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Green tea

Yongxi Huoqing

涌溪火青Yong Xi Huo Qing · Yongxi Fire Green

Yongxi Huoqing is a tightly worked granular green tea associated with Yongxi in Jing County, Anhui. Fire Green translates the name; it does not imply added smoke, a smoking process or a black-tea family.

By TeaPlain · Updated

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Dry-leaf reference photograph for the Yongxi Huoqing guide
Dry-leaf illustration · Yongxi Huoqing
All sections in this tea guide

At a glance

Yongxi Huoqing is a tightly worked granular green tea associated with Yongxi in Jing County, Anhui. Fire Green translates the name; it does not imply added smoke, a smoking process or a black-tea family.

Detail What to know
Chinese name 涌溪火青
Tea family Green tea
Associated origin Langqiao, Jing County, Xuancheng, Anhui
Leaf form Dense kidney-shaped or rounded green-tea granules

Taste and appearance

The old table describes dense weighty kidney-shaped granules, dark-green oily lustre and green to yellow-green liquor. Upper aroma is clean floral or high and lasting; the lower cell names chestnut-like aroma. Fresh mellow or strong fresh flavour is described without an added flower or nut ingredient. The old introductory almond-yellow liquor comparison differs from the grade cells and is not an all-lot colour rule.

The original liquor photograph is withheld because identical pixels were assigned to another tea name. Its named identity could not be confirmed; the original file is preserved.

The cover is the original dry-leaf illustration. These images are not TeaPlain tasting samples or proof of origin, grade, age, authenticity or image rights clearance.

Grade characteristics

This preserves the earlier Chinese edition’s sensory comparison. It is not a complete verified current standard table and does not grade your packet. Plant material, growing area, processing and grade are separate details. Decorative star rankings are omitted.

On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare the grades.

Feature Extra grade Grade 1 Grade 2
Dry-leaf shape Kidney-shaped, tight and weighty Kidney-shaped, tight and weighty Fairly round, tight and weighty
Dry-leaf colour Dark green and oily-lustrous Dark green and oily-lustrous Dark green, fairly oily-lustrous
Liquor Tender green, fresh and bright Pale green and bright Yellow-green, fairly bright
Aroma Clean floral, high, brisk and lasting Clean, high, brisk and lasting Chestnut-like
Taste Fresh, mellow and pleasant Sweet brisk aftertaste Clean, fresh and strong
Infused leaves Tender green, thick even shoot sets Tender yellow-green, thick shoot sets Tender yellow-green, substantial and fairly even

Reviewed requirements list four grades, including Grade 3. The three earlier sensory columns remain a partial inherited comparison; no missing fourth sensory or price column is invented.

Names and origin

Reviewed protection requirements name twelve villages in the Langqiao area and Yongxi Liuye plant material. Independent local heritage documentation confirms the round-green style and Fengkeng, Pankeng, Shijingkeng and Wantoushan associations. Earlier smaller named hillside examples are retained as historical context without a best-garden ranking. Neither the fire name nor a literary slogan proves smoking, uninterrupted Qing tribute production or a current national-top-ten ranking.

Everyday benefits

Brewed without added sugar, this is an ordinary tea drink that can be an alternative to sweetened drinks and contribute to fluid intake. It contains caffeine. These everyday properties do not establish that this named tea treats disease, lowers blood sugar or improves sleep. No TeaPlain clinical or brewing test is claimed here.

Who may enjoy this tea

It may suit someone exploring Yongxi Huoqing through its described form and flavour. Start with a traceable small packet and its complete brewing directions, without a health or ranking promise.

When to take care

  • Caffeine sensitivity or sleep problems: consider your total intake and timing if tea affects your sleep. A pale infusion is not a caffeine-free claim.
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding or medicines: ask a clinician or pharmacist about your actual product, caffeine intake and relevant medicine instructions.
  • Iron supplements: follow the medicine’s instructions about separating tea from the dose. Do not use tea as treatment for anaemia.

These are product and individual considerations, not a blanket ban based on traditional “hot” or “cold” labels, age, sex or a constitution category.

How to brew

Original prose: heat-safe glass

The earlier method uses a heat-safe glass, 1:50 tea-to-water ratio and 85–90°C / 185–194°F water. It says to refill when about one-third of the liquid remains, and describes roughly three infusions/refills. It supplies no first steeping time. Keep the retained illustration’s method separate below.

Detail Original prose with an explicit ratio example
Tea 3 g Yongxi Huoqing as an editorial arithmetic example
Actual water 150 mL / about 5.1 US fl oz, measured water; 3 g at 1:50
Vessel Heat-safe glass with room for the leaves and actual water
Water temperature 85–90°C / 185–194°F
First drinking infusion No first steeping time recorded in the prose; follow a complete packet method
Refill At about one-third liquid remaining; refilling is different from a full fresh measured batch

These inherited directions and explicit ratio examples are awaiting hands-on testing. Nominal vessel capacity and a drawn fill fraction do not measure actual water. Three repeat cups is not a guarantee of equal strength. If leaves remain in the glass, extraction continues; transfer or strain if the cup becomes too strong. Let the drink cool enough to sip.

