The words "before the Ming Dynasty" and "before the rain" are based on the two solar terms of Qingming and Guyu, and the description of the tea production time is mostly used in green tea, and is usually limited to the Jiangnan tea area.
So, Mingqian tea, pre-rain tea, which one is better?
Mingqian tea is rare and expensive, and pre-rain tea is more close to the people.
Every year from the end of March to the beginning of April, it is the beginning of spring, the temperature gradually warms up, everything recovers, and the tea begins to sprout. The tea picked and made before the Qingming Festival is called Mingqian tea.
Mingqian tea is extremely delicate, generally very strong aroma, relatively light taste, low bitterness, high sweetness. Many tea lovers pursue spring tea in order to be this first wisp of fresh sweetness, this clean, refreshing and fragrant fragrance.
Because the growth rate of tea leaves is still relatively slow at this time, the tea buds are small, and the yield is very low. In this way, the price is also higher. More in-house is pre-rain tea.
Longjing 43: Mingqian tea and pre-rain tea bud comparison
There is a 15-day difference between the qingming and guyu solar terms, and the climate change during this time is very obvious, and the temperature is getting longer and longer above 20 ° C. Coupled with the increasing spring rains, the plants have also begun to grow vigorously.
The tea tree is the same, one day at a time. In this way, the yield of tea has increased, the buds and leaves are significantly larger than before the Ming Dynasty, and the contents are richer.
Reflected in the quality, we will find that many pre-rain teas have less fragrance in aroma, more mature floral aroma, and the bitterness on the taste is slightly more obvious, but the thickness of the tea soup is increased, and the sweetness is more obvious. This is also the reason why old tea friends prefer pre-rain tea, they want more "tea flavor".
2021 Fenghua Qu Ming Qian Tea and Rain Before Rain Tea Dry Tea Comparison
In general, the style of Mingqian tea is clean and refreshing, but the yield is low and the price is high, so Mingqian tea is more suitable for tasting; the pre-rain tea style is strong, sweet and sufficient, the output is slightly higher and the price is close to the people, and the pre-rain tea is more suitable for daily drinking.
It also depends on the origin, altitude and variety.
Tea before the Ming Dynasty and before the rain also has requirements for the place of origin and altitude. Generally, it is suitable for the hilly area in the middle of the Jiangnan tea area (200 meters - 500 meters). Not used in other tea areas.
There are many alpine areas in Jiangnan with an altitude of more than 1,000 meters, due to the slow rise in temperature, tea picking began under the mountain, and the tea on the mountain has not yet sprouted. In this case, tea cannot simply be defined according to whether it is clear or not.
For example, the ordinary Huangshan Maofeng can be mined on March 20, 2017, but if it is a high mountain Maofeng, it may not open until around the Qingming Dynasty.
Huangshan Maofeng picking
In addition, there is a situation that different tea varieties have different germination times.
For example, Longjing tea generally has Several types of Longjing No. 43 and group species. Longjing No. 43 is relatively normal, in line with the law of picking close to the Qingming Festival; while the group species is an old local variety in Hangzhou, which germinates late and is often mined in large areas before the valley rains.
Another example is the Liu'an Gua slice in the Jiangbei Tea District and the Taiping Monkey Kui in the Jiangnan region, which are not mined until around mid-April, which is a typical pre-rain tea.
Six angua slices
Therefore, for who is better before the Ming Dynasty and before the rain, it cannot be generalized, but should be viewed specifically according to different realities such as the place of origin, altitude, and tea plant varieties.
For consumers, there is no need to pursue Mingqian tea excessively, and some teas with superior quality cannot be mined at all before Ming. If you want tea with a better price-performance ratio, buying tea before the rain is also a good choice.