春茶
Mar 20 – May 5
Spring one-bud-one-leaf and one-bud-two-leaves harvests for Enshi Yulu, Yuan'an Luyuan, and Yihong Gongfu.
湖北
Hubei
Central Yangtze province producing steam-fixed Enshi Yulu in the southwest, Yuan'an Luyuan yellow tea in Yichang, and osmanthus-scented tea in Xianning.
- Level
- Province
At a glance#
Location
- Garden elevation
- Ranges from low hills in southern Xianning/Chibi (150–400 m) to the Wuling and Three Gorges mountains in Enshi and Yichang (500–1,200 m).
Where it lies#
Tea places nearby, plotted by their coordinates. Only physical positions are shown, no boundaries.
2917 places shown Across the view · 1,760 km
55 places shown Across the view · 575 km
Altitude#
Garden elevations here and in neighbouring places, as sourced.
- Xingcun180–1,800 m
- Yiyang100–1,621 m
- Tongmuguan850–1,500 m
- Hunan80–1,400 m
- Jiangxi200–1,300 m
- Shangrao250–1,200 m
- Hubei150–1,200 m
- Anhui100–1,200 m
- Enshi450–1,150 m
- Yichang200–1,100 m
- Huangshan200–1,100 m
- Anhua150–1,100 m
- Lu'an200–950 m
- Xiushui150–900 m
- Xinyang150–850 m
- Henan150–850 m
- Qimen150–800 m
- Sanyang Peak450–718 m
- Chibi50–550 m
- Wuyishan200–500 m
- Huiyuankeng234–360 m
- Liuxiangjian234–360 m
- Shuiliandong234–360 m
- Jiulongke234–360 m
- Jiangsu20–350 m
Picking calendar#
老青茶采季
Jun 1 – Sep 30
Mature summer and autumn shoots harvested in southern Hubei for Qingzhuan dark brick tea.
Terroir#
- Rock
- Karst limestone, selenium-bearing carbonaceous shale in Enshi, and granite-gneiss in the Three Gorges and Dabie uplands.
- Soil
- Acidic yellow-brown and red-yellow mountain soils, notably selenium-enriched soils in Enshi City, pH 4.5–5.8.
- Slope and light
- River valleys of the middle Yangtze and Qingjiang trap moisture and moderate winter cold, supporting steamed green, yellow,工夫 red, and compressed brick teas.
Cultivation#
- Cultivars grown
- Echa 1苔子茶 (Enshi Taizicha landrace)
- Landraces
- Enshi Taizicha (苔子茶), Yichang/Wufeng large- and medium-leaf populations, and Yangloudong local shrub landraces.
- Practice
- Steamed green tea craft (蒸青) preserved in Enshi; yellow-tea wrapping in Yuan'an; black and dark brick compression in Chibi.
上海科学技术出版社 · 2001
Local words#
| Local words | Dialect | |
|---|---|---|
| 蒸青 zhēngqīng | Southwestern / Jianghuai Mandarin (Hubei) | steam-fixed green tea Used in Enshi and across Hubei to distinguish Enshi Yulu—fixed with live steam to preserve emerald leaf colour—from pan-fired green teas. |
People#
- Enshi Tujia and Miao growers and Yangloudong brick-tea masters 恩施土苗茶农与羊楼洞砖茶匠人
- Tujia, Miao, and Han farming communities in the Wuling and Three Gorges mountains alongside Chibi brick-pressing artisans who sustain Hubei's steamed green, yellow, Yihong black, and compressed brick teas.
Market#
- Primary trade channel
- Mountain cooperatives in Enshi and Yichang channel spring tea to Wuhan and national specialty markets, while Zhaoliqiao and Yangloudong factories ship compressed bricks to Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and northern pastoral markets.
- Trading towns
- Enshi · Yichang · Chibi (Yangloudong / Zhaoliqiao)
- Output
- Hubei's tea economy spans western mountain spring green, yellow, and Yihong black teas (Enshi, Yichang) and southern compressed Qingzhuan and Mizhuan brick-tea manufacturing in Chibi.
- Prices of teas claiming this origin
- One-bud-one-leaf spring pickings for Enshi Yulu and Yuan'an Luyuan yellow tea sit at the top of the price scale, whereas mature autumn shoots supply aged Qingzhuan brick tea.