Read the original illustration separately

The original graphic warms a heat-safe glass, then uses 3 g, 85°C / 185°F and 1:50, implying 150 mL actual water by arithmetic. Add water to one-third, gently swirl, fill to seven-tenths and wait 2–3 minutes. Drink or serve, and refill at about one-third remaining; roughly three infusions are described. Vessel capacity and a separate tea rinse are not specified. The fill fraction does not independently measure actual water.

Original Chinese-labelled Yongxi Huoqing brewing illustration with English conditions
Original Chinese brewing illustrationOriginal graphic: warm glass, 3 g, 85°C, 1:50 (150 mL by arithmetic), one-third water, swirl, seven-tenths fill, 2–3 minutes; refill at one-third remaining. Capacity unspecified.

For ordinary teaware options, see brew without a gaiwan. Keep each complete method together instead of selecting temperature, dose and time from different preparations.

Adjust your cup

What you notice One change to try
Too strong, bitter or drying Separate the liquid from the leaves; shorten contact time or use less tea next time
Weak or watery Keep the measured water fixed and try a longer infusion before changing the leaf dose
Later infusions become stronger Check whether liquid was left sitting with the leaves
Different from a flavour description Compare the actual product and method; a description is not a promise for every cup

Change one variable at a time. For a fuller sequence, see fix a disappointing first cup.

How to buy

Check the growing source, maker, harvest, ingredients and any claimed mark authorisation. A poetic name, inherited photograph or aroma comparison does not certify a packet.

See buy your first Chinese tea for packet comparisons.

China price reference

Undated figures retained from the Chinese edition, in Chinese yuan (CNY). No original brand, batch, harvest or quotation date was recorded. These are not verified current retail quotes, a market average or manufacturer-suggested retail prices.

Chinese-edition tier CNY per 500 g (one jin) Equivalent CNY per 100 g
Extra grade 450 90
Grade 1 360 72
Grade 2 230 46

Per 100 g is an arithmetic conversion, not a quoted packet. Do not infer a missing sensory or price tier. Compare actual growing area, style, harvest, roast, weight and channel. A currency conversion does not make a UK or US retail offer comparable to a China historical figure.

How to store

Original storage method

The original method places green tea in a closed foil pouch, gently removes excess air, then puts the pouch inside a lidded iron or tin container upright for refrigerated storage, protected from light, moisture and smells. Check that a paper pouch is actually lined and moisture resistant; plain paper alone is not an airtight moisture barrier.

Its general reference was 12 months, with storage below 10°C / 50°F and below 50% relative humidity. It also described a cool, shaded room-temperature option for tea expected to be finished within two months. These are inherited conditions, not a verified expiry or a remaining-life prediction for an opened packet. Follow the actual maker’s label, package and specified conditions first.

In a UK or US kitchen

If following a product’s cold-storage directions, keep the pack sealed against fridge moisture and food smells, and let it warm while still sealed before opening. Keep a working portion away from the hob or stove, dishwasher steam, sunlight and spices; reseal after use. Do not apply a refrigerator recipe to another tea automatically. See storing an opened packet for handling.

The original green-tea handling note keeps a separate one-to-two-week working portion to avoid repeatedly warming and opening the bulk cold pack. Portion in dry conditions and seal each pack.

Origin, processing and history

The retained map labels fresh leaves, heat fixing, rolling, tossing the initial rough form (dou tou pi), re-rolling, second pan working, spreading, final long-pan working (bai lao guo) and screening. Reviewed requirements give the same broad sequence; the independent heritage account supports the granular green-tea context. It is not a smoking instruction, and exact factory settings or all-products handmade status are not inferred.

Original Chinese-labelled Yongxi Huoqing process illustration
Original process illustrationOriginal map: fresh leaves, fixing, rolling, tossing the initial rough form, re-rolling, second pan working, spreading, final long-pan working and screening.

Common questions

Does Fire Green mean smoked tea, and is the old table complete?

No smoking process follows from the name. Reviewed requirements include Grade 3 as well as Extra,1 and 2, while the earlier table has three columns. The inherited table remains a partial comparison, not the complete standard.

Can I move one number from this recipe into a different vessel?

Keep leaf form, measured dose and actual water, temperature, timing and separation together. Nominal capacity or a fill fraction is not a measured ratio.

Compare Pingshui Zhucha, or browse the green tea overview.

Editorial notes and updates

Updated 16 October 2026. Valid original descriptions, sensory comparisons, prose and image methods, storage handling, China price figures and usable pictures are retained with their scope. Doubtful medical, ranking and exact historical claims are revised or omitted. Current full grade clauses and historical prices are not certified. Original Chinese-labelled graphics have English reading notes; no TeaPlain tasting or brewing test is claimed. Internal research and image audits record the decisions.