Xié Bèi Chá斜背茶

Classification and Origin

Category: National Geographical Indication Product (中国国家农产品地理标志产品, 2018). In the 1970s — one of the "Ten Famous Teas of Fujian" (福建十大名茶). The only green tea from Longyan included in the "Zhongguo Chajing" — the authoritative "Registry of Regional Famous Teas" (地产名茶名录). Gold award at the "Red Fields" competition (红古田杯, 2023). 16 century-old ancient tea trees are under state protection.

Coordinates: Approximately 25°17′ North latitude, 117°05′ East longitude.

Origin: China, Fújiàn Province (福建, Fújiàn), Lóngyán City (龙岩市, Lóngyán Shì), Xīnluó District (新罗区, Xīnluó Qū), Jiāngshān Township (江山乡, Jiāngshān Xiāng). The terroir core is Lǎozhài Village (老寨村, Lǎozhài Cūn) (elevation 1,248 m — highest point), villages Xinzhai (新寨村), Beiyang (背洋村), Měixī (梅溪村) and Shàntóu (山头村) — tea gardens covering ~700 mu (47 hectares), producing 90% of the output.

Type: Green tea (non-oxidized). Belongs to pan-fired green teas (炒青绿茶, chǎoqīng lǜchá). Shape — tight straight strips of gray-green color with yellowish tint (紧实条形，灰绿带黄).

History and Culture

Cultural Significance: Xie Bei Cha is a living relic of Fujian "pre-oolong" tea cultivation: in a province where almost all tea is semi-oxidized (oolong) or minimally processed (white), Xie Bei Cha represents an ancient green tradition preserved in an isolated high-altitude village. Its "garden tea bushes" (菜茶) — sexually reproduced, without cloning — are genetically closer to primitive tea populations than any modern cultivar.

History: Tea cultivation in Xiebei village dates back to the end of the Míng era (明末, 17th century) — over 300 years ago. The "Records of Longyan City" (龙岩市志, Lóngyán Shìzhì) confirm: tea began to be cultivated at the end of Ming, and by the beginning of Qing it had already become a local famous tea.

Botany and Raw Material

Six levels:

4–6 leaves of large opening. Tight strips, gray-green. High artemisia aroma. Taste — olive returning sweetness. Highest quality.

Gradually coarser raw material, decreasing aroma intensity, but maintaining brewing endurance.

Cultivar: Xiebei Caicha Youxingquntichong (斜背菜茶有性群体种) — local indigenous "garden" variety of Camellia sinensis from sexual reproduction. Semi-arboreal type (半乔木型, bànqiáomù xíng), height — 1–2 m. Leaf large (length 10–16 cm). Young shoots — yellow-green, fleshy, with long internodes. Polyphenol content — high. Five subtypes: large-leaf (大叶种, 80% of plantings, with pronounced artemisia aroma), seed-leaf (瓜子叶种), bamboo-leaf (竹叶种), round-leaf/white-leaf (圆叶/白叶种), red-leaf/purple (红叶/紫芽种, with elevated anthocyanin content and fruity aroma).

Picking: Unique feature — harvest is conducted during Lìxià (立夏, "Beginning of Summer," ~May 5–7) — significantly later than most green teas (usually before Qingming or Guyu). Standard — 4–6 leaves of "large opening" (大开面新梢, dà kāimiàn xīnshāo) — fully unfolded, mature shoots. This radically differs from the standard of most green teas (tenderest buds). Using mature raw material is not a compromise but a conceptual choice: precisely mature leaves give the characteristic artemisia aroma and olive taste.

Terroir

Altitude: 1,000–1,248 meters — one of the highest tea villages in Fujian. Lǎozhài village (1, 248 m) — the "roof" of tea-growing Longyan.

Climate: Average annual temperature — 17°C, annual precipitation — 1,683 mm. Average annual number of foggy days — >200. Daily temperature variations — >10°C. Extended growing season (due to altitude) ensures deeper accumulation of nutrients.

