On May 2nd, the store manager headed up to Budongyu to check out the tea harvest. Passing through LongFengXia, it was quite a shock—not only was it windy and rainy, but the temperature had also dropped to a chilly 10°C, meaning almost no harvesting was happening in the high-elevation areas of LongFengXia. High-altitude Budongyu hadn’t started yet either, while tea gardens below 1,300 meters had already finished picking.
Harvesting around the Bagua Tea Garden in the Ruan’an tea district was mostly wrapped up. Tea farmers in this area timed their harvest exceptionally well this year, as the consecutive sunny days at the end of April made for the ideal picking window.
Later, we shifted our focus back to Budongyu and LongFengXia. Taking a closer look, the tea leaves are still quite tender and should be able to withstand this wave of rain before harvesting. The weather forecast indicates it will clear up on the 4th or 5th. If the weather improves on May 4th, there’s a good chance we’ll have premium batches coming out by the 6th.
We tried a few sets of teas, but none of them quite hit the mark. In comparison, the Fanzitian and Sanlianting teas we found earlier are superior. However, all the teas we tried today were from lower altitudes; the high-altitude LongFengXia and Budongyu haven’t been harvested yet. Based on past experience, top-tier, legendary-grade goods always come from the high elevations of LongFengXia and Budongyu.
Note 1
It was still a bit rainy on May 4th, turned overcast on the 5th, and was blazing sunshine on the 6th. After visiting Fanzitian, the store manager headed over to LongFengXia on May 6th, which happened to be the peak harvest day there. The manager started touring from the lower-altitude areas of LongFengXia all the way up to the highest point, Sanchalun. After talking to several tea masters, we learned that if the weather holds up, the entire harvest in LongFengXia can be wrapped up within seven days.
From experience, the first two days after heavy rain tend to yield lower tea quality because the soil retains too much moisture. We tried tea from the day before (harvested on May 5th), and indeed, the aroma wasn’t quite up to par. However, the store manager is eagerly anticipating the harvests from May 7th onward. If the good weather holds, LongFengXia will have the opportunity to showcase its legendary-grade potential.
The store manager is holding out for the tea harvested after May 7th, hoping to find something truly exceptional.
Note 2
During this year’s harvest season in LongFengXia Budongyu, May 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th were rainy, the 5th was overcast, the 6th and 7th were sunny, and light rain fell on the morning of the 8th. The store manager feels that the batches from the 7th, 8th, and 9th are all of great quality.