Mingqian (Pre-Qingming)
Mingqian (明前, pre-Qingming) tea is Chinese spring tea picked before the Qingming festival in early April, prized for small tender buds and sold at high prices.
Definition
Mingqian (明前, míng qián) means "before Qingming." Qingming, the Tomb-Sweeping festival, falls on April 4 or 5 each year. Tea plucked before it is the earliest of the spring harvest and consists mostly of very young buds and first leaves. The label is used most for Chinese green teas. Mingqian Longjing from Hangzhou and mingqian Bi Luo Chun from the Dongting area of Suzhou are the best known. Early leaf grows slowly in cool weather, so it is tender, sweet and low in bitterness, with high levels of amino acids. Yields are small, and premium mingqian Longjing can cost several times the price of the same tea picked a few weeks later. The next harvest window is yuqian (雨前), "before the rain," referring to Guyu, a solar term around April 20. Yuqian tea is slightly larger and more robust and is cheaper. Much tea drunk in China every day is yuqian or later. The names apply to any tea in principle, but they matter most for spring green teas, where the earliest leaf is valued most.
In Depth
Brew mingqian green tea gently: 75-80°C (167-176°F), about 3 g per 150 ml. In a glass, add a little water to wet the leaf, wait 30 seconds, then top up and drink when the leaves sink, refilling before the glass is empty. This is the classic way to drink Longjing.
Mingqian tea is perishable. Buy the current year's harvest and store it airtight in the refrigerator. Its sweetness and fresh aroma fade over a few months at room temperature.
The label is easy to misuse. Weather shifts harvests by days to weeks year to year, and the volume sold as "mingqian" often exceeds what is actually picked before Qingming. Ask for the picking date and region, and expect a high price for genuine early tea.
See Also
- Chinese Green Tea
- Spring Tea Harvests
- Qingming Festival