Signs of Spring, Part 1
by Lydia KungGreeting spring teas turned out to be longer than I thought, so this post will appear in three sections.
New flush at a tea base in NW Hunan.
Tender tips like this Green (at right) are what we expect to see in early spring China teas. And there are Black teas with prominent young sproutings:
Gold Tribute Black Tea (at left)
This photo below shows Rose corolla (mid April 2020).
It is still officially spring but we had a heat wave in southern California for a spell. And those high temperatures had me thinking about cold drinks. Our Golden Peony Black just arrived, and after the tasting mug was put away, the cooled cup reminded me of how good some cold Black and Oolong teas are. The floral notes of this unscented Black were still evident as a cold tea, leaving a trace of roses in the finish.
And here again are some more familiar candidates for iced beverages. (The fruit blends are caffeine-free.)
Kiwi Gooseberry Pineapple Fruit tea
Guava Strawberry Fruit tea (I admit to being very fond of guava, less for the eating than its fragrance.)
Limoncello Black tea
Organic Orange Strawberry Fruit tea (could be considered a twist on pink lemonade)
Peach Passionfruit Fruit tea
This is not the season for Dragonfruits, so finding a red Dragonfruit at a local market made my grocery trip very worthwhile. The white fruit is what we usually see; the red version is not so easy to come by.
The color the fruit imparts to the startling, verging on shocking pink cup of Red Dragonfruit & Mango tea still surprises, and it makes for one cheery cup, as shown in the middle at right.
As members of a tea community who derives pleasure in seeing tasty results of each new season, this year, as we open new samples to taste what might be in store, our enthusiasm is necessarily and rightfully tempered by empathy for those who have lost work. Times are challenging enough for those of us fortunate to be working. For those who have been furloughed or laid off, the future looks even shakier with prolonged disorientation. I am fully cognizant that some teas will remain out of reach for tea devotees. Even I find myself gasping at some of the quotes I get. The product notes here are offered in the spirit of providing more knowledge about an array of teas, of helping to calibrate value, and of better understanding nuances that will elevate our own standards, at whatever price range that works.
We have all read about the lock-down in India and Nepal, with resulting food shortages, stigma on migrant workers as they return to villages, and limited access to healthcare. Tea work has resumed in parts of India and Nepal. At least in tea growing areas, social distancing is more easily maintained.
For the region in Nepal where most of our teas come from, the teas being made were behind normal schedules by about a week to ten days as of late April. Any further delay and the precious buds would have been sacrificed. The 1st flush hand-rolled teas have been finished; now it’s a matter of being able to book flights out. I await news from our producer.
In China tea work began as usual before April and early flushes did not go to waste. This post about spring teas from China comes later than usual, not because of any delays in production but mostly due to daunting shipping rates. Our practice is not to factor in air freight into our landed cost; bringing in spring teas to arrive while it is still spring is a service we are pleased to provide. The dearth of flights this spring, however, has meant high rates from courier services such as DHL, UPS, and FedEx. In this situation, I try to bundle teas for a larger gross weight in order to qualify for a better rate. It has also taken longer for samples to reach us, as small packages sometimes wait in Shenzhen or Hong Kong for the next available flight out.
Given the disparate regions that offer enticing spring teas, consolidation is not always easy. I hope the quality of the teas listed, celebrating another season’s new growth, compensates for the tardy arrival. Brief notes accompany new offerings this spring. These are new to me, certainly not new in China’s tea tradition, and a few are re-introduced. Some noteworthy familiar teas are highlighted in Part 2. Longer product notes follow in Part 3.
I realize these are aspirational teas. I have chosen with an eye not just to a big name but to true value, in the context of early and limited production, and of flavor that really shows the eye-opening and palate-awakening range that green teas, so minimally processed, can yield.
One tea that truly is new in the sense of being recently developed is an Amber Oolong, made from a Taiwan cultivar moved to Hunan, to a site at an elevation of about 1600 m. Obtaining information from the producer has not been easy. Developed about two years ago, no doubt the producer considers much of what differentiates this from Fujian and Taiwan Oolongs to be proprietary. Mining for more background about the tea’s manufacture continues. At this point, I am enjoying this tightly rolled, dark leafed tea with crème brulee-like notes and luscious layered flavor.
Another new discovery is Organic Purple Bamboo Black: named for the bit of purplish hues in the leaves and stems of the tea bush (Zi-Juan cultivar). The cup is deeply flavored: burnt sugar, the barest hint of licorice in the best sense, and a fine concentrated balance of sweet (ripe berries) and umami. Arrival will be in June.
May 14, 2020