霜降Frost's Descent

The picking year

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Explore tea through the 24 solar terms (二十四节气). The rings show approximate picking and roasting periods; the marker shows today.

霜降 · Frost's Descent
October 23
春 夏 秋 冬JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 小寒小寒 xiǎohán · Minor Cold · January 6 大寒大寒 dàhán · Major Cold · January 20 立春立春 lìchūn · Start of Spring · February 4 雨水雨水 yǔshuǐ · Rain Water · February 19 惊蛰惊蛰 jīngzhé · Awakening of Insects · March 6 春分春分 chūnfēn · Spring Equinox · March 21 清明清明 qīngmíng · Clear and Bright · April 5 谷雨谷雨 gǔyǔ · Grain Rain · April 20 立夏立夏 lìxià · Start of Summer · May 6 小满小满 xiǎomǎn · Grain Buds · May 21 芒种芒种 mángzhòng · Grain in Ear · June 6 夏至夏至 xiàzhì · Summer Solstice · June 21 小暑小暑 xiǎoshǔ · Minor Heat · July 7 大暑大暑 dàshǔ · Major Heat · July 23 立秋立秋 lìqiū · Start of Autumn · August 8 处暑处暑 chǔshǔ · End of Heat · August 23 白露白露 báilù · White Dew · September 8 秋分秋分 qiūfēn · Autumn Equinox · September 23 寒露寒露 hánlù · Cold Dew · October 8 霜降霜降 shuāngjiàng · Frost's Descent · October 23 立冬立冬 lìdōng · Start of Winter · November 7 小雪小雪 xiǎoxuě · Minor Snow · November 22 大雪大雪 dàxuě · Major Snow · December 7 冬至冬至 dōngzhì · Winter Solstice · December 22 Mingqian green tea (明前) · March 21–April 5 Pu'er spring harvest (春茶) · March 6–May 5 Wuyi yancha spring picking · April 20–May 21 Pu'er rainy-season tea (雨水茶) · May 6–September 8 Pu'er autumn "guhua" (谷花) · September 8–October 23 Yancha charcoal roasting · June 6–October 23 November 3 霜降 Frost's Descent
Mingqian green tea (明前)Pu'er spring harvest (春茶)Wuyi yancha spring pickingPu'er rainy-season tea (雨水茶)Pu'er autumn "guhua" (谷花)Yancha charcoal roasting
春Spring
  1. 立春Start of SpringlìchūnFebruary 4
  2. 雨水Rain WateryǔshuǐFebruary 19
  3. 惊蛰Awakening of InsectsjīngzhéMarch 6
  4. 春分Spring EquinoxchūnfēnMarch 21
  5. 清明Clear and BrightqīngmíngApril 5Mingqian (明前) means picked before Qingming. It describes timing, not a quality grade.
  6. 谷雨Grain RaingǔyǔApril 20Yuqian (雨前) means before Guyu, often after Qingming when contrasted with mingqian. Tea picking has no single nationwide deadline.
夏Summer
  1. 立夏Start of SummerlìxiàMay 6
  2. 小满Grain BudsxiǎomǎnMay 21
  3. 芒种Grain in EarmángzhòngJune 6
  4. 夏至Summer SolsticexiàzhìJune 21Summer is important for Oriental Beauty in northern Taiwan, where tea leafhoppers help create its characteristic material. Earlier is not always better.
  5. 小暑Minor HeatxiǎoshǔJuly 7
  6. 大暑Major HeatdàshǔJuly 23
秋Autumn
  1. 立秋Start of AutumnlìqiūAugust 8
  2. 处暑End of HeatchǔshǔAugust 23
  3. 白露White DewbáilùSeptember 8
  4. 秋分Autumn EquinoxqiūfēnSeptember 23
  5. 寒露Cold DewhánlùOctober 8
  6. 霜降Frost's DescentshuāngjiàngOctober 23
冬Winter
  1. 立冬Start of WinterlìdōngNovember 7
  2. 小雪Minor SnowxiǎoxuěNovember 22
  3. 大雪Major SnowdàxuěDecember 7
  4. 冬至Winter SolsticedōngzhìDecember 22
  5. 小寒Minor ColdxiǎohánJanuary 6
  6. 大寒Major ColddàhánJanuary 20

Reading the tea year#

The solar terms give the tea year a shared language. To understand a particular harvest, read that calendar together with the place, plant and intended tea.

  1. A solar calendar within a lunisolar calendar

    Each term begins when the Sun reaches another 15° of ecliptic longitude. The sequence follows the solar year, not the phases of the Moon. Its dates stay near the same Gregorian dates but vary by year; the local date can also differ with the time zone. Qingming is near 5 April, Guyu near 20 April.

    Hong Kong Observatory

  2. One calendar, many local seasons

    The tradition developed in the Yellow River region and spread more widely. Names such as Frost’s Descent do not forecast frost in every tea garden. Elevation matters too: Taiwan’s July 2023 extension bulletin described different growth and picking stages in high- and low-elevation gardens. A regional calendar needs local interpretation.

    UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Tea and Beverage Research Station

  3. The cultivar and the year change the timing

    For West Lake Longjing in 2025, Hangzhou announced 20 March for Longjing 43 and late March for the seed-grown population. These were that year’s local dates, not permanent deadlines. A southern Zhejiang study covering 2001–2014 also linked first-picking dates to cultivar and winter temperatures. Cold spells, frost and rainfall complicate a simple annual timetable.

    Hangzhou Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Chinese Journal of Agrometeorology Chinese Journal of Agrometeorology

  4. Mingqian and yuqian describe timing

    Mingqian means before Qingming; yuqian means before Guyu and, when contrasted with mingqian, commonly refers to the interval after Qingming. Neither label is a quality grade. An early date alone cannot establish origin, skilled manufacture or a flavour you will prefer. Compare similar teas and ask for the actual picking period.

    CAAS Tea Research Institute / Guangming Daily East China Normal University / The Paper

  5. Ready for which tea?

    Different teas need different shoot maturity. Taiwan’s hand-picking specifications distinguish tender material for green tea and Oriental Beauty from more developed shoots for several other oolongs. Summer also has a purpose: TBRS links summer leafhopper activity with Oriental Beauty production in northern Taiwan. A calendar that ranks every tea by earliest spring picking misses these differences.

    Tea and Beverage Research Station Tea and Beverage Research Station

  6. Read the rings as orientation

    This wheel uses approximate recurring term dates and illustrative seasonal windows, not year-specific astronomical times or live harvest reports. Its charcoal-roasting band shows processing, not picking. It does not show every harvest or every region. The marker locates today on this schematic; it cannot tell whether a particular garden is ready or a tea is already on sale.

For a particular lot, ask where it grew, which cultivar or seed population supplied the leaf, when it was picked, and whether any later date means manufacture, roasting or release.

West Lake LongjingOriental Beauty

What is picked?#

Harvest dates are only one part of the decision. Shoot maturity also varies with the intended tea. These schematic examples follow TBRS’s 2020 Taiwan hand-picking table; they are not a universal ranking of quality.

  1. One bud and one or two leaves

    The table gives this tender material for Taiwanese green tea and for Oriental Beauty. For Oriental Beauty it additionally specifies shoots fed on by the small green leafhopper.

  2. One bud and two or three leaves

    Strip Baozhong, high-mountain tea and Dong Ding use more developed material in the same table.

  3. Two or three leaves on a resting shoot

    The same oolong specifications also allow duikou shoots: the terminal bud has stopped extending. A resting shoot is not the same thing as a broken-off bud.

Tea and Beverage Research Station
Oriental BeautyDong Ding oolongWenshan Baozhong