Suízhōu yáchá (随州芽茶), “the bud tea of Suizhou”, is a green tea of Suizhou prefecture-level city in the north of Hubei Province, made of young buds alone, with a flat straight leaf of a silvery green color. The gardens lie in the Dahongshan and Tongbaishan mountains. Since July 2014 it has been a geographical indication product, and since 2018 the provincial standard DB42/T 1348-2018 has applied to it.
1. Classification and Origin
- Type: Green tea (绿茶, lǜchá), bud tea. The standard defines it as tea from young single buds of the tea bush (Camellia sinensis) from the protection zone; the processing scheme has fixation and no oxidation — this is the scheme of green tea. Reference lists also classify it as green.
- Category: Flat green bud tea; geographical indication product (2014).
- Origin: China, Hubei Province (湖北, Húběi), Suizhou prefecture-level city (随州, Suízhōu).
- Protection zone: According to the protection announcement (in a reference reprint of its text) — eight towns of the prefecture within their current administrative boundaries: Hongshan (洪山镇), Hedian (何店镇), Caodian (草店镇), Changgang (长岗镇), Sanligang (三里岗镇), Huantan (环潭镇), Liulin (柳林镇) and Wushengguan (武胜关镇).
- Mountains and latitudes: According to the description of the standard — mainly the Dahongshan (大洪山, Dàhóng shān) and Tongbaishan (桐柏山, Tóngbǎi shān) mountains, between 31°19′ and 32°26′ N.
- Geographic coordinates: The city of Suizhou — about 31.7° N and 113.4° E.
2. History and Cultural Significance
- History:
- The legend of Shennong. A Ministry of Agriculture publication retells it with the phrase “it is said” (相传): Yandi Shennong (炎帝神农) was born in Suizhou, and while tasting hundreds of herbs he discovered tea. The description of the standard in a reference book begins with the line from Lu Yu’s The Classic of Tea “茶之为饮，发乎神农氏” — “tea as a drink began with Shennong”. This is a legend, not the history of the bud tea specifically: dates, names and documents about its appearance are not found in the sources consulted, nor are mentions of tribute to the court.
- 2014. Announcement No. 77 of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) took Suízhōu yáchá under protection together with a number of other products — among them the rice 万昌大米 and the ginkgo 安陆银杏. According to the reference reprint, protection was approved on July 9, 2014; other retellings give July 14 and 18.
- 2018. The local standard of Hubei Province DB42/T 1348-2018 “Suízhōu yáchá” was issued — covering everything from the protection zone and agronomy to quality, labeling and storage. It was proposed by a local tea company and the municipal bureau of technical supervision; the developers include the municipal tea association and a specialized cooperative.
- 2022. For International Tea Day, the Ministry of Agriculture published a story about Suízhōu yáchá. According to it, in May 2022 a “trip to pick tea and admire flowers in Suizhou” was included in the 113 rural tourist routes recommended by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the bud tea was named the main local product of the route.
- 2024. Announcement No. 597 of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) of September 27, 2024, granted the special geographical indication mark to a local tea company.
- Name: “Suizhou” (随州) is the name of the prefecture-level city; “Ya” (芽, yá) means “bud”; “Cha” (茶, chá) means “tea”.
- Cultural significance: Both the standard and the Ministry publication link the tea with the image of Suizhou as the homeland of Yandi Shennong (炎帝神农故里).
3. Botanical Description and Raw Material
- Variety / Cultivar: The description of the standard speaks of the raw material in general terms, but the protection announcement names the varieties Fuding Dahao (福鼎大毫), Jiukeng (鸠坑), Echa No. 1 (鄂茶一号) and others.
- Raw material and harvest standard: Young single buds (幼嫩单芽), without opened leaves; the length of the bud and the grades of raw material are not found in the sources consulted.
- Harvest time: According to the protection announcement — from March to May, by hand; picking begins when at least 90% of the single buds are ready.
- Planting: According to the same document — in February–March, in double rows with two bushes each, 5300–6000 bushes per mu; organic fertilizer — not less than 300 kg per mu.
4. Terroir and Cultivation Features
- Region: The north of Hubei, the Dahongshan and Tongbaishan mountains. The Ministry of Agriculture publication places Suizhou at the junction of the Yangtze and Huaihe basins.
- Climate: According to the same publication — subtropical monsoon: mild weather, a clear change of the four seasons, plenty of sun and precipitation, a long frost-free period and short periods of severe heat and cold. The Ministry links these conditions with a long accumulation of amino acids in the buds, and through it with a richer and more lasting aroma and a mellower taste.
- Growing altitude: According to the protection announcement — 300–800 m.
- Soils: According to the same document — yellow-brown and sandy loam, pH 4.5–6.5, organic matter not less than 1.0%, soil layer thickness not less than 80 cm.
5. Production Technology
The DB42/T 1348-2018 standard sets the following processing sequence; the figures are from the protection announcement:
- Spreading (摊青, tānqīng): The buds are spread in a layer of 2–3 cm for 5–7 h for light withering.
