何为“明前茶”？5个窍门带你了解下！
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老桑说
明/前/茶/贵/如/金
明前茶到底是什么呢？
它们真的有如此高的价值吗？
请跟着老桑一起来实地考察吧！
▾
「 朋友，你好！我是老桑。 」
△老桑与茶农
在距离4月5号的清明节还有几周时，我们看到市场上的新茶越来越多。这些茶，被称为明前茶（清明之前的茶），它们通常价格较高且品质极好。
△明前茶
那么，
明前茶到底是什么呢？
它们真的有如此高的价值吗？
由你决定
You decide
所有的茶是从茶树采摘的茶树（学名：Camellia sinensis)，属山茶科山茶属）。茶树是一种常绿灌木或小型树，其叶子或芽头被用来制茶。
白茶、绿茶、黄茶、乌龙茶、红茶、黑茶都是从茶树采摘的。它们有着不同的处理工艺和氧化程度（想了解更多关于不同茶的信息，请参见我以前的文章：茶文化：原来这样就是外国人眼中的“中国茶”）。
时间和温度对于茶叶的制作至关重要。
茶树在冬天处于休眠状态，当春天到来，茶树变得生气勃勃并开始发芽，这些芽头被pluck（采摘）和处理，成为在收获季节里的第一批茶叶，被称为初摘茶（“first flush”）。它们通常与后来采摘制作的茶叶有着不同的味道和品相。
△先采摘的明前茶叶
在中国，清明节保留有多种传统习俗，人们相聚、扫墓并向逝者表达尊敬与怀念。在茶的世界里，这个节日有着不同意义。根据农历，清明节将“明前茶”与“明后茶”相区别。
实地考察
Field Trip
最著名的明前茶是杭州西湖地区的龙井茶。
为更多了解这些茶，我到杭州进行了“明前“旅行。在浙江工业大学做完演讲后，我参访了国家茶博物馆和西湖地区的一些茶农。我的朋友兼导游，来自茶博物馆的周彬，十分慷慨地分享给我了关于茶的知识。
△国家茶叶博物馆龙井馆
龙井茶属于绿茶。采摘后，其叶子会被高温处理（俗称为“杀青“）然后锅炒。这会使得茶味回甘，reminiscent （使人想起）现烤玉米或豆花。许多龙井茶爱好者既品尝饱满的、有坚果清香的和黄油润滑质地的质地，也享受它精心辉锅后的口感。
那么明前茶的特点是什么呢？
1
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想象一下当你一夜好眠后第二天清晨醒来时的感觉，你应当会感到焕然一新，状态上佳。随着太阳西斜，你的精力可能逐渐消耗，随着夜晚到来，你已经疲乏，为再次入睡做好准备。
这一规律对于茶也是适用的。作为第一批新芽，茶叶和芽头积累了一个冬天的休息和营养。它们春天第一次sprout（发芽）时，是要为这个季节带来最大程度的美好。且因为天气仍然寒凉，很少有害虫威胁茶叶，减少了杀虫剂的使用。
这使得明前茶通常被认为具有上佳品质。
2
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一种区分明前茶和明后茶的方式是看叶子和芽头的大小。龙井茶是由两叶一芯组成。在早采摘的茶中，芽头通常比叶子大。
随着季节推移，气温上升，这使得茶树加速生长。在清明节前后，叶子和芽头大小大致相同。在较后期的茶叶中，叶子比芽头大。此外，后期的叶子和芽头普遍比前期的叶子芽头要大。
炒干后的茶叶品相是评估茶叶质量的主要参照。直观上看，芽头被认为比叶子更有美感。明前茶看起来清新美味，因为早期叶子更为柔嫩。后期叶子可能会看起来更粗糙不均。
3
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早期的高质量芽头通常会有更甜香更回味多样的口感。后期体积较大的叶子芽头可能在炒制中失去多样口感。早期茶叶的香气比味道要浓，晚期茶则味道掩过香气。
明前茶的口感中有一种清新，在后期茶中因为炒制火力增强则没有这种口感，而会呈现更多炒制的味道特征。
明前茶色泽较浅。泡茶时也只有早期茶叶可以带来这种vibrancy（清新）视觉。
4
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明前茶，贵如金
明前茶比后期的更为昂贵。有时能贵四倍！这是质量和为制茶投入的劳动力成本所导致的。
在2018年，首批茶在3月18号左右收摘，以龙井翁家山村为例，以3800元/斤的价格售卖。每天的新茶价格会下降，在4月5号清明节时会逐渐降到800元/斤。后清明茶通常卖500-600元/斤。
△狮峰区龙井茶商
较低的温度和缓慢成长速度使得早春茶叶很稀有。因为这批茶叶储量很低，价格则会更高。
并且，采茶者采摘这些较小的芽头需要更多劳动。取决于天气和采摘技艺，采摘4斤的早春新茶可能需要花费一整天时间。在后期，因为叶子和芽头更大了，采茶者可以在1天内采摘10斤，后期的茶需要的劳动力投入相对更少，所以成本下降。
5
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明前茶的概念在江南（安徽、江苏、浙江）这一绿茶产区更受强调。明前与明后的区分对于其它地区没有得到这样的强调，人们通常不太关注这些产区的茶是清明节前还是后制作的。
如乌龙茶和黑茶，通常不会被贴上明前茶的标签，既因为它们大都是春季较晚时候收摘的（如乌龙茶，人们更喜爱口味浓醇的），也因为它们会被制作和典藏（如普洱茶）在多年后才被饮用。
△狮峰龙井嫩芽
So, is Pre-Qingming tea better?
