Both are grown at a similar altitude, longitude, and temperature range. The geographic proximity of these two renowned tea-producing regions, combined with the climatological similarities of their mountainous growing conditions, soil, orientation, and seasons, explains why China bush is the preferred tea plant for these two high-altitude, rugged locations. Historically, traditional tea production in Yunnan yields both exquisite green tea and black tea, while Darjeeling has had considerable difficulty manufacturing a high-quality green tea or oolong to stand beside its elegant black tea. This is particularly so for the gardens that have changed over to growing the hybrid, or clonal, varieties. Through the introduction of some of the characteristics of the Assam bush, these varieties have increased the ruggedness and yield of the harvest but still favor the production of black tea.
TEA FOR BUDDHA
During the Tang dynasty Buddhist monks placed a statue of Buddha in the temple tea gardens. Monks known as tea keepers began the practice of offering sacrificial cups of tea to Buddha.
In the eighteenth century early English tea planters did not understand that all styles of tea—green, black, and later oolong and white—could be manufactured from the same leaf. The Chinese, who had figured this all out, held the secret for a long time. Other tea producers eventually recognized the major factors that would theoretically allow any tea-producing country to manufacture whichever style of tea they desired. Demand has changed, and markets have adjusted to new alliances. Starting in the 1990s, Darjeeling tea producers began to manufacture oolong, green, and white teas that (although not yet as good as the Japanese and Chinese versions) show that it is the variety of the tea plant in its terroir that provides the raw ingredient to which need only be added the learned expertise of manufacture.
China bush tea plants have the flavor that one expects from Chinese tea, especially for the tea styles being processed at high altitude, in rugged terrain, and at a cooler climate. This is also the same base flavor necessary for green, oolong, or white Darjeeling tea. Fundamental experience in manufacture and processing of these styles of tea is vital in turning out high-quality versions of these “new” teas from the Himalaya. In time, the Himalayan tea artisans will master the technical production of oolong, green, and white teas.
The next generation of tea bushes ready for transplant (Darjeeling, India). Photo courtesy of Eliot Jordan.
But will this newly learned skill produce tea of a quality that matches up to the tea of the same three styles when produced in Japan or China? To date, most Himalayan green tea and oolong has been purchased inexpensively by the Taiwanese and Japanese for their domestic consumption, freeing up more of their homegrown, high-quality tea for export at a higher price than they pay for this imported tea. Economically, this buying low and selling high helps keep the balance of trade in their favor, while contributing to the Himalayan tea producers’ cash flow.
Conversely, just to the east of Darjeeling, in the Assam valley, the Assam bush yields some of the finest black tea produced. But the Assam bush has yet to produce a world-class green tea or oolong, in the Assam valley or anywhere else that it has been planted (such as in Indonesia and mainland Southeast Asia). This is a result of the different growth habit, plucking technique, and natural flavor profile of the Assam bush, as well as the inherent difficulty in crafting it into a first-quality oolong, green, or white tea. With the advent of modern hybrids and clonal varieties, the introduction of China bush characteristics into Assam bush plants is expected to yield a hearty new variety that will be able to be crafted into a good-tasting version of the oolong, green, and white teas that are so much in demand. Interestingly, a small amount of excellent quality (and expensive) white tea is now coming from a few Assam gardens, a sign that the science of tea plant–hybrid creation may be combining with traditional manufacture to produce at least one example of a quality “new” tea.
The grandfather plants and raises
the tea bushes, the father harvests
the tea, and the son drinks it.
—CHINESE SAYING
The narrow Straits of Taiwan separate Fujian Province on the Chinese mainland from the island of Taiwan. Both of these world-famous tea regions produce superior oolong teas. This is the result of the combination of planting the time-tested subvarieties of the China bush varietal that yield great-tasting oolong tea, how they are planted (whether or not they are wild-grown), the terroir, and the skill of the tea maker. Some of the teas from these two regions are quite similar, and some are extremely different; however, the factors that they share exceed those that they do not. The reason that these two regions excel at oolong production is explained in the same way that one can understand how authentic Champagne from France differs from other sparkling wines, and why traditional Roquefort cannot be produced anywhere else but in the limestone caves of the French Auvergne, no matter the effort exerted. Fresh tea leaves from any tea plant can be forced to manufacture into any of the tea styles, but when naturally occurring factors combine to create the definitive version of a type, a certain magic happens.
The Yearly Cycle of a Tea Bush
A tea bush’s annual growth cycle is determined by a combination of factors: (1) which subdivision of the Camellia sinensis family it is in, and (2) precisely where the plant is being grown. Every tea-growing region has a unique climatological character. Most geographical areas grow a specific variety or two of tea bush. The eventual manufacture of plucked leaf into the desired class of tea may require that a certain pluck from a particular plant be used to create the highest-quality tea of a specific type. This model of terroir bolsters the reputation of such place-specific teas as single-garden Darjeelings, Tieguanyin, Longjing, and Keemun Hao Ya.
