Xiao Ye Zhong

Local small leaf varieties are used for almost all green teas and black teas, and sometimes also Heicha in China. Frequently appearing names for local tea plants:

  • Lao Tu Cha (old earth tea, old-fashioned tea), Dang Di Tu Cha Zhong (local earth tea variety), Lao #teaname#, Lao#area#.

  • Cai Cha (vegetable tea), #place# Cai Cha, Ben Di Cai Cha etc.

  • Ben Di Qun Ti Zhong or Ben Di Qun Zhong (local colony variety) or Qun Ti Zhong or Ben Di Xiao Tu Cha or Qun Ti Xiao Ye Zhong etc.

  • Qiaomu Xiaoyezhong (old tea trees): in the area of ​​origin of the tea plant (Xishuangbanna in the south of Yunnan province) there are not only Dayezhong but also old tea trees of Xiaoyezhong (and also Zhongyezhong). This small-leaf variety probably belongs to the Camelia sinensis var. assamica.

Examples:

  • Lao Long Jing (old Long Jing variety)

  • Lao Chuan Cha (old Sichuan tea)

  • Fu An Cai Cha (vegetable tea from Fu'an)

  • The traditional Korean tea bushes also belong to this category of local small-leaf varieties.

  • Ci Men is the local variety in Georgia, which originally comes from Qimen (Keemun) in Anhui Province in China, but which has adapted to the local climate and been propagated locally since the 1850s.

Some are also specially bred.

  • Jiu Keng Zhong (pigeon pit varietal) is probably the same as Lao Long Jing, the original variety for Long Jing. It is also used for other green teas (e.g. Kai Hua Long Ding); also for black tea (e.g. Yi Xing Hong Cha).

  • Long Jing 43 Hao is probably a cross between various local Long Jing plants and/or Jiu Keng Zhong, and is used for green teas (e.g. Long Jing No. 43, An Ji Bai Pian) as well as black tea (Jiu Qu Hong Mei).

  • Bai Ye 1 Hao (White Leaf No. 1): The tea plant with whitish leaves was already described in the Song Dynasty and has been considered as a legend ever since. At the end of the 20th century, however, such a wild tea tree was discovered (or rediscovered?). This wild tea bush was reproduced using cuttings. Green teas of different forms are produced from this variety (An Ji Bai Cha, Bai Cha Long Jing or Bai Ya Long Jing, Fo Xiang Bai Cha (as Gunpowder Zhucha), Tai Bai Cha (as Bi Luo Chun), and recently also black tea (Bai Cha Hong Cha).

  • Qi Men Zhu Ye Zhong is used for Qimen black tea and for Heicha (Lu An Cha).

  • Fu Yun 6 Hao (Fujian-Yunnan No. 6) and Fu Yun Shu Zhong Ya (Fujian-Yunnan tree variety Bud): varietals bred for black and green teas.

  • Hong Ye Xiao Cha (red-leafed small tea) is a further breeding of the local variety Cai Cha in Tanyang with purple-red leaves and an intense taste. The father of the producer of our Gongfu black teas in Tanyang bred this varietal.

  • Meng Shan 9 Hao and Meng Shan 11 Hao are two varietals grown from small-leaved old tea trees that are used for green teas (e.g. Meng Ding Gan Lu) in the province of Sichuan at Meng Ding.

  • Wu Xing Guo You 6 Hao and Gao Xiang Xiao Ye Zhong were bred for very aromatic teas in Zhaoping, Guangxi (Xiang Qi Shan Hong Cha, Qu Hao Hong Cha).

  • Ying Shuang (literally receiving frost) is a cross between Fu Ding Da Bai and Yun Nan Da Ye Zhong, a variety from Hangzhou that was crossed between 1956 and 1979, and is mainly used for green tea (e.g. An Ji Bai Pian, Yun Wu).

  • Jun Shan Yin Zhen 1 Hao is a further breeding of local tea plants for the yellow tea called Jun Shan Silver Needle.

  • Feng Qing 3 Hao and Feng Qing 9 Hao (Feng Qing No. 3 and No. 9 respectively) are Xiao Ye Zhong bred from Da Ye Zhong.

  • Shi Qian Tai Cha (Moss Tea from Shiqian or Tender Bud Tea from Shiqian) is an old local variety from Shiqian in Guizhou Province and is mainly used for green tea.

  • Georgia No. 1 is a varietal bred in Georgia during the Soviet era.

  • Kolhida is a cold-resistant variety from Georgia developed during the Soviet era.