Tea Notes, September 2021
by Lydia Kung
As summer winds down (slowly here), the tea work of producing lower cost OPs and fannings comes to a close in China. Machine-cut teas, as shown here, give way to autumnal Oolongs in regions lucky enough to have these prized cultivars.
During this brief interstitial period, we’ll take a look at:
I How do they form those Blooming Teas?
II White Tea Grades
III Revisiting Spring Green teas
IV Mooncakes at Mid-Autumn
( I ) Blooming Teas
Not quite as trendy as they once were, when it seemed every booth at a tea trade show displayed dozens in glass goblets, orders still come in regularly for these showy teas. Not always colorful in dry form, the addition of hot water reveals the remarkable craft of attaching flowers to form “lanterns,” “baskets,” and other whimsically named tea pieces.
My recollection is that these decorative teas were first crafted in villages for wedding celebrations. The addition of flowers to tea would not have been novel, but we may imagine that these inspired creations garnered much admiration.
We see some of these creations made with Black tea, but Green tea remains the standard. The tea is the Big White cultivar (Da Bai) which we usually associate with Silver Needles White. These long sturdy buds are the most suitable to bundle and for the finished bloom appearance.
Using needle and thread, an experienced worker can finish in one hour about 30 pieces of the simpler versions, such as the lichee-sized ball with a pink amaranth nestled on the top. For more intricate styles requiring more flowers, 12 to 15 pieces can be completed in an hour.
Most are for export. The handiwork of course accounts for part of the cost, but it should be remembered that the tea itself is a high quality pluck.
The style we carry is Jasmine Blooming Tea (jasmine scented, w/amaranth).
( II ) White tea Grades
Fujian’s grading system has been remarkably consistent for many years, covering their Oolongs, Jasmines, and also White teas. With quite a number of White teas coming to us, here is a simple outline of what the grades mean, in the context of Fujian’s production.
It is easy to see why Silver Needles are at the top of the White teas category. Plump single buds do fit the name.
In the next group are the Bai Mudan or White Peony teas, followed by ShouMei and GongMei, a lesser known White popular in SE Asia.
Here’s a garden with the “Big White” cultivar in Fujian.
For White Peony teas:
- Premium grade: picking in the second half of April; the pluck is one bud with one leaf, and the bud is “strong.”
- Special grade: picking in early May; the pluck is one bud with one leaf, but may contain budsets with two leaves.
- First grade: picking in the middle of May; the pluck is a bud with two leaves.
- Second grade: picking during the end of May; the pluck is a bud with two leaves along with budsets with three leaves.
The duration of outdoor and indoor withering depends on weather conditions. Indoors, there are fans that circulate the air and the leaves are gently rotated.
Here’s a photo of sorting White Peony tea after indoor withering:
I always knew that a cooled White Peony makes for a very quaffable iced tea, being lighter than Black teas and having virtually no astringency. I was surprised to hear from one producer that using a gongfu set yields an excellent cup. (Have to try this.)
As I mentioned in last month’s post, White teas are one category where we are seeing rising costs, albeit modest increases. This is due in large part to the popularity of White tea cakes in the domestic market. Because these are aged, much is removed from the market for months at a time.
Here is a White Mudan cake.
A White tea cake aged for one year is considered a specialty tea.
One that has been aged for three years is believed to have medicinal qualities.
And one that has been aged for seven years is named a “tea treasure.”
We are also expecting to receive Superfine White Peony, which comes from a very limited early plucking in April.
From another garden, many miles to the west and at much higher elevations, comes a White tea from Nepal.
Organic Himalayan Snow Buds White
This tea is made with a bud with one leaf, plucked from high altitude plots in gardens already situated at a formidable elevation.
Lightly withered with limited production each season. From a grower who is dedicated to present an authentic expression of place, the outcome is a tea with inviting, elegant flowery notes.
( III ) Revisiting Spring Green teas
Tender sproutings from tea bushes in spring give us a lift in the year’s production cycle. The bouquet of green plants fresh from new growth and damp from mists can’t be bottled, but this simple category of Green teas gives us a sensory journey. This journey demands some patience. Minimalist as this category is, there are diverse manifestations even within the restrictions that processing dictates.
As we look towards fall, here’s a recap of a few single-pluck Green teas. This is a partial listing. These may not have the powerful richness of some Black teas or the layered complexity of Oolongs, but consider how little manipulation Green teas undergo. And yet they invite repeated sips and perhaps thoughtful consideration. With their undercurrent of fresh, aromatic vegetal notes, they can engage the drinker who ventures widely through this category.
