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Flavor:
Fresh baby greens aroma. Balanced, delicate notes of mung bean and artichoke. Clean, crisp finish.
Garden: Taiwanese Bi Luo Chun Green Tea is only produced in the Sanxia (Three Gorges) District, on the south side of New Taipei City. Sanxia is the only region in Taiwan that has maintained the pre-modern system of tea farmers selling their fresh produce to centralized tea factories. Dozens of farms supply only a few factories. This is a relatively sustainable arrangement that dates back to the Qing Dynasty.
Another sustainable and safe farming practice in Bi Luo Chun Green Tea production is that no pesticides are used throughout the entire growing season. This is because very young, tender leaves are picked every 7-14 days for making this type of tea, so the harvest is basically ongoing. The only time pesticides are used at all on these farms is when the trees are pruned, which typically in once every 2-3 years.
Harvest: Hand-picked, early spring 2024.
Elevation: 300-500m
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Bi Luo Chun Green Tea has an exceptionally delicate and pure character, since the tender new leaf buds undergo the least processing possible after being harvested. Early spring harvest of the first new growth is known to be the best quality. The tea tree varietal that is used to make Bi Luo Chun produce especially fuzzy and plump leaf buds, providing the distinctive character of this tea type.
The yellowish/white "fuzz" that can be seen in the dried leaves comes from the tiny new leaf bud shoots at the growing tip that mostly fall off the leaves in their exposure to high heat during the "kill green" process of curing the leaves. These tiny shoots basically disintegrate into "fuzz". These are actually the microscopic fibers that offer natural protection of the new leaf sprout. They will mostly disappear in brewing the leaves, but can be noticed as floating micro-fibers on the surface of the tea. These contribute to the subtle complexity of this tea. The unaltered, fresh green flavor profile is wonderfully satisfying and refreshing. Bi Luo Chun Green Tea possesses a mystique that captivated Chinese royalty in ages past.
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In addition to the simplest processing methods used to make Bi Luo Chun Green Tea, the most distinguishing factor of this tea type is the cultivar that is used. Qing Xin Gan Zai (青心柑仔) is exclusively cultivated in the San Xia area for the production of Bi Luo Chun and Long Jing Green Tea. With roots going back to dynastic China, this cultivar has been determined to produce the finest Green Tea.
The leaf buds are especially plump in their early growth stage, offering a particularly juicy composition. In Taiwan, the young leaves are spread on bamboo trays and left to wilt overnight, and then to high temperatures to lock in their original fresh green, delicate character and flavor profile.
Although the Sanxia district has historical roots in tea production going back to the Qing Dynasty (1800's), it experienced a modern renaissance in the late 1970's. The economic development in Taiwan created a demand for specialty tea that brought back an era that had diminished in the tumultuous changes that this island went through in previous decades. Now it is a flourishing industry that supplies specialty teas to the Taiwanese market as well as Europe and North America. We are happy to be a part of this cultural propagation!
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Brewing Guide: 5g tea in 300ml 80°C water. Steep for 2 minutes. Re-steep. Adjust to taste.
Cold Brew: Use 4g of tea per liter of water. Brew tea at room temperature for 2-3 hours, and enjoy. Or you can put your cold brew bottle in the fridge to brew overnight and be ready to drink the next day.
Gongfu Brew: Use 1g tea per 16-20mL 80-85°C water. First brew 40 seconds, second brew 30 seconds, third brew 40 seconds. Add 10 seconds per subsequent brew. Can be brewed 5-6 times.
