Sānxiá lóng jǐng · new.thetea.app

Sānxiá Lóng Jǐng (三峡龙井, Sānxiá lóng jǐng) is a Hubei green tea that combines the classic Long Jing technology with the terroir of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. It is produced in the area of the reservoir of the world’s largest hydroelectric power station “Three Gorges,” on slopes that Lù Yǔ (陆羽) rated with the highest score — “Tea of Xiazhou is the best” (峡州上). The proprietary “Sanxia hui-guo” technology (三峡辉锅, “finishing in the pot Sanxia-style”) with final warming over bamboo charcoal gives the tea a soft chestnut aroma, uncharacteristic of Zhejiang Long Jings. In 2025, it was included in Hubei’s strategic program “One Red — One Green” (一红一绿) and recommended at the Global Tea Congress of Karim.

1. Classification and Origin:

Type: Green tea (unoxidized, 绿茶, lǜchá). Kill-green fixation — drum pan-firing (滚筒杀青, gǔntǒng shāqīng). Shape — flat (扁平形, biǎnpíng xíng, “sword blade”).
Category: Regional famous tea of Hubei. Flagship product of the “Sanxiacha-gu” program (三峡茶谷, “Tea Valley of the Three Gorges”). Included in the provincial strategy “One Red — One Green” (2025).
Origin: China; Húběi Province (湖北, Húběi); Yíchāng City (宜昌市, Yíchāng Shì). Production zone — shores of the Three Gorges reservoir: Yílíng District (夷陵区, Yílíng Qū), Zǐguī County (秭归县, Zǐguī Xiàn) and Wǔfēng County (五峰县, Wǔfēng Xiàn). Quality core — Dèngcūn Township (邓村乡, Dèngcūn Xiāng, distance to the Three Gorges Dam — only 23 km) and Tàipíngxī Town (太平溪镇, Tàipíngxī Zhèn), located on gentle slopes at altitudes of 500–800 m.
Geographic coordinates: ~110°–111° E longitude, 30°–31° N latitude (Three Gorges zone, Yichang area).

2. History and Cultural Significance:

History:

The tea tradition of the Three Gorges area is one of the most ancient in China. Already in the Three Kingdoms period (227–232), Zhāng Yī (张揖) in “Guangya” (《广雅》) described the method of producing tea cakes from the area “between Jing and Ba” (荆巴间), that is, precisely in Xiázhōu (峡州) — the ancient name of Yichang. This is one of the earliest descriptions of tea technology in the world.

In 754, the “tea sage” Lù Yǔ (陆羽, Lù Yǔ, 733–804) personally arrived in Dengcun to study local tea cultivation. In “The Classic of Tea” (《茶经》, Chájīng) he rendered the famous verdict: “In the south of the mountains — tea of Xiazhou is the best” (山南，以峡州上), placing Xiazhou above all other tea regions of the southern slope. This is the highest evaluation ever given by Lu Yu to a tea region. In the Song era, poet Ōuyáng Xiū (欧阳修, Ōuyáng Xiū), who served as county magistrate of Yiling, left the famous couplet: “Spring-autumn of Chu state on western borders, Lu Yu’s Tea Classic — first prefecture” (春秋楚国西偏境，陆羽茶经第一州). Under the Qing, tea from Xiázhōu entered the list of tribute tea (贡茶).

The modern birth of Sanxia Long Jing as an independent product occurred in the 1980s, when Hubei tea masters adapted the classic Xi Hu Long Jing technology for local raw material — the Yíchāng group variety (宜昌群体种). The tea received the name “Sanxia Long Jing” — “Long Jing of the Three Gorges.” The key innovation was the “Sanxia hui-guo” technology (三峡辉锅) — finishing in the pot using bamboo charcoal for low-temperature aroma development, not used in Zhejiang production.

In 2025, Sanxia Long Jing was included in the strategic program of Hubei Province “One Red — One Green” (一红一绿, yī hóng yī lǜ), aimed at promoting the two main tea brands of the province, and was recommended at the Global Tea Congress of Karim (卡利姆全球选茶大会).