明前茶是不是更好的呢？
只有你依自己的感受才能回答。如果你喜爱口味较轻，有婉转后味的茶，明前茶就非常适合你。如果你只喝白开水或矿泉水，你应当会偏好清淡的茶。
如果你喜欢口味浓香有更多炒制风味的茶，那么晚春的茶更适于你品尝。如果你喜欢喝咖啡和果汁，你应当是更accustomed（习惯）浓厚些的口味，因此更多炒制的，色泽更深的茶当是符合你的口味。
△开心品尝明前茶
通过尝试两个类型的茶叶，你应当可以为自己做出选择。
My friend，市场上关于明前茶有许多信息及信息不对称。但现在你有了这5个窍门，你可以做更审慎的决定和消费了。最后，要依己所好，而不是听他人的推销，你会做出正确的选择的！
△龙井茶区的桃花
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谢谢收看《老桑说》。
给你启发，激励你上进，陪伴你坚持。
敬请期待下一集。
5 Tips to Understanding First
Flush (Pre-Qingming) Teas
▾
「 Hello, my friend！
I’m John Smagula. 」
In these few weeks before the April 5 Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day), we have seen a proliferation of new teas on the market. These teas, known as Pre-Qingming (Ming Qian, or “Before the Rains”), are quite expensive and have the reputation of being the “best.”
So, what is Pre-Qingming tea? And is it really worth the higher price?
You decide
All tea is produced from the tea bush, the Camellia sinensis. The tea bush is an evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. White, green, yellow, oolong, black, and dark tea are all harvested from the Camellia sinensis. They are distinguished by differing processing methods and levels of oxidation (see Foreigners and Tea).
The tea bush goes dormant in the winter. Then, when spring sets in, the bush comes alive and starts to bud. These buds are plucked and processed, becoming the first tea available that harvesting season. Known as first flush teas, they often have a different taste and appearance than teas plucked in later flushes.
In China, the Qingming Festival has rich traditions where we gather together, clean the graves of our ancestors, and pay our respects to the departed. In the tea world, this Festival has a different meaning. Based on the lunar calendar, the Qingming Festival separates the Pre- and Post-Qingming teas.
Field Trip
The most famous Pre-Qingming tea is Longjing (Dragon Well) tea, from the West Lake region of Hangzhou.
To learn more about these teas, I made a pre-Qingming trip to Hangzhou. After my lecture at Zhejiang University of Technology, I visited the National Tea Museum and some farmers in the West Lake district. My friend and guide, Zhou Bin of the tea museum, was very generous with his time and knowledge.
Longjing Tea is a green tea. Once plucked, the leaves are heated (known as shaqing, or “kill the green”) and then pan-fired. The result is a tea with a somewhat sweet, rounded flavor, reminiscent of freshly roasted white corn or soy beans. Many Longjing enthusiasts savor the full, nutty, and buttery texture, as well as its pleasantly dry finish.
What, then, characterizes Pre-Qingming teas?
1
Superior Quality
Think of how you feel first thing in the morning after you have a good night’s sleep. You often feel refreshed and at your best. As the day goes on, your energy level may drop, and then as the night falls, you’re ready for sleep.
The same can be true for tea. With the first flush, the leaves and buds have had the benefit of a winter of rest and nutrient-gathering. As they sprout buds for the first time, they give forth the “best” they have for the season. As the weather is still cool, there are fewer pests to threaten the leaves, reducing the need for pesticides.
As a result, the Pre-Qingming teas are almost always considered to be superior in quality.
2
More bud, less leaf
One way to distinguish the difference between Pre- and Post-Qingming teas is to look at the size of the leaves and buds. Longjing tea is made from two leaves and a bud. In the earlier teas, the bud is generally larger than the leaves.
As the season goes on, the temperature heats up and causes the tea plant to grow faster. Around the Qingming Festival, the leaves and buds are approximately the same size. In later teas, the leaves will be larger than the buds. Moreover, the overall size of the leaves and buds will be larger in these later teas.
The appearance of the dry leaf is very important in assessing the quality of a tea. Visually, buds are considered more aesthetic than leaves. Pre-Qingming teas appear fresh and delicate, as the earlier leaves are more tender. Later teas can appear more coarse and uneven.
