MONTH GUIDE · UPDATED 2026

Tea Mountains & Spring Harvest

Taste the first flush of spring.

Field notes04 / April

The First Flush

April is tea month in China. The year’s youngest leaves are picked, pan-fired, and brewed within days. Follow the harvest and you travel through some of the country’s loveliest green landscapes.

West Lake Longjing: Dragon Well

Hangzhou’s Longjing, or Dragon Well, is China’s most famous green tea. The terraces around Meijiawu and Longjing village turn busy in early April as pickers take the pre-Qingming buds, the most prized of the year. You can pluck a few leaves, watch the hand-roasting in a wok, and taste the result still warm.

Wuyi: Cliff Tea and Mist

Fujian’s Wuyi Mountain grows rock oolong on sheer cliffs. The spring harvest fills the valleys with the smell of roasting leaves. A bamboo raft down the Nine Bend River, framed by tea terraces, is one of China’s most fragrant afternoons. Stay for a gongfu tea ceremony in a village inn.

Pu’er: Ancient Trees of Yunnan

In southern Yunnan, Pu’er and Xishuangbanna guard thousand-year tea trees. Spring is the big picking season, and local minorities climb ladders to the canopy. The tea here is raw and earthy, and the villages welcome visitors to press their own cakes.

Best time & weather

Early to late April, region by region. Hangzhou is 14 to 23 C; Wuyi and Yunnan are warm and humid, 16 to 26 C. Mornings are cool and perfect for picking.

Tea tasting tips

  • Pre-Qingming leaves cost the most and taste sweetest
  • Brew green tea with water near 80 C, not boiling
  • Buy from the village, not the airport shop

Taste the Season

Tea country is best visited when the leaves are fresh. A private tour can time your visit to the harvest and include hands-on picking most groups only watch.