Name: 三峡 (Sānxiá) — Three Gorges, the famous canyon of the Yangtze River, from which the hydroelectric power station of the same name got its name; 龙井 (Lóng Jǐng) — “Dragon Well,” a reference to the classic shape of Zhejiang tea, transferred to Hubei raw material. Full meaning: “Long Jing from the Three Gorges” — emphasizes both the famous terroir and technological heritage.
Cultural significance: Sanxia Long Jing is the embodiment of the concept “Tea Valley of the Three Gorges” (三峡茶谷), a large-scale project to transform Yichang’s tea gardens into a tourist and ecological showcase. The tea is directly connected to Dengcun — the first and only township in China to be awarded the title “China’s Famous Tea Capital” (中国名茶之乡) at the township level. Dengcun also received the statuses “World Tea Tourism Town” (世界茶旅小镇) and “World Core Zone of High-Quality Green Tea” (世界高品质绿茶核心产区). The proximity of the Three Gorges Dam gives the tea symbolic significance — it is associated with the power and grandeur of the most massive hydroelectric project on the planet.

3. Botanical Description and Raw Material:

Variety / cultivar: Main — Yíchāng Group Variety (宜昌群体种, Yíchāng Qúntǐzhǒng), a bush medium-leaf variety of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, one of the first 30 nationally recognized local varieties of China. Distinguished by high amino acid content (up to 5.76% in Dengcun according to data from China’s Ministry of Agriculture) and optimal ratio of polyphenols to amino acids. Additionally used is the clonal variety Long Jing 43 (龙井43号, Lóngjǐng 43 Hào) — an early-ripening cultivar providing early spring harvest. Old trees (30+ years) are concentrated in Dengcun; mass of 100 shoots “bud + one leaf” — about 40 g.
Harvest: Spring — from late February to April. Most valuable — “mingqian” (明前, míngqián, before Qingming festival), then — “yuqian” (雨前, yǔqián, before Guyu festival). Summer-autumn harvest goes mainly to the mass market.
Harvest standard: Supreme grade (特级) — single buds or bud with one half-opened leaflet (一芽一叶初展); content of pure buds ≥85%, length ≤2.5 cm. First grade — bud with one opened leaflet (一芽一叶开展), ≥80%. Second — bud with two leaflets.
Raw material requirements: Tender young shoots without mechanical damage and traces of pests. Raw material is processed on the day of harvest.

4. Terroir and Cultivation Features:

The production area is located along the shores of the Three Gorges reservoir, on the famous “golden tea parallel” — 30° N latitude. Relief — hilly slopes and low mountains, cut by the Yangtze canyon.

Growing altitude: 300–800 m; core zone (Dengcun, Taipingxi) — 500–800 m on gentle slopes directly near the hydroelectric dam.
Climate: Subtropical monsoon. Average annual temperature 16–18°C; precipitation 1000–1200 mm/year; cloudy-foggy days >150 per year. The Three Gorges reservoir creates a powerful microclimatic effect: enhances fog formation, softens daily temperature fluctuations and increases the proportion of diffused light — all this stimulates amino acid accumulation in leaves (spring tea — amino acids ≥2.8%).
Soils: Yellow-brown loams (黄棕壤, huáng zōng rǎng), pH 5.0–6.0, organic matter >1.5%. Soils are enriched with selenium (Se 0.15–0.3 μg/g) and zinc — a consequence of the geochemistry of the rock formations of Xichuan Gorge.
Ecology: Forest coverage — 65%. Irrigation — Yangtze water system. Industrial pollution is absent; air and water quality meets the highest national standards. Dengcun was awarded the title “World Core Zone of High-Quality Green Tea” (世界高品质绿茶核心产区) by the World Green Tea Association.

5. Production Technology:

Sanxia Long Jing is produced using adapted Xi Hu Long Jing technology, enriched with local techniques. The key difference is the final stage “Sanxia hui-guo” over bamboo charcoal.

Spreading / withering (摊放 — tān fàng): Fresh shoots are spread in a thin layer for 2–3 hours in a ventilated room. The brevity of this stage (unlike oolongs) preserves maximum green freshness.
Kill-green fixation (杀青 — shāqīng): Drum pan-firing at ~200°C. High temperature quickly inactivates enzymes and forms primary roasted notes. The drum method ensures uniformity — the technological base is worked out in the production of the famous Dengcun Green Tea.
Shaping / straightening and flattening (理条压扁 — lǐ tiáo yā biǎn): Tea buds are pressed into the flat “sword-like” (剑片状, jiànpiàn zhuàng) shape characteristic of Long Jings. Manual techniques borrowed from Xi Hu Long Jing are applied: “grasp” (抓, zhuā), “shake” (抖, dǒu), “toss” (搭, dā).
Drying (烘干 — hōnggān): Stepped — from 80°C at the initial stage to 60°C at the final — for gradual moisture removal without aroma loss.
“Sanxia hui-guo” — finishing in pot over bamboo charcoal (三峡辉锅 — Sānxiá huī guō): A unique stage with no analog in Zhejiang technology. Tea is warmed at low temperature over bamboo charcoal (竹炭, zhútan), which forms a soft chestnut profile and “lasting aroma” (香气持久). This technique is considered a proprietary innovation of Hubei masters.

