Ming Qian Long Ya Green Tea

Description

	Cup Method		Chinese Gongfu Method
	Teacup: 8.8oz / 250ml		Gaiwan: 3.8oz / 110ml
	176℉ / 80℃		176℉ / 80℃
	2g Tea		4g Tea
	Brewing time: 5 – 8 mins		5 steeps: 20s, 25s, 35s, 50s, 80s

Mt. Tiangong Tea Garden is located in the town of Juexi in Yibin City, at an average elevation of 900-1350 meters and about 100km from the nearest city. The forest cover here is over 80%, and the soil is rich in abundant matter. Clouds and mist drift through these mountains throughout the whole year, and suitable temperature and humidity provide excellent natural conditions for the growth of tea plants and formation of natural nutritional inclusions in the leaves.

Yibin City sits at the intersection between the Jinsha, Minjian, and Yangtze Rivers. Since ancient times this location has served as a transportation hub between the mainland and the southwest, and is also an important port to move Sichuan tea to the Jiagnan region. The climate here is humid with abundant rainfall and fertile soil, suitable for healthy tea tree growth.

In the 1950s thousands of wild tea plants were discovered in the Tiangong Mountain Tea Garden and other nearby areas; the Sichuan Tea Institute identified these trees to be as old as the wild trees found in Yunnan, confirming the fact that Yibin is one of the hometowns of tea.

Yibin City, located in the middle south of Sichuan Province, bears the title “The First City on the Great Yangtze River”. The history of tea production here can be traced back over 3000 years, and this place is not only an important tea production for Sichuan, but also one of the first places where tea was cultivated in all of China.

According to historical records, during the prosperous Tang and Song dynasties, for Sichuan’s special geographical location the “Tea-Horse Trade” was particularly prosperous. The tea industries in Yibin were developed and expanded so that tea could be traded for horses, salt, and other daily necessities, establishing this so-called “Tea Horse Trade”.

The varieties of teas offered gradually increased, and rarer varieties such as Junlian’s yellow buds as well as other Yibin teas enjoyed a notable reputation in the market. As an important station along the Tea-Horse Road, Yibin tea spread far and wide and quickly earned its reputation.