Quick Answer: What Is Yongchuan Xiuya?
Yongchuan Xiuya（永川秀芽，yǒngchuān xiùyá） is a fine, needle-shaped green tea from Yongchuan District, Chongqing.
- History: Research began in 1959; the Yongchuan Xiuya name followed in 1964.[1]
- Leaf: Early-spring material can include a bud with one just-opening leaf.[2]
- Shape: Fixing, rolling, moisture reduction, shaping and drying create its slender form.[2]
- Cup: Fresh fragrance, a clear green liquor and a mellow, sweet-returning taste are characteristic descriptions.[2]
The fine needles are a manufactured leaf shape.
The delicate appearance is only the beginning. To understand this Chongqing tea, connect its modern development with the work that gives it shape.
A Modern Tea from Yongchuan, Chongqing
Yongchuan has an older tea-growing history, but this particular tea belongs to a modern research tradition. Work on the needle-shaped product began in 1959. In 1964, tea scholar Chen Chuan named it Yongchuan Xiuya. These dates concern a specific tea’s development, rather than the beginning of tea cultivation in the district.[1]
The 2026 local association group standard defines its geographical-indication certification-trademark product using tender leaves grown within Yongchuan and processed locally. That is a group standard’s product scope, not a claim that every green needle tea is Yongchuan Xiuya. Read tea origin labels for the stated growing place and producer.[4]
How the Fine Needle Shape Is Made
A local process description starts with early-spring shoots, then lists fixing, rolling, shaking out moisture, forming the strands and baking them dry. Shape-making is an actual manufacturing stage.[2]
The craft developed through hand production and later mechanization. Shaping, rolling and leaf-material combinations were progressively refined; mechanized production expanded in the twenty-first century. Hand skills and modern equipment belong to this history together, rather than marking two unrelated teas.[1]
What the Leaves and Cup Are Like
Look first at the fine, straight green strands, then at the clarity and color of the liquor. The regional description emphasizes a fresh, sustained fragrance and a mellow taste with returning sweetness. [2]
One published retail example describes very thin emerald leaves, a crisp, fresh taste and almond-like notes. Treat the almond description as a sample’s sensory comparison, rather than an ingredient or a flavor required of all Yongchuan Xiuya.[3]
How to Brew One Published Example
That retail listing gives a complete method for a repeatable first trial.[3]
- Weigh 4 g of leaves into an infuser cup or teapot with space for the leaves to open.
- Add 200 ml of water at about 90°C.
- Infuse for about 2 minutes, then separate the drink from the leaves and taste.[3]
Keep a note of the time and actual water volume. For comparisons, hold your brewing water constant and check whether the packets describe the same harvest period.
FAQs About Yongchuan Xiuya
Is Yongchuan Xiuya Made Only from Buds?
No. The local description includes a bud and one just-opening leaf. Read the packet’s plucking specification rather than relying on the English word “buds.”
Is It a Black Tea?
No. Yongchuan Xiuya is a green tea. Its fine strand shape does not make it black tea.
Does Every Packet Need the Same Brewing Temperature?
No. The 90°C method above is one published reference. Follow your actual batch’s complete directions before adjusting one variable at a time.
出典
[1] Chongqing Municipal Archives. 档案里的重庆特产：永川秀芽——秀出嫩芽，香飘山城
[2] Yongchuan District Government. 永川秀芽
[3] Dragon Tea House. Organic Premium Chong Qing Yong Chuan Xiu Ya Spring Elegant Buds Green Tea
[4] Yongchuan District Tea Industry Association. T/YCCYHX 003—2026: 地理标志证明商标产品 永川秀芽