Sample collection concluded, with more than 3,600 tea samples neatly arranged.
On September 16, the 2022 Bama Tea “Double Crown, Double Tea King” competitions (the Wuyi Rock Tea King Competition and the Anxi Tieguanyin Tea King Competition) were officially announced to the public, with total prize money of RMB 4.8 million across the two events.
[Extra] Over RMB 4.8 Million in Total Prizes! Bama Tea King Competition Launched
On October 5, as the sample collection deadline approached, Bama Tea released blockbuster news: the prize pool would be boosted by another RMB 6.42 million, bringing the total to RMB 10.56 million — making it the highest-prize tea competition in Chinese tea history! Not only that, an additional special procurement fund of over RMB 5 million was established!
[Who Will Win] RMB 10.56 Million for Winners, Every Shortlisted Sample Receives a Prize
October 16 marked the end of the sample collection period. An all-media reporter from China Cooperation Times · Tea Weekly learned from the organizing committee that the total number of samples collected this year reached 3,613 — over 86,000 jin — an increase of nearly 80% year on year. Both Da Hong Pao and Rougui samples exceeded 1,300 each, while Lao Cong Shui Xian samples topped 700; among them, Lao Cong Shui Xian entries grew nearly 80% over last year. The number of samples collected set a new historical record for Wuyishan tea competitions, and the 2022 Wuyi Rock Tea “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition has thoroughly ignited the Wuyishan tea community.
In response, tea industry practitioners noted that, compared with similar competitions, a distinctive feature of the “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition is its goal of “helping tea farmers increase their income and selecting fine teas for consumers.” The bustling sample collection scene once again confirmed the competition’s status as the “Oscars of Wuyi rock tea.”
Masters Gather to Submit Samples
Douyin Influencers Become “Tea King Witnesses”
Big names gathered at the sample submission venue, with several past “Tea King” winners of the “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition and “Top Scholar” winners of tea-tasting contests all appearing in person.
Many past “Tea Kings” of the “Double World Heritage” Cup and “Top Scholars” of tea-tasting contests came to submit their samples.
It is understood that the “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition has built a strong appeal locally, with many tea farmers preparing for the event since the spring tea season. Wu Qixian, participating for the third time this year and already the winner of more than 400 Wuyi rock tea awards, said he had been extremely meticulous this year in every stage — tea garden management, picking, withering and shaking, and refining — and was full of confidence when submitting his samples, aiming squarely at the Tea King title.
Fan Xiaobin, the 2020 “Double World Heritage” Cup Shui Xian Tea King, and Wang Ying, the Rougui Tea King, also came to the submission venue. They said that this year they not only hoped to achieve results in their strongest categories but were also prepared to break through in others. “Let’s compete together with all the tea enterprises in the rock tea region and see how this year’s tea-making skills measure up,” Fan Xiaobin said, full of anticipation for the upcoming evaluation.
This year, a group of young tea people also stepped onto the stage of the “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition. Guo Yi, a new-generation tea maker competing for the first time, said he had long noticed this high-level event and had been quietly honing his tea-making skills. “This year I happen to have a few teas I’m quite satisfied with, so I felt confident enough to enter.”
The sample submission venue of the 2022 Wuyi Rock Tea “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition.
At the lively submission venue, Douyin influencer Wu Xiaozhong — known as the “Great Demon King of the Tea Circle” — also made an appearance. It is understood that they will serve as “Tea King Witnesses” for the “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition, witnessing the birth of the “Tea King” throughout the entire process. Wu Xiaozhong said the competition format was a real eye-opener for participants: “Entering the competition not only tests your tea-making level — every shortlisted entry wins a prize, and you can choose either to take the prize money without having your sample returned, or to forgo the prize money and get your sample back. To a great extent this solves the sales channel problem for tea farmers. It’s a concrete deed by the organizers to relieve farmers’ worries.”
Leading Prize Money for Three Consecutive Years
The “Oscars” of Wuyi Rock Tea Truly Lives Up to Its Name
At the collection venue, bursts of tea fragrance arose as samples were drawn — a sign that tea farmers and enterprises had all submitted top-quality samples.
“High authority,” “high standards” and “high prize money” have always been the three highlights of the “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition. In an uncertain market environment, the organizer Bama Tea not only persisted in holding the competition but also invested over RMB 15 million in event funding to find the Wuyi Tea King. Behind this lies Bama Tea’s founding aspiration: “helping tea farmers increase their income and selecting fine teas for consumers.”
Sample collection concluded, with more than 3,600 tea samples neatly arranged.
A total prize pool of over RMB 10 million to richly reward skilled tea makers, plus a special procurement fund of over RMB 5 million to purchase teas identical to the award-winning entries through negotiated procurement… This year’s “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition not only leads in prize amounts but is also rationally designed in its prize structure — and all of this serves the goal of “helping tea farmers increase their income and selecting fine teas for consumers.”
It is further understood that this year the total prize money for the Tea King Awards in the Da Hong Pao, Rougui and Lao Cong Shui Xian categories is RMB 1.8 million, with RMB 600,000 for each individual award; the Gold Award and Silver Award carry prizes of RMB 120,000 and RMB 60,000 per person respectively; and the Tea King, Gold and Silver Awards together total 48 winning slots.
According to the organizer, this competition format and award structure is designed to guide the high-quality development of Wuyi rock tea — Da Hong Pao, Rougui and Shui Xian are the three flagship cultivars of Wuyi rock tea, and with these “three carriages” running in parallel, the varietal diversity of Wuyi rock tea is preserved while the market prices of the three cultivars are kept in balance.
Staff registering competition tea samples on-site.
Supporting Rural Revitalization
Empowering the Development of Wuyi Rock Tea
It is understood that this year’s “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition is jointly hosted by the Wuyishan Municipal Tea Industry Development Center and the Wuyishan Tea Industry Association, and organized by Bama Tea Co., Ltd.
As a leading brand in the premium tea market, Bama Tea has always actively fulfilled its social responsibilities, continuously boosting the upgrading of the Wuyishan tea industry by building a high-level, standardized platform for technical competition and exchange. It is worth noting that in 2020-2021, Bama Tea ranked first in tax payments among tea enterprises in both original-producing regions of oolong tea — Wuyi rock tea and Anxi Tieguanyin. Among these, it has ranked first in tax payments in Anxi for nine consecutive years, and achieved first place in tax payments in its very first year of settling in Wuyishan.
In addition, Bama Tea has long been committed to building a Chinese tea industry collaborative community in which many tea enterprises and farmers participate. By hosting the “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition in Wuyishan, it leverages its own brand and channel advantages to help promote Wuyi rock tea.
As of the first quarter of 2022, Bama Tea had more than 2,700 stores nationwide, forming a powerful sales network. The award-winning tea enterprises and farmers this year will have the opportunity to become strategic suppliers of Bama Tea, working hand in hand with Bama to boost the development of Wuyi rock tea. This also demonstrates Bama Tea’s determination to support farmers through tea and to contribute to rural revitalization.
Staff registering, weighing, sampling and packaging the competition tea samples.
Next, the “Double World Heritage” Cup Tea King Competition will enter the evaluation stage, with many renowned tea experts and scholars joining together to evaluate the samples, while public judges will also participate in the on-site evaluation. It is understood that the competition features four judging rounds — the preliminary, the semi-final, the qualifying final and the grand final — ultimately selecting this year’s three Wuyi Tea Kings.
Produced by: China Cooperation Times · Tea Weekly All-Media
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Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
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