CHINA LONG JING SHI FENG GRADE A - 2010 NEW SEASON CHINA GREEN TEA

« Dragon’s pit, »
Origin: China, Zhejiang
Tea colour: green tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 75°C

Dry leaves
Aspect: evenly folded and flattened leaves. Truly impressive.
Colours: pale green and yellow.
Scents: toasted, vanilla, hazelnut, nuts, mineral, planty.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Aspect: magnificent small, open, very regular leaves.
Colours: very pale green and yellow.
Scents: toasted, floral, mineral, mildly fruity, planty, nuts.

Liquor
Colours: a gleaming pale green, clear liquor, with yellow touches.
Texture: very smooth initially, then rougher notes that linger in the mouth.
Flavours: sweet and bitter.
Aromas: rich touches: toasted, pronounced mineral and planty (stems) notes, fatty (peanut), nuts (hazelnut, chestnut), fruit, with a few touches of vanilla.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: long and rich. Becomes very fresh in the mouth with the planty, herb, aniseed notes and touches of minerality.

Our verdict: This is the best of Long Jing: Lion’s Peak is a name originally reserved for the tea plucked from the 18 tea bushes growing on the mountain of the same name. Eighteen tea bushes selected by a Qing emperor and since then, carefully protected by guards! Today, Shi Feng refers to the highest quality Long Jing growing in the vicinity of that famous mountain. This incredible lot will delight connoisseurs.

CHINA TAI PING HOU KUI - 2010 NEW SEASON CHINA GREEN TEA

« Taiping Monkey King »
Origin: China, Anhui
Tea colour: green tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 75°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: the leaves have been folded and flattened using a wooden mallet, leaving the marks on the leaves.
Colours: very green with a few yellow shades.
Scents: animal, toasted, planty and floral notes.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Colour: pale green with hints of yellow.
Scents: rich. The planty, toasted and floral aromas come together in a single note.

Liquor
Texture: round and full, combined with a delicate astringency at the back of the mouth.
Flavour: sweet.
Aromas: a complex bouquet, both rich and elegant: planty, toasted, animal, mild vanilla, marine, iodine (shellfish, shells), then developing mineral, raw planty notes with a few toasted aromas.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: lingering planty, aniseed and fruity notes (blackcurrant, grapefruit).

Our verdict: An absolute must, produced in very small quantities, combining poetic and gourmet delights. The aromatic richness, multiple and subtle, is a work of great quality and exclusive to the best new season teas from China!

CHINA YUN FENG - 2010 NEW SEASON CHINA GREEN TEA

“Cloudy tip”
Origin: China, Yunnan
Tea colour: green tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 75°C

Dry leaves
Aspect: delicately twisted leaves with large downy buds.
Colour: very dark green.
Scents: toasted, animal, planty (grass).

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Aspect: lovely large open leaves.
Colour: luminous green.
Scents: initially toasted, animal, planty, aniseed, with a few mineral and fruity (yellow fruit) notes.

Liquor
Colours: a clear pale green liquor.
Texture: very smooth initially, then a roughness that lingers in the mouth.
Flavours: sweet and liquorice notes.
Aromas: planty (cooked vegetables), toasted, animal, fruity, mineral (silex).
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: lingering planty, mineral, aniseed notes. The sweet note lingers too, along with the roundness and thickness.

Our verdict: A tea that can be described as lacy, with its fragile, delicate leaves. Gently crumpled, the youngest shoots have been briefly roasted to produce these “cloudy tips”, as fine as hair, as light as cloud. Pure poetry, Chinese style. Delicious!

CHINA HUANG SHAN MU DAN - 2010 NEW SEASON CHINA GREEN TEA

« Peony of the Yellow Mountains »
Origin: China, Anhui
Tea colour: green tea
Length of infusion: 5’
Water temperature: 80°C
Method of preparation: To appreciate the visual aspect of this tea, choose a pretty glass holding about 150 ml (5 fl oz) and infuse the ‘tea-flower’ in it for 5 minutes in water heated to 80 °C (175 °F). It may also be prepared in a zhong.

