HUITONG CUIFENG (EMERALD PEAK)

The tea is from Huaihua, Western Hunan, adjacent to Guizhou. Located between Wuyi and Xuefeng mountain ranges, Huaihua’s terrain is mountainous, thick with vegetation and forestry and crisscrossed with rivers and streams. It enjoys abundant rainfall, mild climate, enough sunshine and many cloudy and misty days. It has a very healthy eco-system which defends the crops against diseases and pests.

The tea plantation of 600 hectares consists of over 120 interconnected hilltops with an average elevation of 700 meters above sea level. It is the largest concentrated intensive farming organic tea plantation in Hunan. Located on the Xuefeng Mountain Range in Baotian Village, Huitong County and adjacent to the 15900-ha Yingzuijie National Nature Reserve, it is also blessed with a humid and foggy climate. The plantation has been certified organic since 2009 and now is under organic control of KIWA BCS ÖKO-GARANTIE GMBH.

Tea production has a long history in Huaihua as this region was the domain of the clan of Shengnong (God Farmer), the legendary sage ruler who invented tea and who is worshiped by the Chinese as one of the two major ancestors of the Chinese people. For thousands of years, Tea has played an important role in local life as an offer to ancestors, a treat to guests and a medicine. Offering tea to parents-in-law is a major component in wedding ceremony.

Tea from this region has for thousands of years enjoyed great renown around the country since it was once chosen as a tribute tea to the Tang royal court（618-907AD）. Good Huitong Cuifeng features a solid and wiry leaf with a downy surface and a bright emerald hue. The brewed tea should release a strong and lasting cooked chestnut fragrance. The taste should be brisk, sweet, mellow, and full-bodied with a sweet aftertaste. The soup should be clear, transparent, and yellowish green. 

The tea is made from young sprouts (one bud and two adjacent leaves) collected in early April, the very earliest harvest of the year. The procedure for producing this tea is complicated: killing green-airing-initial rolling-unknotting-initial drying-second rolling-second drying-spread airing-toasting-spread airing. Suggested brewing method: 3g/150ml water; water temperature: 85℃;  brewing time: 3-4 minutes

The people who worked in the tea plantation/factory are mainly ethnic Dong People. The Grand Song of the Dong ethnic minority group is a distinctive form of artistic expression. The Grand Song featured by the complex structure and the rapid changes in rhythm of the chorus is performed by a huge group of people without the benefit of a conductor and without any help of musical instruments. Besides, the songs may be solo or chorus with multiple voice parts. The Grand song is all the "stories" of Dong culture, from creation stories to stories of kindness, sincerity, friendship, love, social harmony, respect for nature, and respect for one's ancestors.