3
Light vs Heavy
The higher quality and earlier buds generally produce a sweeter, more complex flavor. Later and larger tea buds and leaves can lose complexity in the brewed flavor. Earlier teas have a stronger aroma than taste, whereas later teas have a heavier flavor than aroma.
There is a freshness to the flavor of Pre-Qingming teas, without a roasted or toasty character that comes from increased firing of later-season teas.
Pre-Qingming teas will have a lighter color. The infusion will also have visual vibrancy of color that only the earlier teas can offer.
4
Price
“Mingqian tea is as precious as gold.”
Pre-Qingming teas are more expensive than later teas, sometimes as much as four times the price! This is a result of the quality, as well as the labor needed to make the tea.
In 2018, in Longjing’s Wengjiashan village, the first teas were harvested around March 18, selling for 3,800 yuan/half-kilogram. Each day, the price goes down, gradually reaching 800 yuan/half-kilogram by the April 5 Qingming Festival. The post-Qingming teas generally sell for 500-600 yuan/half-kilogram.
The low temperature and slower growth make tea material scarcer in the very early spring. Since there is a limited amount of tea stock, the price will be higher.
Also, tea pickers need to work much harder to collect smaller buds. Depending on weather and plucking skill, it may take a full day to pluck 2 kilograms of early fresh tea leaves. Later, since the leaves and buds are much larger, a tea picker can pluck 5 kilograms in a day. As later teas require less labor to harvest, the cost goes down.
5
Not all teas are Pre-Qingming teas
Pre-Qingming teas are most highly valued in the green teas of the Jiangnan region (Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces). The pre- or post-Qingming distinction is less important for most other teas, regardless of whether they are produced before or after the Qingming Festival.
Oolong and dark teas, for example, are generally not labeled as Pre-Qingming tea, either because they are plucked later in the season (as in oolong teas, in which a stronger flavor profile is desired), or because they are processed and aged (such as some pu’er teas), to be consumed at a later time.
So, is Pre-Qingming tea better?
Only you can answer that question. If you prefer a lighter tea with more complex notes, then Pre-Qingming tea is best for you. If you generally only drink plain hot water or mineral water, you might prefer the lighter teas.
If you prefer a heavier tea with a more roasted flavor, then the later-season teas would be your best pick. If you drink coffee and fruit juice, then you are probably more accustomed to heavier flavors, and a richer, darker tea may better suit your taste.
The only way to find out is to try both, and then decide for yourself which you like.
My friend, there is a lot of information—and misinformation—in the market about Pre-Qingming teas. But now that you are armed with these 5 tips, you can make more informed decisions and purchases. In the end, by going with what you prefer—as opposed to what others say is better—you’ll always be making the right choice!
1.Pluck
a)含义：v. 拉；扯；摘
b)例句：
i.Then, when spring sets in, the bush comes alive and starts to bud. These buds are plucked and processed, becoming the first tea available that harvesting season.
当春天到来，茶树变得生气勃勃并开始发芽，这些芽头被采摘和处理，成为在收获季节里的第一批茶叶
ii.When you get hungry, just pluck a pear off the tree and eat it.
肚子饿了你就从树上采摘一个梨吃吧。
c)近义词：pull, draw, drop
2.Reminiscent
a)含义： adj. 怀旧的；回忆往事的
b)例句：
i.The result is a tea with a somewhat sweet, rounded flavor, reminiscent of freshly roasted white corn or soy beans.
这会使得茶味有甜香，使人想起现烤糯玉米或豆花。
ii.Her face wore a reminiscent smile.
她面带微笑，沉浸在往事之中。
c)近义词：remindful, evocative of, redolent of
3.Sprout
a)含义：v. 发芽；萌芽
b)例句：
i.As they sprout buds for the first time, they give forth the “best” they have for the season.
它们春天第一次发芽时，是要为这个季节带来最大程度的美好。
ii.To protect themselves from this competition, some shrubs give off a substance that kills young plants that sprout too close to them.
为避免竞争，一些灌木会释放一种物质来杀死那些距他们太近发芽的植物。
c)近义词：germinate, burgeon
4.Vibrancy
a)含义：n. 振动；活力
b)例句：
i.The infusion will also have visual vibrancy of color that only the earlier teas can offer.
泡茶时也只有早期茶叶可以带来这种清新视觉。
ii.London is a multicultural metropolis with a vibrancy and a personality all its own.
伦敦是一个多文化的，有活力和自己特性的大都市。
c)近义词：vigor, energy, vitality
5.Accustom
a)含义：v. 使习惯于
b)例句：
i.If you drink coffee and fruit juice, then you are probably more accustomed to heavier flavors, and a richer, darker tea may better suit your taste.
如果你喜欢喝咖啡和果汁，你应当是更习惯浓厚些的口味，因此更多炒制的，色泽更深的茶当是符合你的口味。
ii.You must accustom yourself to the new environment.
你必须使自己适应新环境。
c)近义词：adapt, acclimatize, habituate, accommodate
Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you.
See you next time.
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