Dry leaves
Aspect: around 100 young buds are tied together in a star-shaped bunch.
Colours: green with yellow highlights.
Scents: fruity, animal and planty (dried grass).

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scents: smooth, planty (cooked vegetables), fruity, vanilla, animal, a few toasted notes, and herbs.

Liquor
Texture: a delicate astringency gives this tea a good presence in the mouth.
Aromas: initially planty (cooked vegetables) with hints of herbs, mineral notes, and toasted middle notes.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: long and rich. Becoming very fresh in the mouth with planty, aromatic herbs, aniseed and mineral nuances notes.

Our verdict: A shaped tea worthy of being classed among those new season green teas that are a true gourmet delight. The aromatic bouquet of this Huang Shan Mu Dan matches the beauty of its leaves!

CHINA HUANG SHAN MAO FENG - 2010 NEW SEASON CHINA GREEN TEA

« Downy tip from the Yellow Mountains »
Origin: China, Anhui
Tea colour: green tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 75°C

Dry leaves
Aspect: a delicate pluck: the leaves have barely been handled, just lightly crumpled. Plenty of beautiful downy buds.
Colour: nice green.
Scents: planty, mineral, a touch of animal, highly aromatic.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Aspect: nice leaves.
Colour: green.
Scents: initially planty with a mineral note (silex), and smooth vanilla.

Liquor
Colour: a clear pale green liquor.
Texture: smooth, supple and thick, with a touch of astringency that coats the mouth and gives this tea lots of presence.
Aromas: initially smooth, with cooked plant notes, turning mineral (silex, shells), toasted and animal.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: a round, full and elegant succession of notes. Wonderfully long in the mouth, with a fresh planty impression and marine (crab) and mineral notes.

Our verdict: This lot of tea from the yellow mountains, one of the most esteemed in China, is the result of a particularly high standard of plucking and processing. To be drunk preferably in a Zhong, by successive and very short infusions (30 to 40 seconds).

CHINA JING XIAN TE JIAN - 2010 NEW SEASON CHINA GREEN TEA

“Splendid buds from Jing Xian”
Origin: China
Tea colour: green tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 75°C

Dry leaves
Aspect: a lovely delicate plucking that has had minimal handling; the leaves are just slightly folded.
Colour: green.
Scents: an aromatic bouquet: initially toasted (smoky), with animal then planty notes.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Aspect: attractive leaves.
Colours: vibrant green.
Scents: an animal, toasted (smoky) attack, with touches of cooked vegetables.

Liquor
Colour: clear pale green.
Texture: the delicate astringency coats the mouth, making this tea wonderfully long-lasting
Aromas: round, with a toasted attack (smoky) and animal, cooked vegetable, floral (white flowers) and mineral (silex) notes.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: elegant, with an unbroken succession of notes. A lingering fresh feel (planty, minty) and mineral, floral notes. A good balance between the aromas and the texture.

Our verdict: Jing Xing is a tea-growing region in the south east of Anhui. “Splendid buds from Jing Xian”. A round, well balanced tea with a mild quality not dissimilar to the Long Jing, delicately combined with powerful, toasted notes.

CHINA HUANG HUA YUN JIAN - 2010 NEW SEASON CHINA GREEN TEA

“Yellow flower of the cloudy peaks”
Origin: China, Anhui
Tea colour: green tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 75°C

Dry leaves
Aspect: a delicate plucking with minimally rolled and crumpled leaves
Colour: a lovely green.
Scents: planty (fresh grass), smooth (dried grass) and animal.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Aspect: attractive leaves.
Colours: vibrant green.
Scents: planty, smooth, vanilla, fruity, mineral and metallic.

Liquor
Colour: clear pale green.
Texture: smooth and full
Flavours: slightly sweet, umami.
Aromas: initially planty (cooked vegetables), smooth, marine (scallops), toasted, vanilla, mineral and metallic.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: beautifully smooth, with rich, subtle notes. Lingering planty, fresh (fresh grass) and metallic notes.

Our verdict: Grown at a very high altitude on the same mountains as those of the Huang Shan Mao Feng, but on the north facing side, this tea gets less sunshine and is harvested a little later than the other spring teas. Delicious.