I visited LongFengXia and Budongyu over the past couple of days to check on the winter tea crop. Just like other tea regions, we’re still seeing lower yields and some uneven tea leaf quality. However, a few tea gardens are showing remarkable potential—as long as the weather cooperates, these plots could produce some truly exceptional tea!
Starting with LongFengXia, at the highest altitudes between 1,700 and 1,800 meters, several tea gardens are looking gorgeous with lush, plump, and tender leaves, clearly gearing up for a great harvest. Below 1,700 meters, things are a bit more scattered. The head of the local tea factory mentioned that tea gardens in LongFengXia that “skipped the autumn harvest” this year have grown much better winter tea. Having visited LongFengXia back in August, comparing the two periods, that certainly seems to be the case.
Harvesting actually began on October 18th for some farmers. I’m quite looking forward to this year’s LongFengXia winter tea; it just might rival the quality of our spring harvest.
Budongyu Tea Region Winter Tea
Over in Budongyu, harvesting at the very top also started on the 18th, but the tea growth isn’t looking too promising—it’s sparse, the leaves are thin, and the leaf sizes are quite uneven. Around the 1,600-meter mark, a few gardens look decent, though the leaves are still very young, leaving a lot of variables for the weeks ahead. After checking in, harvesting there likely won’t begin until late October to early November.
As a side note, when I visited LongFengXia and Budongyu on the 18th, I happened to catch some breathtaking sea of clouds scenery. I hear it’s been like this for days, so if you’re looking to chase the sea of clouds, now is the time to go. Just be sure to head out early—after 10 AM, the mist rolls in, and once the tea mountains get all foggy, the view disappears.