- Fixation (杀青, shāqīng): 200–260 °C, 2–4 min; the heating stops oxidation.
- Cooling (摊凉, tānliáng).
- Straightening and shaping (理条做形, lǐtiáo zuòxíng): 150–180 °C, 3–5 min; the buds are given a flat straight shape.
- Drying (干燥, gānzào): 100–120 °C, 8–12 min.
- Down removal and polishing (脱毫抛光, tuōháo pāoguāng): The dried tea is processed by machine.
The last stage is unusual: in many bud teas the down, on the contrary, is preserved as a sign of quality.
6. Organoleptic Characteristics
The standard and the protection announcement describe the tea in one phrase: “外形肥硕饱满、扁平挺直，色泽银绿隐翠；香气高鲜，汤色黄绿明亮，滋味鲜醇”. The Ministry of Agriculture publication repeats the appearance and the liquor color, but calls the taste “鲜醇爽口”.
- Dry leaf appearance: Large full buds, flat and straight; the color silvery green with a hidden emerald tint (银绿隐翠).
- Dry leaf aroma: A separate description is not found in the sources consulted.
- Liquor aroma: High and fresh (香气高鲜).
- Taste: Fresh and mellow (鲜醇); the Ministry adds “refreshing” (鲜醇爽口).
- Liquor color: Yellow-green, light and clear (黄绿明亮).
- Spent leaves (wet leaves): No data are found in the sources consulted.
In a glass tumbler, according to the Ministry publication, the buds immediately begin to tumble up and down, and once they have taken up water they stand on the bottom — “like spring bamboo shoots after rain”.
Commercial reference books write differently — the leaf is “like silver swords”, the liquor tender green; the wording of the standard has been taken as the basis.
7. Chemical Composition
The protection announcement sets the physical and chemical indicators:
| Indicator | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Moisture | not more than 6.5% |
| Free amino acids | not less than 3.5% |
| Water-soluble extractives | not less than 36.0% |
Commercial reference books claim that bud tea contains more amino acids and aromatic substances than maojian made from coarser raw material, but give neither figures nor a primary source.
8. Brewing
Class practice for green tea; for bud tea the temperature is kept near the lower limit.
- Water temperature: 80–85 °C, for buds — closer to 80 °C.
- Tea amount: 3 g per 150 ml.
- Teaware: A glass tumbler — in it you can see the buds stand on the bottom — or a white gaiwan.
- Process:
- Warm the teaware.
- Put in the tea and pour the water down the side.
- First infusion — after 40–60 seconds.
- Drink, leaving part of the liquor, and top up with water.
- Two or three further infusions.
9. Storage
Class practice for green tea. In airtight packaging, in a refrigerator at 0–5 °C, away from light, moisture and odors; best drunk within a year.
10. Price and Counterfeits
Price data are not found in the sources consulted.
- How to avoid counterfeits:
- Look for the special geographical indication mark: according to the 2014 announcement, the right to it is granted upon application through the Suizhou bureau of technical supervision, and now the permits are published by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
- Check that the producer works in one of the eight towns of the protection zone.
- Look at the leaf: only single buds, flat and straight, polished, silvery green; there should be no opened leaves.
- In a glass, after soaking, the buds stand vertically on the bottom.
These are features of the description, not a laboratory test.
11. Interesting Facts
- The description of the standard begins with the legend of Shennong, who discovered tea.
- The processing includes down removal and polishing: the bud should be smooth, not fluffy.
- Commercial reference books credit the tea with the title of one of the “ten best teas of Hubei for cultural tourism”, gold at the “中绿杯” competition and gold at an international tea expo, but name neither years nor organizers; this information has not been verified.
12. Comparison with Other Teas
- Tongbai Yu Ye (桐柏玉叶): A flat green tea of Tongbai County in Henan Province — from the same Tongbaishan mountains, on the other side of the provincial border.
- Xinyang Maojian (信阳毛尖): A northern green tea of neighboring Henan; unlike the flat Suízhōu yáchá — thin twisted strands.
- Xiaogan Longjian Cha (孝感龙剑茶): A flat pan-fired green tea from the neighboring Hubei prefecture of Xiaogan.
- Zhongxiang Yunwu Cha (钟祥云雾茶): A mountain green tea of the county-level city of Zhongxiang, where the Dahongshan mountains also lie.
- Enshi Yulu (恩施玉露): The most famous green tea of Hubei, but with steam fixation and from the other end of the province.
In Conclusion:
Suízhōu yáchá is a bud green tea of northern Hubei from the Dahongshan and Tongbaishan mountains: single buds, flat and straight, with the down removed and a silvery green sheen, a high fresh aroma and a light yellow-green liquor. There are few documents about it, but they agree: protection since 2014, eight towns, altitudes of 300–800 m, a 2018 standard and six processing stages with polishing at the end.
Sources
Standards
Geographical indication
Full list — on the Sources page