Shuāngjǐng lǜ

A curled, downy green tea from Xiushui County in the northwest of Jiangxi, whose name is forever linked with Shuangjing Village and the Song dynasty literatus Huang Tingjian, who called it 草茶第一 — “first among meadow teas.”

1. Classification and Origin:

• Type: green tea.
• Category: curled, downy, wok-roasted green tea (炒青, form 卷曲显毫 — curled, twisted leaves with an abundant display of silvery down 毫).
• Origin: Xiushui County (修水) in the Jiujiang (九江) prefecture, in the far northwest of Jiangxi Province, within the mountainous and hilly terrain of the upper reaches of the Xiu River (修河).
• Cultivar: 宁州群体种 (níngzhōu qúntǐ zhǒng) — the local seed-propagated population of Xiushui County.
• Segment: mid-range (中档) — a quality, famous tea, but without the pretension of a “top tier” record-breaker in amino acids, like Hunan’s 保靖黄金茶.

The name itself traces back to Shuangjing Village — “Double Well”: an area with a long-standing tea tradition, where delicate spring tea was cultivated as early as the Song dynasty (宋). Xiushui is the historical center of Jiangxi’s tea industry, known by its old name, 宁州 (Ningzhou). This toponym lives on today in the name of the famous local black tea, 宁红 (Ninghong), and, more relevant to our subject, in the name of the local tea population — 宁州群体种. Within the Hunan-Jiangxi green tea track, 双井绿 occupies the place of a historically famous but regional, intimate tea of the mid-range segment: it is not a mass-market brand of national scale, but a local pride with a literary pedigree.

2. History and Cultural Significance:

The main asset of 双井绿 is not agrotechnology, but literature. Shuangjing Village in Xiushui is the ancestral home of Huang Tingjian (黄庭坚), one of the greatest poets and calligraphers of the Northern Song era. The formula 草茶第一 — “first among meadow teas” (草茶, “herbal/meadow tea,” was contrasted in Song terminology with pressed teas 团茶/片茶) — is directly linked to his name.

Shuangjing tea was also praised by other stars of Song literature — Su Shi (苏轼) and Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修). For Chinese tea culture, this is a rare instance where a specific local tea became inscribed in major, first-tier literature: the mention in the verses of Song dynasty classics cemented Shuangjing’s status as a historically famous tea long before the advent of modern standards and brands.

Modern 双井绿 is a revived “名优” production (famous, high-quality tea), relying on this literary memory and the varietal base of 宁州群体种 preserved in Xiushui.

3. Botanical Description and Raw Material:

The raw material for 双井绿 comes from 宁州群体种 (níngzhōu qúntǐ zhǒng) — the local seed-propagated population of Xiushui County. This is not a clonally selected cultivar, but a historically formed, heterogeneous group of bushes adapted to the local soils and climate.

The same 宁州群体种 binds Xiushui into a unified terroir cluster: the local black tea tradition historically developed on its basis, and the tender spring flushes of the same material are used for the green 双井绿. Population varieties are characterized by leaf non-uniformity, a pronounced varietal aromatic profile, and a high proportion of early, well-fuzzed buds — which predetermines the appearance of the finished tea.

4. Terroir and Growing Characteristics:

The homeland of 双井绿 is Xiushui County (修水), in the far northwest of Jiangxi Province, within the mountainous and hilly terrain of the upper reaches of the Xiu River (修河). The climate here is subtropical monsoonal, with abundant mists in the valleys and on the slopes, mild springs, and sufficient humidity — conditions under which early spring buds accumulate amino acids and retain their tenderness.

5. Production Technology:

双井绿 belongs to the 炒青 class — wok-roasted green teas — and is manufactured in the 卷曲显毫 form: curled, twisted leaves with an abundant display of silvery down (毫). The basic technological axis of green tea is evident here as well:

• Plucking (采摘): The highest-grade material is pre-Qingming (明前), meaning plucked before the Qingming Festival, from tender single buds and “one bud, one leaf” flushes. Early plucking ensures a high proportion of amino acids, fine down, and a fresh taste.
• Fixation (杀青): Heating in a wok stops enzymatic oxidation and sets the green color and fresh aromatic profile. This is the key difference between the 炒青 method and steaming fixation (蒸青), for which the neighboring Hubei tea, 恩施玉露, is famous.
• Rolling and Shaping (揉捻/做形): At this stage, the leaf acquires its characteristic twisted and curled shape, and the down is “drawn” outward, forming a visible fuzz.
• Drying / Final Drying (干燥): The final roasting-drying stage brings the moisture content to a stable level, fixes the shape, and reveals the “roasted-chestnut” warmth of the aroma typical of wok-roasted green teas.

6. Organoleptic Characteristics:

In the cup, 双井绿 delivers a profile characteristic of curled, downy 炒青: a fresh, softly sweet infusion with clean greenery and a warm note of roasting. The abundant down creates a slight opalescence in the infusion during brewing — a normal sign of tender, pre-Qingming raw material, not a defect.

9. Brewing:

Brewing recommendations follow the general rules for delicate green teas:

• Water: Soft, cooled to approximately 80 — 85 °C; boiling water “scalds” the tender buds and produces bitterness.
• Teaware: A glass cup or gaiwan — glass allows one to observe the “dance” of the leaves and the unfolding of the flushes.
• Leaf Amount and Time: A small amount of leaf, short initial infusions; the tea withstands several brews, gradually yielding sweetness.
• Water Pouring Method: For delicate, downy material, “top” or “middle” pouring is appropriate, so as not to “stun” the buds.

11. Price and Counterfeits:

To avoid confusing 双井绿 with its neighbors in the Jiangxi-Hunan green tea range, several characteristics are used as reference points.

• Form: Curled-twisted with down (卷曲显毫) — this distinguishes 双井绿 from flat, Longjing-shaped teas and from strictly needle-shaped teas. From the needle-like 安化松针 (Hunan), and even more so from the steamed “pine needle” 恩施玉露 (Hubei), what separates 双井绿 is precisely its curly form and wok-roasting technology.
• Method: 炒青 (wok roasting), not 烘青 (oven drying) or 蒸青 (steam fixation). Hence a warmer, more “roasted-chestnut” nuance in the aroma than in purely oven-dried Hunan “cloud-mist” teas.
• Origin and Cultivar: Jiangxi, Xiushui County (修水, hist. 宁州), cultivar 宁州群体种. This ties the tea to the same terroir as the black tea 宁红. Within Jiangxi, 双井绿 should not be confused with the eyebrow-shaped 婺源茗眉 (Wuyuan, cultivar 上梅州种/婺源群体) or the curled, downy 狗牯脑 (Suichuan, cultivar 遂川群体): each has its own local population and its own history.
• Legendary Context: The tea’s genuine “address” is Shuangjing Village and the name Huang Tingjian. The formula 草茶第一 and the Song dynasty poetic pedigree serve as this tea’s cultural “passport,” not a marketing stamp of later origin.

12. Interesting Facts:

• Thus, 双井绿 appears as a tea of a dual nature: on one hand, a typical curled, downy, mid-range 炒青 from the mountains of Xiushui; on the other, the bearer of one of the earliest “authored” reputations in the history of Chinese tea, cemented by the brushes of Song dynasty classics.