The harvest for 2023 Lishan spring tea is drawing to a close. By June 1st, most had been harvested, leaving only the ultra-high elevation tea gardens above 2,000 meters yet to be picked. This year’s Lishan spring tea reached about 90% of past yields with solid overall quality. Considering the impact of the drought, I’d say this year’s Lishan spring tea turned out quite well!
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Inside Fushoushan Farm: Nothing was harvested on June 1st; I heard harvesting is scheduled for the 7th and 8th. As seen in Figure 3, the highest Tianchi tea garden (near an elevation of 2,500 meters) probably won’t finish harvesting until mid-June. The spring tea here grew even better than expected, and it’s definitely worth looking forward to. Note: Tea from inside the farm is only sold officially by Fushoushan Farm; I don’t carry it, so please refrain from emailing to ask.
Just outside the farm: Most have been harvested, with only two or three of the highest plots left. They are expected to wrap up within two to three days.
HuaGung Peak: The highest plots are still quite tender. Even in another week, they’ll still be tender shoots, so harvesting might stretch into mid-June. It really is colder this year—nearly noon in June, and HuaGung and the farm area were still only at 14°C (Figure 4).
Aside from those ultra-high elevation tea gardens mentioned above, after taking a tour on June 1st, only a few plots in Xinjiyang, Cuiluan, and the Cuiluan North Line have yet to be harvested, which should be completed in three to four days. I didn’t visit Tianfu, Biluxi, or Dayuling, but visually, Malieba Bridge head, Huanshan, and Songmao are all completely harvested.
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Due to the drought this year, the tea leaves grew a bit unevenly. I originally thought the spring harvest wouldn’t be too great, but it turned out quite well. Hats off to the Lishan tea farmers! Next up, let’s see how the Lishan autumn tea performs in 55 days!