Jinjiang genuine 74
Tea picking is not an easy task.
Unlike the innocent-looking tea-picking girls in the public's perception, who wear beautiful tea-picking clothes and move lightly among the rows of tea fields, these tea pickers are mostly women in their 30s who dress simply.
The weather in March was still cold. The tea pickers wore loose thin jackets and long pants, wore hats, and combed their hair to avoid affecting their work.
Their fingers are stained with dark tea stains from frequent tea picking, but their nails are trimmed neatly to avoid damaging the buds when picking.
When picking tea, you have to bend down all the time because the height of the tea trees is mostly below 1 meter.
In order to increase the yield, they need to pick the fruits quickly and gently, and their hands need to move constantly without a moment's rest. It is very tiring physical labor.
The bamboo basket is not light, and it has to hold several kilograms or even ten kilograms of tea. You can imagine how hard it is.
Therefore, those beautiful photos of the graceful tea-picking girls are more of a publicity stunt, or photos shared by tourists who went to experience the fun of tea picking, and are not the real situation.
In reality, young tea pickers are inefficient and slow, and are not popular in the market, far less popular than experienced and skilled workers.
The tea farmers checked their clothes, fingers and the cleanliness of the bamboo baskets one by one. After confirming that everything was correct, Ye Han saw their standard picking techniques.
The first-picked tea is the fat buds and the newly unfolded buds and leaves. It must be picked by hand, and attention should be paid to the buds and leaves being in clusters and of uniform size. The stems should be short and the tea should be handled with care.
The hired tea pickers were indeed experienced. With a pinch and a lift, the fresh tea buds were picked and slid into the bamboo baskets.
The movements are smooth and efficient.
So fast!
Ye Han was surprised at the speed at which these people picked tea. No wonder they could pick tens of thousands of buds in just one morning.
Among them, two women were the fastest, picking hundreds of tender sprouts in just one minute. Their speed was truly amazing.
As expected, the best in every industry are worthy of admiration.
The tea pickers were also talking in low voices, looking at the tender buds in the bamboo baskets with surprised expressions.
“The quality of the tea trees here is really good.”
"Yes, I've never seen such plump buds before. Most importantly, they are tender. Look, they are so tender that you can squeeze out water from them."
"There are a lot of them. One tea tree can actually grow so many buds. This year's tea harvest will be great."
Although the first picking of tea varies depending on the tea garden environment, tea tree variety, age, and picking time, there are general standards.
Because they are picked early, the buds at this time have just grown out and are between 1.8-2.5 cm in length. They are bright and uniform in color. The buds are longer than the leaves, and the thicker the buds, the better.
If it is larger than 2.5 centimeters, it is not tender enough and falls within the picking standard of Mingqian tea (second picking).
However, the buds they had just picked were still covered with morning dew, and almost each one was 2.5-2.8 centimeters in length. Although slightly longer, it did not affect their freshness at all. The buds were light green with a hint of white, uniform and strong, and one bud was even worth two of the others.
Everyone sighed repeatedly that such thick young buds were rarely seen even in tea gardens of thousands of acres.
If it were included in the top ten famous teas, it would be considered a tribute, and those who could drink it must be either rich or noble.
It is definitely the best among the first-picked teas.
It is also convenient for them to pick.
A row of tea trees are of similar height, with flat and dense tops, and you can easily pick good buds. They are much easier to pick than those in tea fields where the buds grow unevenly and are planted in scattered areas.
The wages of tea pickers are directly linked to the weight of tea they pick. Under the premise of ensuring quality, the more tea they pick, the higher their wages.
The tea tree buds here are thick and high quality, and the picking is easy. It must be easy to achieve the goal. How can they not be happy?
Maybe the income in the next few days will reach a new high.
Ye Han arranged the two fastest tea workers to pick tea from 10-year-old tea trees, while the others stood separately and picked tea from 8-year-old tea trees together.
"Thank you, Director." Upon hearing the arrangement, the two women carried their bamboo baskets and walked to the back row with joy on their faces. Their steps were brisk, making the other tea workers envious.
The 8-year-old tea trees in Huajianji are already so lush, and the 10-year-old tea trees are in their prime. The number and quality of buds exceed the former, and the income from a day is very considerable.