Tea that grows wild is superior;
garden tea takes second place.
—LU YU, CHINA’S “FATHER OF TEA”
The two major subspecies of the Camellia sinensis plant family share some growing-condition preferences, but they tend to favor dissimilar geographic locations. Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, the China bush, although evergreen, has a distinct growing season. China bush generally thrives in locations near the northern or southern margins of the subtropical zone, at a significant altitude, generally preferring to be between 3,000 and 5,000 feet (900 to 1,500 meters) on mountainsides having a 45- to 60-degree slope. Its cousin, Camellia sinensis var. assamica, the Assam bush, grows mostly in the subtropics on rolling hills at modest altitude, so it produces new leaf either continuously or with a less-distinct season than China bush does.
All tea bushes require plentiful moisture—100 inches (254 centimeters) minimum of rainfall a year is ideal—and good drainage. A southeast-facing slope that embraces morning humidity in the form of mist, fog, or dew, followed by moderate afternoon sun, provides the ideal orientation for growing tea. Intermittent drying-off periods throughout the year assist with the harvest and processing of the leaf, and a really wet phase or monsoon season ensures replenishment of adequate moisture and nutrients to the soil. Particular regions in the world excel in producing leaf destined to become a certain specific finished tea. These unique areas tend to have a reliably constant climate from year to year.
CHINA BUSH
In general, tea bushes are not pruned immediately before the harvest season. Pruning and fertilizing are done, if at all, after the harvest has ended, as a resolution to the season’s production and a preface to the dormant season. Dependent on a resting period during its yearly cycle (during which it tolerates cold temperatures, possibly including minor frost), China bush sends its new growth out in early spring, breaking dormancy. Influenced by orientation, elevation, and landmass or coastal location, this bud break occurs between March and May in the northern hemisphere and September and November in the southern hemisphere. After the bush is picked (or pruned, see “Uniquely Japanese” later in this chapter), in the early spring, new growth appears every several weeks for the duration of the growing season, continuing through late autumn.
There is also the phenomenon of the monsoon season, which occurs fairly predictably at various times in different regions but generally during the summer months. During a monsoon period it is difficult to pick and process leaf, but when accomplished well it can result in fabulous tea, soft and lush with little astringency. In contrast, drought or a burst of high heat can stimulate an exceptional concentration of flavor. Even when leaf is not plucked during midharvest rainy or hot intervals, there is usually a valuable minor harvest in autumn, when the temperature cools, the air dries, fog and mist abound, and quality leaf reemerges.
In general, to manufacture traditional white tea, fancy green tea, and high-quality tippy or full budset black tea, budsets are plucked primarily in the spring and then to a lesser degree again as they develop throughout the season, depending on the weather and style of tea production in a region. In many locations the autumn harvest is often second to the first flush in quality. The finest oolongs, excellent-to-good-quality whole-leaf green teas, many black teas, and several other “ordinary” tea harvests are plucked in the period between the first flush and dormancy. So subject to location, type of bush being plucked, and the desired finished tea, the season of harvest varies from one tea-producing region to another.
ASSAM BUSH
When cultivating Assam bush, geographical location becomes the dominant factor that dictates quantity and timing of picking. Because the preferred climate for Assam bush allows that the leaf can emerge at any time, it is critical to be aware of and work with the rainy or dry seasons of a particular region. Assam bush will readily tolerate high temperatures and humidity, while still requiring good drainage. Assam bush does not tolerate cold or frost, however. Ideally, Assam tea bushes benefit from plentiful rainfall (even more than for China bush), interspersed with dry intervals and plucking. When this cycle occurs regularly throughout the year, the annual crop will be consistent in volume and quality. Assam and Sri Lanka both enjoy this type of cycle.
If a growing area is particularly either rainy or dry throughout the year, the finished tea produced will tend to be inconsistent but will have “vintages”: occasional years of exceptional quality tempered by many years of mediocrity. This explains the common lack of marketable high-quality tea from Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and other more weather-volatile growing regions. Because leaf tea is inexpensive and rarely stores well for years and years, the world tea market overall does not recognize vintage growth. Historically, highs and lows in the quality of leaf teas from Assam bush are more often judged negatively as being inconsistent rather than as a cycle in which a particular harvest might be worthy of individual recognition. In general, China bush leaf generates more interest and has a greater acceptance as being of a generally higher quality than does leaf produced from Assam bush. This is changing, however, as new flavor profiles are being appreciated and unique clonals incorporate the best virtues of each variety.