6. Organoleptic Characteristics:

Dry leaf appearance: Flat, straight “sword blades” (扁平挺直, biǎnpíng tǐngzhí), emerald-green with noticeable silvery down (翠绿显毫). Shape is even, uniform.
Dry leaf aroma: Tender chestnut (嫩栗香, nèn lì xiāng) — dominant note; clean green (清香, qīng xiāng) — spring accent. Chestnut character is more pronounced than in Xi Hu Long Jing — result of “Sanxia hui-guo.”
Liquor aroma: Chestnut-green, high, persistent. With cooling, creamy-sweet nuances appear.
Taste: Fresh (鲜爽, xiān shuǎng) thanks to high amino acid content. Sweet (甘, gān) — with pronounced returning aftertaste. Body — medium-dense, harmonious (醇, chún), without excessive astringency or wateriness.
Liquor color: Tender green, clear and bright (嫩绿清澈明亮).
Spent leaves (wet leaves): Tender green, buds open as “flowers” (嫩绿成朵), even, lively and uniform (匀齐鲜活).

7. Chemical Composition:

Polyphenols (茶多酚): 22–25%. Moderate level for green tea, ensuring taste softness without excessive astringency.
Amino acids (氨基酸): ≥2.8% (spring tea); in Dengcun on old trees — up to 5.76% (data from China’s Ministry of Agriculture). L-theanine — main component responsible for freshness and gentle invigoration.
Water-extractable substances (水浸出物): ≥42% (supreme grade) — indicator of rich and “dense” liquor.
Alkaloids: Caffeine in the standard range for green tea; in combination with L-theanine gives the effect of “calm concentration.”
Minerals: Selenium — 0.15–0.3 μg/g (natural geochemical marker); zinc, potassium, manganese, fluorine (the latter — elevated content, effective for caries prevention).
Vitamins: Vitamin C, B vitamins (B₁, B₂), vitamin E.

8. Health Properties:

Tonic effect: Synergy of caffeine and L-theanine provides gentle concentration enhancement without anxiety.
Antioxidant protection: Polyphenols (22–25%) and selenium jointly neutralize free radicals.
Lipid metabolism support: Catechins stimulate fat metabolism.
Oral health: Elevated fluorine content inhibits cariogenic bacteria activity.
Selenium support: Natural selenium (0.15–0.3 μg/g) — important microelement for thyroid gland, immunity and antioxidant system.
Cardiovascular system: Catechins and vitamin C support vascular elasticity.
Cognitive functions: L-theanine stimulates alpha-wave brain activity.
Important: Listed properties are based on general data about green tea and are not medical recommendations. Not recommended to drink on empty stomach. Fresh tea should preferably be aged 10 days in a dark place to “shed fire energy” (褪火气). When taking medications — interval of at least 2 hours. Daily norm — no more than 500 ml.

9. Brewing:

Water temperature: 80–85°C for standard tea; 80°C for supreme grade. Do not use boiling water.
Tea amount: 3 g per 150 ml (1:50 ratio).
Teaware: Glass cup (玻璃杯) — for observing the opening of flat “blades.”
Process:
1. Warm the glass with hot water and pour out.
2. Add 3 g of tea.
3. Use the “middle pouring method” (中投法, zhōng tóu fǎ): pour water to 1/3 volume for leaf moistening.
4. After 30–60 seconds, fill to full volume.
5. First infusion — about 1 minute.
6. Subsequent — increase time by 30 seconds. Up to 3 infusions allowed.
Note: After opening package, store hermetically in refrigerator and consume within 2 months. Do not drink tea left overnight.

10. Storage:

Temperature: 0–5°C (refrigerator) — mandatory for freshness preservation.
Container: Hermetic vacuum or foil packaging. After opening — double sealing (foil + jar).
Light: Store in complete darkness; light destroys chlorophyll and aroma.
Shelf life: After opening — no more than 2 months. Sealed — up to 12 months at 0–5°C.
Special note: Fresh tea is recommended to be aged 10 days in a dark place at room temperature before first brewing (褪火气, “shedding fire energy”).

