The winter tea growth in the Malieba and Cuiluan tea regions is better than that in the main Lishan tea region. While we can’t call it a bumper harvest, yields have held steady, and the leaf thickness is quite good. The store manager is quite optimistic about this year’s Malieba and Cuiluan winter tea.
Just like the Xinyang, Fushoushan Farm, and Songmao communities, harvesting in Malieba and Cuiluan is delayed by 5 to 7 days this year. When the store manager visited Cuiluan in early October, many local tea factories were still closed, and the tea leaves were still too tender. After checking with the tea farmers, widespread harvesting wouldn’t begin until around October 10.
The tea plants near the Cuiluan North Line are growing exceptionally well, easily earning a high score of 80 from the store manager. However, the Cuiluan South Line, Malieba, and Suspension Bridge Head areas show a bit of a polarization: well-managed tea gardens score around 85, but others are patchy and sparse, with some looking so poor they might skip the winter harvest altogether.
Large-scale harvesting kicks off around October 10, though some plots are still too tender, meaning harvesting will likely stretch into late October. We plan to sample the first batch of winter tea on the 13th, and if we don’t find the good stuff, we’ll head back again on the 20th. It’s a long journey, but for names like Cuiluan, Malieba, and Suspension Bridge Head, a little extra effort is well worth it!
