Objective A new cultivar, ‘Minggui’, was bred for making highly aromatic tea products.

Method From the F1 population of a cross-bred variety between the nationally renowned Dangui as the female parent and Ruixiang as the male parent, a candidate was selected. It was propagated for generations, carefully studied, and scrutinized by tests to arrive at a final choice. From 2008 to 2016, variety comparison tests were conducted in Fu’an, Fujian Province. From 2016 to 2018, regional trials were conducted in Fu’an, Shouning, Zhangping and Anxi, Fujian Province, to identify spring shoot growth period, fresh leaf yield, tea quality, resistance and adaptability, and biochemical components.

Result Offspring of Dangui (♀)×Ruixiang (♂), Minggui was the finalist of the breeding program. It was a late-season, shrub-type tea plant with strong growth potential that developed into half-open bush with robust buds, light green small young shoots, and nearly velvet-free mature leaves. At tests in Fujian, it produced abundant spring one-bud-and-two-leaves for a first-round harvest in early April each year. The chemical composition of the tea was rich in water extracts at 49.38%, polyphenols at 20.88%, amino acids at 4.26%, total catechins at 12.06%, and caffeine at 3.88%. The oolong tea made of the plucked buds and leaves splendidly released a floral fragrance and gave a mellow, refreshing taste of the brewed tea. Or, according to some other tasters, the brewed beverage carried an osmanthus aroma with a strong and exceedingly refreshing taste. Minggui bushes also performed well on yield in the field delivering a leaf yield of 4455 kg·hm⁻² in the first growth cycle that was 17% higher than control, Huangdan. And in the second cycle, a yield of 5505 kg·hm⁻², which was 8% higher than control, was observed. Furthermore, it was resistant to tea anthracnose as well as low temperature and drought stresses. However, it was highly susceptible to the infestation by tea leafhoppers.

Conclusion The newly bred high yield, stress- and anthracnose-resistant Minggui tea plant was suitable for scale-up cultivation in Fujian, as well as areas of similar ecological conditions, for making highly aromatic tea products after successfully passing regional and national field trials and receiving an official approval certificate.