Winter tea is harvested from around “Minor Snow” (mid-October) to “Major Snow” (late December).
For high mountain teas, winter tea is usually picked starting from higher elevations and gradually moving down to lower-elevation tea gardens.

The hallmark of high mountain winter tea lies in the significant temperature difference between day and night, which slows the growth of tea leaves. As a result, the leaves become thicker and denser, and the finished tea offers a sweet, smooth, and full-bodied taste with a lingering sweetness (hui gan).
(In terms of aroma, though, spring tea still takes the crown!)

By understanding the order and timing of winter tea harvests, tea lovers can better judge whether the tea they’re buying is truly in season.
For example, if you see “Shanlinxi Longfengxia Winter Tea” being sold as early as mid-September, that’s a sign to pause and consider whether it could really be a current-season winter tea.