and the young leaves are thin and narrow.

The leaves of Chunshoumei have rich layers of green, ranging from grass green, sand green, dark green to dark green.

In terms of tea fragrance, the spring white tea in the new tea stage is particularly fragrant and moving.

This is not surprising, considering the large number of pekoe, the fragrance of hao is naturally more intense!

In terms of tea flavor, the freshness of spring white tea is unforgettable.

Due to the special craftsmanship of white tea, it is not rubbed or finished, but only withered and dried.

The natural flavor is preserved as much as possible.

When you drink it, the tea taste is naturally extra sweet, fresh and soft.

In terms of umami, there is no doubt that Spring White Tea can be far ahead and take the lead!

"4"

Three, black tea.

The black tea that takes the high-end route is mainly spring tea.

Taking Zhengshan Souchong and Jin Junmei as examples, the local black tea processing in Tongmu mainly focuses on the spring tea season.

The Tongmu area is located in the Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve, with high altitude, high forest coverage and excellent ecological conditions. It is the cradle of Souchong and Jinjunmei.

Different from other black teas, Tongmu black teas (including Jinjunmei and Zhengshan Souchong) have a strong freshness and a full-bodied taste.

This fresh and mellow taste benefits from three aspects.

The local ecological environment of Tongmu is good.

The Tongmu area has high mountains and deep valleys and dense forests, and has a good ecological regulation of high mountains and small areas.

The local black tea in Tongmu is mainly spring tea, and the content of fresh and refreshing substances is higher.

It is precisely because of this extreme fresh, mellow and refreshing flavor that the local black tea of Tongmu has been popular in the tea circle for many years.

But when it comes to local spring tea picking, there is something special.

That is, due to the high local altitude, the average altitude is more than 1,000 meters.

In early spring, when the temperature is still low, tea trees germinate slowly.

For this reason, the tea picking time of authentic Jin Junmei and Zhengshan Souchong is slightly later than that of other black teas.

Basically, it will not be mined until around April, depending on the weather conditions of the year.

In April, the world is full of fragrance, and the peach blossoms of the mountain temple begin to bloom.

It is the true portrayal of Tongmu black tea.

For spring tea picking, whether it is black tea or other teas, the tea picking time should not be early.

It's neither too early nor too late, the season is just right.

Only the essence of the season can produce good tea!

"5"

Fourth, oolong tea.

Take Tieguanyin (South Fujian Oolong) and Wuyi Rock Tea (North Fujian Oolong) as examples.

In terms of picking time, Tieguanyin has a spring tea season and an autumn tea season.

In a nutshell, spring water and autumn fragrance are the flavor characteristics of Tieguanyin.

Tieguanyin harvested in spring has richer internal quality and more prominent soup taste.

After entering the autumn tea season, the autumn is high and airy, and the light is sufficient, which is more likely to produce a high and fragrant tea fragrance.

Slightly different from Tieguanyin, the mainstream of Wuyi rock tea processing is only spring tea.

It is different from green tea which pays attention to the delicate shape of buds and leaves.

The picking of oolong tea, whether it is Tieguanyin or Wuyi rock tea, pays attention to open-face picking.

The mature and relatively mature leaves should be used as raw materials.

Considering the requirement of "mining on the surface", most rock teas are mined one after another until around Guyu.

From before and after Grain Rain to before the beginning of summer, it is a critical period for rock tea picking and primary production.

On the spring tea season of rock tea, the duration is concentrated in April and May.

By May 1st, most of the rock tea varieties have been picked.

By mid-May, the picking of individual late-growing varieties (tea varieties that germinate later) is also completed.

So far, the annual spring tea season of rock tea has officially come to an end.

Considering that the processing of rock tea is complicated and cumbersome, according to tea farmers, in order to take care of the quality, they only make spring tea.

Judging from the actual tea production situation, the raw materials of rock tea picked in April and May should be made green as soon as possible.

Next is roasting. In addition to June and July, when some light-fired teas were launched, most of the rock teas are still in the critical period of roasting.

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and in the second half of the year, a large number of well-baked teas can be officially unveiled.

Considering the long processing cycle of rock tea and the cumbersome process.

Summer and autumn are the peak seasons for new sales of rock teas. How can you spend your energy to make tea?

"6"

Finally, let’s talk briefly about Pu’er.

The main producing area of Pu'er tea is Yunnan, and the high-end tea is mainly spring tea.

This is evident by referring to the prices of tea greens on major hills.

The price of spring tea is much higher than that of autumn tea.

What's more, some are several times higher.

Spring tea has sufficient nutrients, flavor and endogenous accumulation.

The finished Pu'er product (raw Pu'er) will have a more domineering flavor.

However, there are also some tea drinkers who do not like tea drinkers who taste too overbearing, and prefer to appreciate the softness and high cost performance of autumn tea.

Lin Lin always looked down, and it was not difficult to understand a little.

Spring tea season, for many teas, is the most important main production season of the year.

In the tea circle, what kind of tea is the most particular about spring tea?

There is no standard answer to this question.

For each tea, it has its own "spring" that shines with brilliance and charm!