Tea before the Qingming Festival is precious, and tea before the rain is delicious. Tea pickers are hoping to make more money in these two months.
Huajianji is undoubtedly their best choice.
So after taking their positions, the ten tea pickers started today's work in the slightly cold weather and morning mist.
It was Ye Han’s first time picking tea and he was quite curious so he wanted to try it himself.
Under the guidance of the tea farmers, she picked dozens of young buds using the correct techniques.
It’s not easy indeed.
First of all, you have to find the right position. Basically, while picking here, your eyes should determine the next picking position. Pick frequently and cleanly, without missing any branch of the tea tree.
Secondly, you need to bend down and use both hands to hold the upper part of the branch with one hand and gently pinch the tender buds with the other hand. Pay attention to lifting them up instead of pinching them off. Then quickly put them into the tea basket to avoid being contaminated by the temperature of your hands.
As the tea buds were too tender, Ye Han didn't dare to use force, let alone pinch them tightly. So he tried hard to find the right strength and picked them carefully. It took him only 5 minutes to pick more than 30 buds.
At her rate, she could only collect two taels of green tea leaves in the morning. After the processes of withering and drying, the final amount of tea leaves would be only half a tael at best.
Half a pound...
Ye Han withdrew his hand and put the bamboo basket aside.
As expected, professional matters should be left to professionals, and she only needs to check the results.
At around 11 am, today's tea picking ended.
The tea pickers were exhausted, sweating and with sore waists. They sat on the path at the foot of the mountain to rest. Next to each of them was a tea basket filled with fresh buds and leaves, which showed that they had a good harvest.
"Oh, I think you picked more than I did."
"You have quite a bit too. The tea basket is almost full."
"I just weighed it, it's quite heavy, probably exceeding the standard."
"Don't worry. The tea buds here are thick and strong, so the weight will naturally increase. I estimate it to be more than six kilograms."
"I don't know how much I can earn—"
Everyone started talking during the break, with obvious smiles on their slightly red and sweaty faces.
The picking requirements for the first picking of tea are very high. The best picking time is between 7 and 11 in the morning. The buds must be fresh and tender, and each one is light in weight. Usually 50,000 to 60,000 buds are needed to produce 1 kilogram of finished tea, that is, 4 to 5 kilograms of tender buds are used for frying.
For a skilled worker, picking 3-5 kilograms of tender sprouts a day is considered very efficient.
Ye Han set the baseline at 400 yuan for 5 jin, and the excess will be calculated at 40 yuan per jin.
This is a very high standard in the industry, at least there is no other standard like it in W City.
As they were talking, they saw the young director coming over with an electronic scale. The tea pickers stopped resting and picked up the bamboo baskets beside them to pick up the tea. Their excitement was beyond words.
Ye Han placed the electronic scale on the ground: "Everyone, come one by one, pay attention to your tea baskets to avoid mixing them up."
The first one in line is Sang Tong. She is younger than the others, only 28 years old, but she has been picking tea for almost ten years.
She deftly placed the almost full tea basket on it, and it showed 3.65KG, or 7.3 jin.
However, this is the weight with tools. Tea farmers pour the freshly picked buds and leaves into a larger bamboo basket, then put the tea basket on it and weigh it: 0.35KG.
The difference between the two is the weight of the picked tea leaves.
"Six catties and six ounces." Sang Tong was very familiar with catties. She quickly worked out the data in her mind and began to calculate the income. "Four hundred--"
Ye Han smiled and said, "464 yuan."
464 yuan!!
Sang Tong was extremely excited. She clenched the tea basket tightly and her heart was pounding.
call.
This was definitely the highest income she had ever earned since she started picking tea.
Tea is expensive before the Qingming Festival, and the twenty days from mid-March to early April are the time when she earns the most money in the year.
However, according to previous market conditions, I could earn a maximum of 300 yuan a day, but at Huajianji I could earn 464 yuan in just half a day!
This young director is really generous.
"Thank you, Director. Thank you, Director!"
Ye Han paid the salary in cash on the spot. After receiving the payment, Sang Tong returned to the team with many thanks, smiling from ear to ear.