Soil: Yellow and gray-brown soils (黄壤、灰棕壤) with inclusions of quartz pebbles (石英细砾), providing excellent permeability and aeration. pH 4.5–6.5. Organic matter — high. Forest coverage — 78%. Diffused light proportion — 70%. Diseases and pests — rare (thanks to altitude and isolation).

High-altitude location causes "yellowing" of shoots (芽叶黄绿色变): chlorophyll content is reduced, while polyphenols and water extract are elevated. This creates the "three yellow-greens" — the visual calling card of Xie Bei Cha.

Production

Manual harvest during Lixia, 4–6 mature leaves.

Two woks with different temperatures are used: first — 140–160°C, second — 110–130°C. Leaves are transferred from the hot wok to the less hot one and back — this technique ensures even heating of large mature raw material.

Formation of strip structure.

At 90–100°C / 70–90°C — intermediate "tempering."

Moisture redistribution.

Additional processing.

Fraction separation.

Final "roasting."

Moisture content — ≤6.5%.

Organoleptic Profile

Dry Leaf Appearance: Tight, strong strips (紧实条形), gray-green color with yellowish tint (灰绿带黄). Leaf noticeably larger than most green teas — result of late harvest of mature raw material.

Dry Leaf Aroma: Artemisia aroma (艾香, àixiāng) — the main and unique aromatic note, not found in any other famous green tea. Grassy-green freshness (草木清香, cǎomù qīngxiāng). With aging, honey note appears (陈化后显蜜香, chénhuà hòu xiǎn mìxiāng).

Liquor Aroma: Artemisia, clean, high.

Liquor Color: Yellow-green, clear and transparent (黄绿清澈).

When brewed in a glass cup, shoots stand vertically (芽叶竖立杯中).

5–7 infusions — significantly higher than usual for green tea, explained by use of mature raw material.

Spent Leaves: Tender, yellow-green, bright (嫩黄绿亮).

Taste: Dense and rich (浓厚, nónghòu) — result of high polyphenol content. Returning sweetness resembling fresh olives (回甘持久，似鲜橄榄) — key descriptor: initial light bitterness instantly transforms into long, "oily" sweetness, like chewing green olives. Powerful salivation generation (生津强, shēngjīn qiáng). Formula: "微苦转甘" — "light bitterness transforming to sweetness".

Chemical Composition

Alkaloids: Caffeine — significant content. Together with polyphenols ensures fat breakdown.

High — ensures richness and endurance.

High content — forms protective "fluorapatite" layer on enamel, increasing acid resistance by 40%.

Minerals: Quartz soils provide unique mineral profile.

Polyphenols: Significantly above average — result of high altitude and mature raw material. Coagulate bacterial proteins with 30% higher efficiency than ordinary green tea — pronounced antibacterial action.

Vitamins: Vitamin C, carotenoids.

Health Notes

Record polyphenols coagulate bacterial proteins with 30% higher efficiency — suppression of dysentery and enteritis pathogens.

Caffeine + polyphenols break down fats and regulate cholesterol — 25% more effective than red tea (black tea).

Fluorine — enamel acid resistance +40%.

Polyphenols.

not medical advice.

Brewing

Tea Amount: 3 g per 150 ml (1:50).

Teaware: Glass cup (observing vertically standing shoots) or white porcelain gaiwan.

Water Temperature: 85–90°C — higher than for most green teas (mature raw material withstands high temperature). Mountain spring water — ideal.

Comparison

From Guizhou. Also from mature raw material (one bud + two-three leaves). Lübaoshi — granulated, chestnut; Xie Bei Cha — strip, artemisia-olive. Both challenge the "tenderness = quality" paradigm.

Xie Bei Cha is the antipode: late-season (Lixia vs. Qingming), mature (4–6 leaves vs. one bud), yellow-green (vs. emerald), artemisia-olive (vs. chestnut-orchid). This is "anti-green green tea" — and therein lies its uniqueness.

Also from large-leaf raw material, also with high polyphenol content. Yingde — from Yunnan cultivar, with "微苦无涩"; Xie Bei Cha — from indigenous Fujian "菜茶", with "微苦转甘似橄榄".