This famous tea is indeed a deep, glossy green color as its name,
Jade Green, implies. In ages past, the Japanese learned the process
for Green Jade, which remains one of their important teas. The
Chinese variety is sometime known as Wufeng Yulu for its place of
origin, Mt. Wufeng (Five-Peak Mountain) in southwestern Hubei
province.
What is different about this tea is that the leaves are not
withered, but are first de-enzymized by a minute of steaming over
hot water. This enables them to keep their fresh color. The picked
leaves must be processed as soon as possible, preferably the same
day. After steaming they are air-dried and cooled, pan fried to
remove remaining water and rawness, then rolled at low heat until
fully dry. The fine, taut rolls of the finished tea look like pine
needles. The fragrant beverage is a clear green.
This tea is sold to Japan, the United States, and Hong Kong. A
similar product is exported to Japan by Zhejiang province under the
name Steamed Green.
Hubei has been famous producer of tea since the Tang dynasty. In
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Yangtze River city of
Hankou, one of the three that make up the metropolis of Wuhan,
became a leading tea shipping port. Another famous tea that passes
through it is Yihong Black (Yi is an old name for Hunan province,
which lies south of Hubei). Yihong is produced around Eshi in
eastern Hunan and is exported to Southeast Asia, North Africa, and
Britain. Hubei Black is sold in Egypt, Pakistan, and the United
States.
