In early April in China, the spring harvesting of the leaves of rare green teas such as Xi Hu Lung Ching, Zhu Ye Qing and Yun Wu Cha takes place.
Depending on the growing regions, this is done multiple times during the year. The harvest period is very important because it changes the flavor and fragrance of the tea. Generally, the earliest is between late March and April, as in the case of the Chinese teas I mentioned. Then, between May and June, and finally, between September and November, the leaves are collected.
In the past, harvesting was done by hand by village women who collected up to 50 kilos of leaves and buds in a day. Today, machines are increasingly being used, which can, however, ruin the quality of the tea. Only in some places in China, India, Japan and Ceylon are traditional techniques still used. In ancient imperial China, high officials’ tea was even harvested by trained monkeys in the mountains to the south of the country.
There are three methods of harvesting: imperial plucking, in which the buds (or “golden tips,” as they are called) and the first leaf are taken; fine plucking, in which the bud and the top two leaves are taken; and finally coarse plucking, where, in addition to the bud, the first three leaves are used. For commercial teas, usually bagged, the fourth leaf is also used.