The photos below will look familiar; together they show the many leaf styles that China Green teas can take. Some are in limited supply here now, and because most are single pluck teas, no more will be coming till next spring.
It might be appropriate here to point out why “Green” teas often end up looking so dark, grey more than green. During the pan-firing process (cao qing), which applies to most teas in the following list, as the leaf comes into contact with the hot pan, the “juices” are concentrated on the surface of the leaf, and after rolling and drying, the leaves that on a darker coloring. With this concentrated surface sufficiently heated and dried, the leaves will not easily absorb moisture or other flavors.
In contrast, Green teas that undergo Baking (hong qing) do not end up with as much sealing on the leaves’ surface. These are more amenable for flavoring, which is why Jasmine teas have hong qing green tea as the base.
Pi Lo Chun, Green Spiral Spring
One of the Big 10 Teas of China, this original spiral shaped tea has inspired other similarly shaped teas, showing up as Black and Jasmine teas. For such a wispy, feathery leaf, it yields a surprising depth of flavor.
Fascinating study of how budsets are transformed into spindly, uniformly thin needles, that unfurl when steeped to show the original lush pluck. Fresh and sweet, a good value for an early Spring Green.
Clouds at Summit Green
From NW Hunan’s mountainous terrain where clouds linger till noon. The leaf style is not very striking, but the tea becomes disarmingly winning as the taste develops.
The back story might be thin for this tea, but it brings into clear focus the tea hills in NW Hunan’s mountain range.
Bright gold in the cup, with a long, inviting finish of sugar snap peas or sweet baby spinach. Picked in late March, this is a textbook example of an early pick, offering the essence of new fresh growth.
This tea first got my immediate attention with its finely wound leaves. Texts refer to “eagle claws” in describing the finished shape. During the Ming Dynasty, the tea was named “lan xue,” or Orchid Snow.
Picked before and just around the Qing Ming festival (April 5, 2021), the pluck is a bud and one leaf. De-enzyming is done in small batches, about a kilo at a time. The most winsome feature of this Green is its chestnut-y note, one that begins once the tea is poured and then carrying over to the palate. Well known in the local area of origin, this was only recently exported to the U.S. in 2019 when we received a small batch.
Another Zhejiang origin tea, this one comes from Yuhang, about 1.5 hours away from Hangzhou. Tea lore relates an account of a Japanese monk visiting a temple in Yuhang centuries ago. He was so taken with the tea, named “trail mountain” from the temple’s garden, that he took it back to Japan.
Take a moment to smell the wet leaves for their fresh lettuce-like aroma. Delicate from the first sip; hold on the palate to savor the surprising layers of flavor that develop and linger. An attractive green-gold in the cup, a real-deal Zhejiang showing above all, finesse in a Green.
An easy association between the name and the dry leaves. One of the earliest to appear each spring, the cup is delicately nuanced, and the wet leaves warrant a second look to appreciate the pluck.
By the end of September, a jasmine scented (5 times) version of this tea will arrive.
Picked and processed before April 5th (Qing Ming), this is a gentler and friendlier version of “pine needle” shaped teas.
Against its spindly needles, the delicious simplicity surprises: stark, dark grey leaves give little hint of the natural sweetness that opens up when steeped.
From the storied horse trail region, this lacy Green is easy to like with its herbaceous bouquet. A more recent offering from a tradition-bound place of origin.
Snow Monkey Green
Fujian is better known for its Oolong and White teas; this Green has been around for a long time and not surprisingly, bears a close resemblance to White Mudan.
Fujian produces Golden Monkey Black and “Monkey Picked” Tie Guan Yin in far larger quantities than this Green, which is now virtually processed for advance custom orders only.
A quick glance might mistake this for a green Oolong. This Green has serious, deep flavor, and its tight roll is one feature it shares with Oolongs. This intent results in one of the few Greens that is suitable for gaiwan brewing, as the curled leaves open gradually from one infusion to the next.
Meng Ding as an origin (Sichuan) is usually associated with the single bud Yellow tea. This “sweet dew” Green is a feathery, longer leafed tea, providing a fresh perspective of spring Greens embodying gentle floral notes. Gan Lu literally means “sweet” (as in a honeyed aftertaste) and “dew.”
De-enzyming is done in small batches of about half a kilo, at temperatures between 140 – 160°C. The shaping consists of twisting, which is done three times while still pan firing the leaves. The pluck standard is a bud and one leaf.