The others were also very excited and started whispering to the people around them.
“What a high income.”
"I think we should be about the same, right?"
"I don't ask for anything else, just to be like her."
The woman behind was one of the two people who picked tea the fastest.
Her tea basket was filled to the brim with thick young buds, which was obviously more than others. For a moment, everyone looked at her with envy.
"A total of 9 jin 2 liang, minus the 7 liang bamboo basket, the tea leaves are 8 jin 5 liang."
"The total is 540 yuan."
It actually exceeded 500 yuan!
The tea pickers were extremely excited and were looking forward to the fruits of their labor.
"Jin Xiaoyun, 6.30 jin, 453 yuan."
"Wang Chulan, 7.2 jin, 488 yuan."
"Wu Fang, 6.8 jin, 472 yuan."
After everyone's tea baskets were weighed one by one, everyone's face was filled with smiles.
Almost every tea picker received a pay of more than 450 yuan, and several large bamboo baskets were filled with fresh and thick buds with bright colors and uniform and plump shapes, giving people a full sense of harvest.
Ye Han weighed several bamboo baskets separately and the weight he got was surprising. Adding the amount of tea picked by the four tea farmers, the total weight was 82.3 kilograms!
A lot more than she imagined.
It can produce about 20 kilograms of premium quality tea.
According to Ye Han's plan, the unit price of such high-grade Mingqian tea picked after exquisite packaging is not less than 5,000 yuan, which means that there will be a profit of 100,000 yuan today alone.
Compared with this, the wages of tea workers seem insignificant.
"Director, let us help you carry the bamboo basket down." The women suggested eagerly.
Together with the tea farmers, they carried the bamboo baskets to a clean warehouse without any shaking. Finally, they placed the baskets gently on the ground so that the tender buds inside would not be squeezed.
Then, together with the tea farmers, they gently spread the picked buds and leaves on clean bamboo plates, evenly spreading them out in thickness, away from sunlight, and leaving them for 3-5 hours to allow the green aroma and moisture to naturally release, thus improving the quality of the tea.
When the tea leaves become soft when held by hand, they can be transported to Boss Feng for subsequent steps such as withering and drying.
Tea farmers have rich experience in this area and they handled it quickly. The tea workers left with great joy and prepared to pick tea again tomorrow morning.
Ye Han contacted Boss Feng in advance, and after the stall was closed, he arrived at the other party's teahouse at around 4 pm.
Today is a weekday and the teahouse is not very busy. Boss Feng came out hurriedly and watched the tea farmers carry out several bamboo baskets steadily. He then quickly called for his employees to come over and help.
"Carry it to the operating room. Be careful and handle it with care."
"Yes, boss."
After giving his instructions, Boss Feng looked at the large bamboo baskets in front of him and said, "It looks like we have a good harvest today."
Ye Han smiled lightly: "Not bad."
Boss Feng: "How many kilograms did you pick today?"
Ye Han: "More than 80 kilograms."
Boss Feng's tone was slightly surprised: "You are quite fast. How many tea workers did you hire? More than 20?"
Each person picks 3 kilograms of tender sprouts, that’s about it.
The cost is really not low, more than 300 yuan per person, and the cost of picking tea alone is 8,000 yuan, and there are also costs for machinery, equipment and workers.
In total, only a dozen kilograms of tea were produced, which is really not worth it.
Ye Han: "We hired 10 tea workers, and a few tea farmers helped."
"Ten people?" Boss Feng was surprised. "Each person picked six or seven kilograms?"
impossible.
How fast must that be? He has been running a teahouse for all these years, but he has never heard of such skilled workers on the market.
Or is it that the tea trees transplanted in Huajianji have not yet adapted and have not grown so many tender buds, so they were picked directly with leaves?
If it is fresh leaves, it is easier to pick and heavier, but the quality is...
After thinking about it, it seems that this is the only explanation.
Boss Feng couldn't help but glance at Ye Han and shook his head slightly in his heart.
This gardener is very good at running a botanical garden, but may lack some experience in a tea garden.
Let's see if we can find a way to remedy the situation then.
As soon as he entered the operation room, Ye Han smelled the fragrance of Dongling white tea, which was the residual tea fragrance after years of drying and production, and it smelled very pleasant.
