tou chun
'head-spring tea'; tea from the first picking of the spring season
Definition#
Market term, used above all for Yunnan pu'er, for tea from the first picking of the spring harvest, sold in a higher price tier. It is not a regulated grade: no month or solar term defines it, and the opening of the season depends on altitude, tree and year. Path of Cha (a vendor blog) defines 头春 as 'the first batch of tea harvested at the beginning of the spring', says gardens higher up the mountain are picked later, and distinguishes it from 头采, a very limited first picking often used for trials. Chinese Wikipedia's pu'er article divides spring tea into three grades, 春尖, 春中 and 春尾; how 头春 maps onto 春尖 is not stated in any source consulted and should not be assumed. Chinese press price tables list '古树头春茶' separately from other pickings, but the two articles consulted disagree on the figures (2017: 4,000-8,000 yuan/kg for Lao Banzhang in one, 8,000-15,000 yuan/kg for ancient-tree 头春 in the other), so no price relation is stated here. Western vendors translate it 'first spring pick', 'spring 1st pick' or 'first spring flush'. 头春 is not 头采 and not 明前 (picked before Qingming, which falls between 4 and 6 April), although in practice the periods can overlap.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | tou chun first spring pick of the season pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid 'first flush' without qualification 'First Flush' is established Darjeeling/Assam vocabulary for a defined late-winter-to-spring period; for Yunnan, 头春 has no fixed dates (some vendors still write 'first spring flush') Ming Qian / pre-Qingming 明前 is defined by the 4-6 April Qingming date; 头春 is not tied to it |
| Deutsch | Tou Chun (erste Frühjahrspflückung) erste Pflückung des Frühjahrs pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid First Flush (unqualifiziert) in German firmly tied to Darjeeling/Assam; Yunnan has no fixed period |
| Русский | тоу чунь (первый весенний сбор) первый сбор весеннего сезона pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid первый флэш not used in Russian for Yunnan tea and misleading |
| 简体字 | 头春茶 | |
| 繁體字 | 頭春茶 | Regional usage
|
| 日本語 | 頭春（トウチュン） 春の最初の摘採 pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid 一番茶（そのまま） 一番茶 is the fixed Japanese term for the first flush of Japanese tea; the Chinese 头春 is a market term without a fixed date |
Common confusions#
- Not a grade: no standard consulted defines it. The mapping of 头春 onto 春尖 is unverified.
- 头春 vs 头采: Path of Cha treats 头采 as a very limited first picking, often for trials; some sellers write both together.
- Price signal: Chinese reporting lists 头春 ancient-tree tea as a separate and usually dearer tier, which is why sellers add it to titles; an unverified claim in a title is a claim.