Yuchi Township Black Tea Competition Is Not Just About Roasting and Processing - It Is Also About Integrated Picking and Processing

 

 

To coach tea farmers in improving their tea-making skills and quality, the Yuchi Township Farmers' Association chose to hold a large-leaf black tea picking and processing competition at the Yuchi Branch of the Tea Research and Extension Station. A total of 37 tea farmers from Xinyi Township, Ren'ai Township, Zhushan Township tea areas, and various townships and cities across the county registered to participate. The oldest contestant was 78 years old, and the youngest was only 24. From picking and withering to rolling and roasting, everyone followed an integrated workflow to truly improve tea farmers' tea-making skills.

Farmers' Association Chairman Liu Qixing said that Nantou County ranks first nationwide in both tea production area and output, and in the past it focused mainly on export sales. In recent years, large factories have gradually shrunk, while small processing plants that produce, process, and sell their own tea have sprung up everywhere. In recent years, with the popularity of international black tea, Yuchi Township, the hometown of black tea, is even more known as the origin of large-leaf black tea. In the past, however, tea competitions involved picking the tea leaves, withering them, and only then handing them to contestants for processing. To enhance knowledge and skills in black tea production and manufacturing, a picking and processing competition was specially held.

 

The Yuchi Township Farmers' Association pointed out that what made this year's competition especially unique was that contestants were required to go into the tea garden themselves to pick fresh tea leaves and wither them themselves. The main purpose was to require contestants to select good fresh tea leaves themselves, wither the tea leaves themselves, and then hand-roll, roast, and otherwise process them themselves, producing delicious black tea through an integrated process. Contestants started from tea picking, then withered the leaves for more than 22 hours, then rolled and fermented them, and after the tea was made, it was evaluated.

 

Huang Zhengzong, director of the Yuchi Branch of the Tea Research and Extension Station, said that the large-leaf black tea picking and processing competition can deepen tea farmers' understanding of picking and processing techniques and raise the overall standard of black tea production, helping to improve tea industry technology and develop tourism. The Farmers' Association said that after the two-day picking and processing process, experts from the Tea Research and Extension Station would be invited to do the final review and appraisal work and select this competition's first-place winner. The winning contestants would be awarded and recognized on November 7 during the Black Tea Season.