The equipment here is complete, including tea withering machines, rolling machines, stripping machines, drying machines and other machines, which are operated by experienced masters, so that the entire set of processes can be standardized.
After drying, the tea leaves will be very uniform overall, with white leaves and green veins, and tender green flowers. It will retain ingredients such as amino acids and rich tea aroma to the greatest extent, reaching the standards of high-end tea.
Tea farmers slowly pour the green tea leaves in the bamboo baskets into the withering machine. Due to the limitation of the machine, only a part can be put in at a time. The master operates it to ensure that every bud can be heated evenly at a high temperature of 250-300℃.
Boss Feng stood nearby, completely stunned by the sight of the tender sprouts being poured out of the bamboo basket, his pupils slightly shrunken.
This is......?
He immediately walked forward and couldn't wait to pick up a few of them and examine them carefully.
Although they have lost some moisture after being spread out to cool, one can still see how thick the sprouts are, and almost every one of them has reached the most perfect standard.
Either it is a pure jade-white bud, or it is a bud and a leaf that have not yet unfolded. The bud is much thicker than the leaf, and so tender that its color is light green and white, making you know at first glance that it is first-picked quality.
Each bud is at least 2.5 centimeters in size, with leaves in clusters, plump and strong, bright in color, and uniform in size, almost reaching the tribute level among the special grade!
Boss Feng was filled with shock. He had been running a tea garden for more than ten years, but it was very rare for him to collect buds of this quality. There might only be one or two among thousands.
But here...he put down the few he had just picked and twisted a handful again, and they were all like this!
It's really amazing.
It seems that Gong Bai's first tea picking is not as good as this one.
No wonder--
No wonder the tea pickers can pick six or seven kilograms of tender buds, because the single tea buds here are 1.5-2 times heavier than those in other tea gardens!
Others need 50,000 to 60,000 buds to produce one kilogram of fine tea, but Huajianji only needs 30,000 buds to produce one kilogram.
Production went up instantly.
And it is at the tribute level.
Scarcity makes things valuable.
This level of tea is so rare that there will definitely be a lot of people paying for it.
"Master Song, please be more careful when operating the machine, pay attention to the temperature, make sure to turn it over evenly, and pay attention to the time..."
Boss Feng took a deep breath and explained everything in detail. His heart was pounding and he felt unusually nervous.
But it's really not necessary.
Master Song has been a skilled craftsman for more than 20 years. He produces tens of thousands of kilograms of finished tea for the teahouse every year. The machines are automatically operated and there will be no problems.
Compared to his nervousness, Ye Han was much calmer.
She studied the use of the withering machine and the operation of the master, and discussed with the person next to her: "Boss Feng, the processing fee can only be calculated after the number of tea leaves is fully counted in April. It will be based on the fee we agreed on before..."
Boss Feng waved his hand: "Expenses and such are trivial matters."
Ye Han:?
The processing fee is 20 yuan per catty of tea. Assuming that 30 acres of tea garden produces 6,000 catties of tea, the processing fee is 120,000 yuan, which is not a small amount.
Boss Feng didn't say anything for a moment.
He smelled the tea leaves that were entering the drying step after being withered. As the tea was tumbling in the machine, the aroma filled the air, and the fragrance was simply intoxicating.
This undoubtedly strengthened his thinking.
Boss Feng's calculations were clattering in his mind, and he said earnestly, "Director Ye, you see, we have been cooperating for a long time, so the fee this time will be waived.
All the machines are ready-made, and the most you can pay is a big red envelope as compensation for the master’s hard work.
However, I hope you can sell me the first-picked tea leaves at the market price. What do you think?"
A teahouse, of course, relies on the quality of its tea.
He has accumulated a lot of old customers over the years and expanded the teahouse last year. What he lacks now is fame.
This tribute-grade Dongling white tea is rare and of extremely high quality. It will surely capture the hearts of those discerning old tea drinkers and bring him fame.
With so many years of experience and business acumen, Boss Feng is very confident about this.
Now we just have to look at Ye Han’s attitude.
But please... agree to it.
It should be a common cold, hehe~ Everyone should be careful when going out, muah.
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