Qiánwéi mòlìhuā chá (犍为茉莉花茶) is a jasmine tea of Qianwei County (犍为县), Leshan prefecture-level city, Sichuan Province. The base is green tea, the aroma comes from fresh local jasmine, and the special technique is “selecting and pan-firing the flowers” (择花、炒花): at the final stage the flowers are pan-fired in a wok together with the tea. The Leshan standard calls this technique the key to the “熟香韵味” aroma — “a mature aroma with depth”. The name has been protected as a geographical indication product since 2010.
1. Classification and Origin
- Type: Flower-scented tea (花茶, huāchá) on a green base. Under Leshan standard DB5111/T 8-2021, leaf no coarser than a bud with two leaves, from bushes of small- and medium-leaf varieties, is fixed, shaped, dried and refined; this semi-finished tea, which meets the green tea standard GB/T 14456.1, is scented with fresh Qianwei jasmine. That is why the article stands among the green teas, like the other jasmine teas of the series.
- Category: A Sichuan jasmine tea; a geographical indication product and two collective marks.
- Origin: China, Sichuan Province (四川, Sìchuān), Leshan prefecture-level city (乐山, Lèshān), Qianwei County (犍为, Qiánwéi).
- Protection regimes: Standard DB5111/T 8-2021 covers three registrations: the geographical indication product under AQSIQ announcement No. 145 of 2010 and two collective marks — “犍为茉莉花茶” (No. 11650211 in the Sichuan list as of March 2018) and “犍为茉莉茶”, for which the association issued group standard T/QWCX 002-2022.
- Protected zone: The current administrative territory of the county; the annex to the standard lists 15 towns, among them Qingxi, Yujin, Luocheng and Shixi.
- Geographic coordinates: Not found in the sources consulted.
2. History and Cultural Significance
- History:
- About three hundred years of jasmine. “Almost 300 years”, write Fengmian Xinwen (2020) and Sichuan Nongcun Ribao (2024); “more than 300 years”, Renmin Wang (2023) and the county portal; they cite no primary sources.
- Titles. According to Fengmian Xinwen, the county holds the titles “中国茉莉之乡” (China’s hometown of jasmine) and “中国茉莉茶之都” (China’s capital of jasmine tea).
- 2010. By announcement No. 145, AQSIQ placed “犍为茉莉花茶” under protection.
- 2020. On 1 May the “World Jasmine Park” (世界茉莉博览园) opened in Qingxi town. The association issued group standard T/QWCX 001-2020.
- 2021–2022. Leshan approved standard DB5111/T 8-2021, and the association a series of seven T/QWCX group standards of 2022.
- 2024. According to Sichuan Nongcun Ribao, because of demand for gardenia from new-style tea drinks, some farmers began planting it instead of jasmine; the county introduced a subsidy for new jasmine fields — 1,800 yuan per mu, and 2,000 in Qingxi.
- Name: “Qianwei” (犍为) is the name of the county; “molihua cha” (茉莉花茶, mòlìhuā chá) means “tea with jasmine flowers”. The county promotes its local jasmine under the name “金犍茉莉”.
- Cultural significance: Renmin Wang calls this tea a traditional one, created by local tea growers. In 2020, together with the park, the fifth county jasmine culture festival opened.
3. Botanical Description and Raw Material
- Scenting plant: Jasmine (茉莉, mòlì; Jasminum sambac). The county portal describes the local flower as large, thick-petaled, pure white and rich in essential oil. The variety is not named in the sources consulted.
- Flower requirements: According to the Leshan standard — large white buds on the eve of opening, with calyx and pedicel; opened, green and rain-picked flowers are not accepted.
- Flowering: From May to October, picked in several rounds. According to the county portal, the flowers are picked in the daytime and taken to the factory before dark: flowers that have lain overnight are no longer usable.
- Tea base: Leaf no coarser than a bud with two leaves; the variety of the tea bushes is not named in the sources consulted.
4. Terroir and Cultivation Features
- Climate: According to the county portal — humid subtropical, with four distinct seasons. Data on altitude and soils not found in the sources consulted.
- Scale: According to the county portal, in 2024 — 86,000 mu of jasmine and 265,000 mu of tea gardens; Sichuan Nongcun Ribao gives the same 86,000 mu of jasmine.
- Place among producing areas: Renmin Wang (2023) puts Qianwei among the country’s four main jasmine bases, together with Hengxian (Guangxi), Yuanjiang (Yunnan) and Fuzhou (Fujian).
- Main area: Qingxi town (清溪镇): according to the county portal, 12,000 mu of jasmine and 4,400 tonnes of jasmine tea a year.
5. Production Technology
Stages according to standard DB5111/T 8-2021; I have not seen the association’s technology standard T/QWCX 006-2022.
- Preparing the base: The semi-finished tea is dried further to a moisture content of no more than 4.5% and cooled.
- Flower care (鲜花维护): The flowers are alternately spread out and gathered into a pile, keeping the core from overheating above 40 °C; scenting begins when 90% of the buds have opened into a “tiger’s paw”.