11. Price and Counterfeits:

Sanxia Long Jing is a tea of medium and medium-high price segment, significantly more affordable than Zhejiang Xi Hu Long Jing. Approximate prices: “mingqian” supreme grade — from 600 yuan/jin (≈1200 yuan/kg); “yuqian” first grade — 300–500 yuan/jin; summer-autumn — available for mass consumption. Main producers — companies of “Dengcun Green Tea” group (邓村绿茶集团), “Xiaoshi Tea” (萧氏茶业集团), “Yicha Group” (宜茶集团) and “Hongjian Tea” (鸿渐茶业集团).

How to avoid counterfeits:
- Buy from certified enterprises of the “Sanxiacha-gu” zone (三峡茶谷) or from winners of Yichang competition tastings.
- Evaluate shape: flat, even “blades” with down. Twisted or shapeless tea leaves — sign of substitution.
- Check chestnut aroma (嫩栗香) — calling card of bamboo charcoal warming. Absence — reason for suspicion.
- Liquor should be tender green and crystal clear. Dark or cloudy liquor — sign of old or poor-quality raw material.
- Price below 200 yuan/jin for declared spring tea — almost certainly substitution.

12. Interesting Facts:

Lu Yu’s “First Prefecture”: The Three Gorges area is the only tea zone that the author of “The Classic of Tea” rated as “best” (上) in the “southern mountains” (山南) category. This happened after Lu Yu’s personal visit to Dengcun in 754 — one of the earliest documented “tea audits” in history.
23 kilometers to the dam: The core zone of Sanxia Long Jing (Dengcun Township) is located only 23 km from the Three Gorges Dam — the most powerful hydroelectric station on the planet. The reservoir creates a unique microclimate that enhances fogginess.
Ouyang Xiu’s tea: The great Song literati Ouyang Xiu, who served in Yiling, celebrated local tea in verse — his couplet “Spring-autumn of Chu on western borders, Lu Yu’s Tea Classic — first prefecture” is still quoted in every teahouse in Dengcun.
Bamboo charcoal — not firewood: The “Sanxia hui-guo” technology uses precisely bamboo charcoal (竹炭), not wood charcoal. Bamboo burns at a lower and more stable temperature, allowing tea to be warmed more gently and evenly, forming the characteristic chestnut note.
“World Tasting” evaluation: In 2025, Sānxiá Long Jǐng was presented at the Global Tea Congress of Karim (卡利姆全球选茶大会) — an international platform for selecting the world’s best teas.

13. Comparison with Other Flat Green Teas:

Xī Hú Lǒng Jìng (西湖龙井, Xīhú Lóngjǐng): Zhejiang. Standard of “Long Jing” shape. Cultivar Long Jing 43 or Quntijun. Aroma — chestnut-nutty, with “bean” sweetness; taste — more mineral and “dry.” Sanxia Long Jing — softer, with more pronounced green freshness and amino acid sweetness, less “roasted.”
Dàfó Lóng Jǐng (大佛龙井, Dàfó Lóng Jǐng): Zhejiang, Xinchang. Also flat, but from Wuniu-zao or Long Jing 43 cultivar. More “chlorophyll” and “green” in taste, without charcoal chestnut background. Sanxia Long Jing — with deeper, “warmer” aromatic profile due to bamboo charcoal.
Taiwanese Sānxiá Lǒng Jìng (三峽龍井, Sānxiá Lóngjǐng): Taiwan, Sānxiá District (三峽區). Completely different tea: produced from endemic Taiwanese cultivar Qīng Xīn Gān Zài (青心柑仔), has characteristic “bean-mung” aroma and bright citrus note in aftertaste. Hubei Sanxia Long Jing — more traditional in style, chestnut, close to classic Long Jing.
Dèngcūn Green Tea (邓村绿茶, Dèngcūn Lǜchá): Same region, same cultivar (Yichang Group Variety), but different shape — twisted, not flat. Typical Hubei “chao-qing” (炒青, pan-fired green). Taste — more “dense” and “full-bodied”; Sanxia Long Jing — more delicate, with emphasis on shape and “blade” aesthetics.

In conclusion:

Sanxia Long Jing is a tea born at the intersection of two great traditions: millennial Hubei tea cultivation, blessed by Lu Yu himself, and the classic Zhejiang “dragon well” shape. Proprietary finishing over bamboo charcoal, selenium soils of the Yangtze shores and fogs of the world’s greatest hydroelectric reservoir form a character that cannot be confused with either Xi Hu Long Jing or its Taiwanese namesake. This is tea for those who value the classic flat shape but want a softer, sweeter and more “warm” profile — “Long Jing with a chestnut heart,” born in gorges that witnessed poet Qu Yuan, beauty Wang Zhaojun and the dam that changed the course of Asia’s greatest river.