上海文化出版社 (Shanghai Culture Publishing House)
History#
- 1680Enshi Yulu steamed green tea (originally玉绿) documented during the Kangxi reign in Enshi.
- 1861Following the opening of Hankou as a treaty port, Russian merchants establish steam-powered Mizhuan and Qingzhuan brick factories in Yangloudong (Chibi).
Notes#
Identity and history#
Bisected by the Three Gorges and the middle Yangtze plains, Hubei bridges southwestern mountain green-tea traditions and northern river-port brick-tea manufacturing. In the karst highlands of Enshi, artisans preserve China's flagship steam-fixed needle green tea, while the Yichang gorges and Yuan'an valleys produce refined Yihong black tea and Luyuan yellow tea. In the southern hill town of Yangloudong in Chibi, centuries of river-and-steppe commerce established the standardized pile-fermentation and heavy steam-pressing of Qingzhuan dark bricks and Mizhuan black bricks.
Prices of teas claiming this origin#
International retail
Show as table
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubei Tezhi Qing Zhuan Cha | Dragon Tea House | International retail | $6.97 |
| Yuan An Huang Cha | Sazen Tea | International retail | $191.78 |
| En Shi Yu Lu Steamed Green Tea | Sazen Tea | International retail | $232.15 |
Listings claiming this origin 3#
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
Prices compared in the selected currency; unknown values appear last.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubei Tezhi Qing Zhuan Cha | Dragon Tea HouseWorldwide |
$17.99 / 258 g | $6.97 ≈ $0.49 a session |
Yuan An Huang Cha
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Sazen TeaWorldwide |
€17.10 / 10 g | $191.78 €171.00 / 100 g |
En Shi Yu Lu Steamed Green Tea
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Sazen TeaWorldwide |
€20.70 / 10 g | $232.15 €207.00 / 100 g |
Prices recorded on the dates checked. Conversions use ECB rates dated 2026-10-20; original prices appear alongside. Origin, age and cultivar are stated by the vendor.
Places within#
恩施州
Enshi Ēnshī Zhōu
Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in southwestern Hubei; Enshi City is the protected origin of steam-fixed Enshi Yulu green tea.
reviewed
宜昌
Yichang Yíchāng
Prefecture at the eastern outlet of the Three Gorges in western Hubei, core production and refining hub for Yihong Gongfu black tea.
reviewed
赤壁
Chibi Chìbì
County-level city in southern Hubei including the historical towns of Yangloudong and Zhaoliqiao, centre of Qingzhuan dark brick tea and Mizhuan compressed black brick tea.
reviewed
Teas associated with this place#
恩施玉露
Enshi Yulu Ēnshī Yùlù
Steam-fixed, needle-shaped green tea associated with Enshi in Hubei.
reviewed
青砖茶
Qingzhuan tea Qīngzhuān chá
Compressed dark tea associated with Hubei, including the brick-tea traditions of Chibi and Yichang.
reviewed
宜红工夫
Yihong Gongfu Yíhóng Gōngfu
Traditional Hubei black tea associated with Yichang and neighboring western Hubei tea areas.
reviewed
远安鹿苑
Yuan’an Luyuan Yuǎn’ān Lùyuàn
Yellow tea associated with the Luyuan area of Yuan’an, Hubei.
reviewed
桂花茶
Osmanthus-scented tea Guìhuā chá
Tea leaves scented with the flowers of sweet osmanthus, Osmanthus fragrans. Green, black and oolong bases are documented, so the flower name alone does not identify the underlying tea or a single geographical origin.
reviewed
米砖茶
Mizhuan tea Mǐzhuān Chá
Compressed black tea made from small black-tea leaf fragments, strongly associated with Hubei’s Yangloudong and Zhaoliqiao traditions. Its brick form does not make it a dark tea.
reviewed
Sources#
- 王镇恒、王广智主编. 中国名茶志. 中国农业出版社, 2000年12月第1版. ISBN 7-109-06510-3 / 9787109065109.
Show all sources 12Show fewer sources
- 中国茶树品种志 (2001)
- 陈宗懋、杨亚军主编. 中国茶经 (2011修订版) (The Classic of Chinese Tea, 2011 rev. ed.). 上海文化出版社, 2011. ISBN 978-7-80740-664-8.