- Scenting (窨花, xūnhuā): The base and the flowers are mixed and piled to a height of 20–35 cm.
- Airing (通花, tōnghuā): At 45–48 °C the pile is spread out, cooled and gathered again.
- Removing the flowers and re-drying (起花、复火): The flowers are sifted out and the tea is dried at 100–130 °C; the cycles are repeated as many times as the grade requires.
- Selecting and pan-firing the flowers (择花、炒花, zéhuā, chǎohuā): The pedicels are removed from the flowers by hand and the flowers are held with the tea, then the flowers and the tea are pan-fired together in a wok at 80–100 °C for 8–10 minutes to a moisture content of 6.0–6.5%.
The minimum scheme according to the standard, in grams of fresh flowers per 100 g of base:
| Grade | Scheme | Flowers per cycle | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yinya (银芽) | four scentings and pan-firing | 60, 50, 40, 35 and 25 | 210 |
| Yinhao (银毫) | three scentings and pan-firing | 50, 40, 35 and 25 | 150 |
| Teji (特级) | two scentings and pan-firing | 50, 40 and 30 | 120 |
The county portal writes that Qianwei tea is scented up to nine times.
6. Organoleptic Characteristics
Requirements of DB5111/T 8-2021. Grades in descending order: Yinya, Yinhao, Teji — the “special” grade here is the lowest of the three.
- Dry leaf appearance: Yinya — whole, firm buds, tender yellow-green (芽形完整紧实、嫩黄绿). The lower grades — tight, fine leaf with tips, yellow-green; Yinhao — with abundant down (披毫).
- Dry leaf aroma: Not described in the standard; not found in the sources consulted.
- Liquor aroma: Yinya — mature, fresh and lively, with a long depth (熟香鲜灵，韵味幽长); the lower grades — rich, with a mature depth.
- Taste: Yinya — fresh, rich and full (鲜浓醇厚); Yinhao — fresh and mellow (鲜醇); Teji — fairly fresh and mellow.
- Liquor color: Yinya — clear, yellow and bright (清澈黄亮); the lower grades — light yellow (淡黄).
- Spent leaves (wet leaves): Yinya — plump buds (芽形饱满); Yinhao — tender and even (嫩匀); Teji — green-yellow and bright (绿黄明亮).
7. Chemical Composition
Physicochemical requirements of DB5111/T 8-2021 (mass fraction; Yinya / Yinhao / Teji):
| Indicator | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Moisture | no more than 7.5% |
| Total ash | no more than 6.5% |
| Extractives | no less than 37 / 37 / 36% |
| Polyphenols | no less than 20 / 20 / 22% |
| Fines | no more than 1.0% |
| Dried jasmine (茉莉花干) | no more than 1.0% |
These are the standard’s thresholds, not measurements; the figures were checked against the page image.
8. Brewing
Class practice for jasmine tea on a green base.
- Water temperature: 85–90 °C; for the bud grade Yinya — closer to 85 °C.
- Tea amount: 3 g per 150 ml.
- Teaware: A gaiwan or a glass tumbler.
- Process: Warm the teaware, pour water over the tea, cover; the first infusion — 40–60 seconds; three or four infusions, each slightly longer.
9. Storage
Class practice. Airtight packaging, a cool, dry place, away from light and odors: the jasmine aroma fades, and the tea itself readily absorbs foreign odors. Best drunk within a year.
10. Price and Counterfeits
Prices of the finished tea not found in the sources consulted. Fresh jasmine in Qingxi cost 16–18 yuan per jin in the summer of 2023 (Renmin Wang) and about 25 yuan in June 2024 (the county portal).
- How to avoid counterfeits:
- Look for the geographical indication mark and origin from Qianwei County.
- Remember that, under the Leshan standard, the finished tea contains no more than 1% dried jasmine.
- Do not confuse it with gardenia-scented tea: it is a different product.
11. Interesting Facts
- Under the standard, the top grade Yinya receives over all cycles no less than 2.1 kg of fresh flowers per kilogram of base.
- In 2024 the county’s jasmine had to compete with gardenia, boosted by new-style tea drinks.
12. Comparison with Other Jasmine Teas
- Moli Piaoxue (茉莉飘雪): A Sichuan jasmine tea in which the dried petals also remain in the brew.
- Hengxian Molihua Cha (横县茉莉花茶): The jasmine tea of Guangxi, another of the four main bases; protected in the EU.
- Fuzhou Molihua Cha (福州茉莉花茶): The jasmine tea of Fujian, with a provincial standard.
- Yuanjiang Molihua Cha (元江茉莉花茶): A Yunnan jasmine tea with the earliest and longest flower season.
In Conclusion:
Qiánwéi mòlìhuā chá is a Sichuan jasmine tea on a green base with a technique of its own: at the final stage the flowers are pan-fired together with the tea, which, according to the Leshan standard, is what gives the “mature aroma with depth”. The three grades differ in the look of the leaf and in the number of scentings — from two to four, plus pan-firing. Behind the tea stand protection since 2010, two collective marks and one of the four main jasmine bases of China.
Sources
Geographical indication
Full list — on the Sources page