Shuangjing Lü双井绿

Classification and Origin

Category: curled, downy, wok-roasted green tea (炒青, form 卷曲显毫 — curled, twisted leaves with an abundant display of silvery down 毫).

宁州群体种 (níngzhōu qúntǐ zhǒng) — the local seed-propagated population of Xiushui County.

mid-range (中档) — a quality, famous tea, but without the pretension of a "top tier" record-breaker in amino acids, like Hunan's 保靖黄金茶.

Origin: Xiushui County (修水) in the Jiujiang (九江) prefecture, in the far northwest of Jiangxi Province, within the mountainous and hilly terrain of the upper reaches of the Xiu River (修河).

Type: green tea.

Production

The highest-grade material is pre-Qingming (明前), meaning plucked before the Qingming Festival, from tender single buds and "one bud, one leaf" flushes. Early plucking ensures a high proportion of amino acids, fine down, and a fresh taste.

Heating in a wok stops enzymatic oxidation and sets the green color and fresh aromatic profile. This is the key difference between the 炒青 method and steaming fixation (蒸青), for which the neighboring Hubei tea, 恩施玉露, is famous.

At this stage, the leaf acquires its characteristic twisted and curled shape, and the down is "drawn" outward, forming a visible fuzz.

The final roasting-drying stage brings the moisture content to a stable level, fixes the shape, and reveals the "roasted-chestnut" warmth of the aroma typical of wok-roasted green teas.

Brewing

Soft, cooled to approximately 80 — 85 °C; boiling water "scalds" the tender buds and produces bitterness.

A small amount of leaf, short initial infusions; the tea withstands several brews, gradually yielding sweetness.

For delicate, downy material, "top" or "middle" pouring is appropriate, so as not to "stun" the buds.

Teaware: A glass cup or gaiwan — glass allows one to observe the "dance" of the leaves and the unfolding of the flushes.

Price and Authenticity

Curled-twisted with down (卷曲显毫) — this distinguishes 双井绿 from flat, Longjing-shaped teas and from strictly needle-shaped teas. From the needle-like 安化松针 (Hunan), and even more so from the steamed "pine needle" 恩施玉露 (Hubei), what separates 双井绿 is precisely its curly form and wok-roasting technology.

炒青 (wok roasting), not 烘青 (oven drying) or 蒸青 (steam fixation). Hence a warmer, more "roasted-chestnut" nuance in the aroma than in purely oven-dried Hunan "cloud-mist" teas.

Jiangxi, Xiushui County (修水, hist. 宁州), cultivar 宁州群体种. This ties the tea to the same terroir as the black tea 宁红. Within Jiangxi, 双井绿 should not be confused with the eyebrow-shaped 婺源茗眉 (Wuyuan, cultivar 上梅州种/婺源群体) or the curled, downy 狗牯脑 (Suichuan, cultivar 遂川群体): each has its own local population and its own history.

The tea's genuine "address" is Shuangjing Village and the name Huang Tingjian. The formula 草茶第一 and the Song dynasty poetic pedigree serve as this tea's cultural "passport," not a marketing stamp of later origin.