There’s a phrase in the Chinese tea world that people pay close attention to: 明前 (Míng qián) — literally ‘before the Qingming Festival.’
It refers to tea picked before the 5th of April each year, the traditional marker of when spring has properly arrived. This tea, harvested in those precious early weeks, is considered the finest of the season.
We go one step further. The Xi Hu Long Jing we brought in this year was picked on March 19th — the very first day of the official 2026 harvest season. First flush. First pickings. Right at the beginning of the season.
What Sets First Flush Apart
Think of it this way: after a long, cold winter, the tea plant has been storing its energy for months. When the first tender leaves finally push through in early spring, they carry all of that stored energy in concentrated form. The leaves are smaller, more delicate, and naturally rich in what gives Long Jing its signature character — a gentle sweetness and a clean, fresh finish.
As the season progresses, the leaves become more robust and the flavour profile shifts. Later harvests can still be enjoyable, but the first few days of picking produce something noticeably different — a delicacy and a freshness that doesn’t come back until the following year.
The Weight of a Date
March 19th, 2026. It sounds almost bureaucratic when you write it that way. But in the tea world, that date is the equivalent of the first day of a harvest that people plan around months in advance. The pickers were out at first light. The wok-roasting happened within hours of picking to lock in the aromatics. And then, through a sourcing relationship we’re genuinely proud of, a small allocation made its way to Golden Seed.
We share this because the journey behind what’s in your cup matters — and because that journey is genuinely remarkable.
What This Means in the Cup
When you taste a first-flush Xi Hu Long Jing from the core region, you’re tasting the very first expression of the 2026 spring. The colour is a pale golden-green. The aroma is fresh and faintly grassy. The taste opens sweet, settles into something warm and umami-touched, and finishes clean.
It’s not a tea that overwhelms. It’s a tea that rewards attention. Sit with it for a moment between sips. Let it cool slightly. You may start to notice more of its character coming through.
New to tea? Our guided tasting experiences are the perfect way to encounter this tea for the first time, with someone there to explain what you’re tasting.