UNIQUELY JAPANESE
In Japan a different method is used for harvesting the bulk of the tea leaf. Pruning is done both in autumn and again in March, so that the first flush in May or June is unvarying in size and timing throughout the plantings in a garden. Tea-leaf picking in Japan is generally accomplished with mechanical “shears” that fashion an arched shape to their carefully sculpted rows of tea bushes. This unique shape maximizes the surface area available for new growth and is easily maintained.
As the tea season in Japan is late and short, these rows are then fertilized and shorn thoroughly on a regular schedule to produce a consistent, high yield for about four months. The most rare, and therefore costly, highest grades of Japanese tea are plucked by hand, and traditional methodology is followed. This hand-plucking occurs most famously in Uji and Shizuoka prefectures, first in early spring for the Shincha (“first pick”) harvest and again later in the season for top-quality gyokuro and the finest sencha.
Tea gardens in Japan are highly organized and trim (Shizuoka, Japan).
As Japan produces primarily green tea, there are two distinct seasons, the early growth tea gathered in April and May known as Ichiban Cha (“new tea”) and the rest of the season’s harvest. Within the Ichiban Cha harvest there is one subdivision called Shincha, the first tea harvest of the year. Celebratory in nature, great fanfare is given to Shincha’s release, a salute similar to that given to the Beaujolais nouveau wine and olio novello olive oil issues. The amount of Shincha produced is tiny and, until recently, it was only available within the region of production. Today Shincha is available to tea lovers throughout Japan and is air-shipped to tea enthusiasts worldwide.
Two other distinctly Japanese variations of growing technique occur in the spring. These involve the preparation for the harvest of the leaf used for gyokuro and tencha (the leaf that is processed into matcha). Twenty to thirty days before harvest the bushes to be plucked for these two styles of Japanese green tea are enclosed with curtains. Known together as kanreisha, there are two styles: tana and jikagise. A tana covering is a semipermanent greenhouse that resembles the structure used to shield shade tobacco.
In this garden, both old- and new-style covering material is used for tana (Uji, Japan).
The more common tana is a wire-frame construction with woven mesh curtain walls and cover that allows workers to move about beneath its canopy to tend the bushes and harvest the leaf. Sheltering many rows of bushes at once, a tana enclosure is extremely important for a grower with a quantity of leaf tea to harvest. Both the side and top curtains can be adjusted for air circulation during harvest and on cloudy days. The older, more traditional-style tana is made of reed mats tied together as both vertical sidewalls and blinds, creating the structure. We investigated both types of these tana during our recent visit to the gardens of Uji. We found that the reed mat tana fashioned a wonderfully dappled light that was both mysterious and curious. A jikagise is basically a cloche, tied down so that it floats just above the bush, sheltering just one row per section of fabric. It must be rolled down the row to gain access to the bushes that it covers. Much fussier and less practical for covering very many bushes, jikagise are used by small growers and in family gardens.
Do not pick on the day that has seen
rain nor when clouds spoil the sky.
Pick tea only on a clear day.
—LU YU, CHINA’S “FATHER OF TEA”
The highest-quality gyokuro and tencha plantings are grown beneath tana coverings. Tea bushes grown under cover yield leaf with reduced astringency and chlorophyll, so in the cup the brewed tea tastes sweet and mild, with little bitterness and a lighter color. Conversely, most Japanese green tea is grown in full sun and has a strident, complex flavor that is vegetal and deliciously bitter, with a bright green color.
Table 2.1. The Seasons of Tea, by Country
Detailed list to follow
Country: Argentina
Season: October through November (dormant June through August)
Country: China (except subtropical regions)
Season: March thorugh May (dormant December through mid-February)
Country: India (northern)
Season: March through mid-April
and mid-May through June (dormant December through February)
Country: India (southern)
Season: December through February (some year-round)
Country: Japan
Season: May through August (dormant September through April)
Country: Java
Season: July through September (some year-round)
Country: Kenya
Season: Mid-January through February, and July through August (some year-round)
Country: Sri Lanka (Nuwara Eliya)
Season: Year-round
Country: Sri Lanka (eastern districts)
Season: June through October (some year-round)
Country: Sri Lanka (western districts)
Season: December through April (some year-round)
Country: Sri Lanka (Dimbula)
Season: December through April (some year-round)
Country: Taiwan
Season: March through October
Table 2.2. A Year in the Life of a Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (China Bush) Tea Garden
Detailed list to follow
Season
Spring
Activity: Bud break/initial budset pluck aka “first flush”; Northern Hemisphere: March; Southern Hemisphere: September
Activity: Budset pluck; Northern Hemisphere: April; Southern Hemisphere: October
Activity: Budset pluck; Northern Hemisphere: May; Southern Hemisphere: November
Summer
Activity: Bud and leaf pluck; Northern Hemisphere: June; Southern Hemisphere: December
The Story of Tea Page 6