A longtime classic from Zhejiang that lives up to its impressive name. Another example of processing and finishing that express the place, yielding a tantalizing chestnut note that is the hallmark of fine Zhejiang Greens.
This tea has a very recent history: a Japanese cultivar transplanted in Zhejiang where it is made in the pan-fired style, producing the deep green pleasures of Japanese tea without the grassier notes of steamed Greens.
Jiangsu is best known for Pi Lo Chun, but the entire region produces fine Green teas. Modestly priced as an entry level Green, this Jiangsu will surpass expectations of an affordable daily Green.
For those who welcome tea trivia, the loosely formed, somewhat generously sized leaves are a good example of Maofengs, as opposed to the more tightly rolled, compact Maojian or Hairpoint teas. In the latter group, more of the conventional and Organic Tranquility Green will be arriving.
These dry leaves ought to draw one in for a closer look, when the unexpected tiny gold specks come into focus. A classy presentation and wonderful translation of the region high in the Anhui hills – – with skillful crafting yielding purity and good length on the palate.
A good value tea, a step above the quotidian Chunmee and Gunpowder varieties, and a rewarding payoff for just a bit more money than baked Green teas.
Tai Ping Hou Kui, “Monkey King”
Arguably the most dramatic of Green teas in appearance – the result of labor intensive hand-pressing. Counter intuitively, these oversized leaves give a clean, soft taste.
Organic Orchid Snow Buds Green
A green tea from Zhejiang almost always promises a good cup. Near Shaoxing, a place well known for its “yellow” wine, the nearby mountains are the backdrop for this tea. High peaks are surrounded by pine and bamboo, and ever present clouds provide humidity that coaxes sturdy buds from tea bushes.
( IV ) Mid-Autumn and Mooncakes
One Chinese celebration coming up is the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on September 21st this year. (Autumn for us begins Sept. 22nd) Sometimes it seems folks are more interested in the mooncakes than in the full moon or a bountiful harvest, viz. “The Many Faces of Mooncakes,” NYTimes, Sept.3rd.
The standard and most popular mooncake has a thin pastry that holds a decadent filling, which of course, demands good teas to cut the richness.
Over the years the gifting of mooncakes accounts for more and more of the sales. Some traditionally styled boxes or tins for home consumption are modest, and may not have changed in years, especially those from well known purveyors, exhibiting a look that recalls the 1960s.
In recent years we see ever fancier packaging, and such gifting gives tea sales a boost too.
Prices in USD for the 3 boxes shown are approximately $39, $45, & $64 (left to right).
We won’t get a holiday here, but it’s a good time to brew up a choice cup, like a Single Trunk Oolong.
There are several Black teas from wild tea trees that are available now from China. This one comes from the Mekong River basin in Yunnan. In this part of China, the long river flowing from north to south is known as the Lancang River.
Yunnan is the birthplace of teas in China, so it is not surprising that these very old trees, scattered over hills, are found in this region. One vivid image I hold is of a young woman clambering up narrow paths, much faster than we who were following her, to the trees outside her small village. Unevenly spaced, the trees were not particularly attractive; tall and not full with lush growth, their unique character was certainly not attention grabbing.
In earlier times the leaves from wild tea trees were made into simple Green teas, simply by sun drying by local farmers for their own modest consumption. (I have tasted such teas and being very rudimentary, are not very satisfying.)
As greater knowledge about oxidation, Black tea processing techniques and equipment became available, much improved results were well received in the domestic market, eventually spreading to exports.
The trees are 200 to 400 years old, and the development of methods to capture the quality of these ancient trees has now placed them as prized Black teas. As a guest visiting tea factories in the southwestern part of China, this was very often the tea I was served. The aroma is captivating and long. The taste is mellow, combining both floral and fruity notes.
We are pleased to offer whole roses again, ones that offer the flower’s natural character without any flavoring added.
Not a true tea since there is just one ingredient. As with some other botanicals, there has been a bit of a wait. These fully bloomed, lush, deep red roses (2 or 3 in a mug will do nicely) brew a soft sweet cup. The harvesting began in May continuing through June, with workers in the far north (Shandong) starting to pick before dawn.
At this time of record high shipping costs globally, we are fortunate to have long time suppliers who have held tea costs steady. (For China’s producers, the exchange rate has not been favorable to them, on top of rising shipping rates.) By and large, we are able to keep last year’s wholesale prices for current seasonal teas such as Jasmine Pearls, Organic Jasmine, and other jasmine leaf teas.
With best wishes for a bountiful tea season ahead,
Lydia
September 13, 2021