Is waiting for the spring tea harvest feeling like an eternity? Right before the spring harvest, tea lovers often ask us when ShanLinXi spring tea is picked. We’ve put together a guide answering the most common questions to help you out.
Q1: When is ShanLinXi spring tea harvested?
Customer Support: Generally speaking, the ShanLinXi spring tea harvest runs from late March to mid-May.
ShanLinXi spans a wide range of elevations, from 1,800 meters at the highest (LongFengXia) down to 200 meters in the lower-elevation plains of Zhushan. Generally, higher-elevation gardens are harvested later because cooler temperatures slow leaf growth, so LongFengXia is harvested about a month later than the lower plains.
Q2: Why does the harvest timing seem to vary every year?
Customer Support: That’s the beauty of nature! Harvest timing is mainly influenced by five factors:
- Tea cultivar: Modern cultivars like Four Seasons Spring, CuiYu, and JinXuan sprout earlier, while Qingxin Oolong is a bit slower.
- Temperature: Warmer temperatures make tea leaves grow faster, while cooler weather slows growth.
- Rainfall: Plentiful rain generally speeds up growth, whereas dry conditions slow it down, and droughts slow it down even further.
- Elevation: As mentioned, LongFengXia—the highest elevation—is usually harvested last because cold mountain weather slows leaf growth.
- Farmer planning: Farmers can adjust sprouting timing through pruning. To manage staffing and factory schedules, farmers prune select gardens so they sprout later.
Q3: When should I buy if I want to taste the freshest ShanLinXi spring tea?
Customer Support: If you’re looking for spring tea from modern cultivars, keep an eye out around early April. If you prefer high-elevation Qingxin Oolong, early May is peak season.
- Late March to early April: Modern cultivars and lower-elevation Qingxin Oolong.
- April: Gardens at 600 to 1,200 meters.
- May: The harvest winds down, and tea arriving in inventory at this time is typically Qingxin Oolong from above 1,200 meters.
Liao Chang-Xing’s Insights: The earliest ShanLinXi spring tea we’ve seen was an early spring Four Seasons Spring in late February, though some consider this “Buzhichun” (everlasting spring) tea rather than true spring tea. Aside from that, harvesting Four Seasons Spring in the lower plains around mid-March is quite common, as it is an early-budding cultivar. If you really can’t wait to try ShanLinXi spring tea, look for Four Seasons Spring in March.
Excluding Four Seasons Spring, ShanLinXi spring tea harvests are mainly concentrated between early April and mid-May. If you want JinXuan, Four Seasons Spring, or lower-elevation Qingxin Oolong, mid-April is a great time to buy in the origin region. As for high-elevation Qingxin Oolong—such as from LongFengXia, Sancengping, and Fanzitian—peak season is from late April to early May, making it the ideal window to purchase fresh high-mountain spring tea.