Now is the time for early spring tea 早春茶

[abcdefg]

It's that time of year again. Winter is over and the tea trees of south Yunnan have waked up and put out tender young shoots 嫩芽 which are barely beginning to turn into leaves. These have the youth and vigor of a project in its earliest stages. As the year progresses, the tea will develop other attributes, but it will never have the same first-flush virgin freshness that it has right now. It's something special. 

 

Look for signs in the windows of tea shops that say 早春茶 early spring tea. It hit the shelves in Kunming last week. I tasted it at two of my favorite stores. Couldn't tell them apart, so I bought the one which cost less. Most of China's main tea growing areas produce a little bit of early spring tea, but it's a limited item. Better mail-order places will have some soon if they don't already. 

Let me show you how it brewed up and urge you to buy some wherever you are. It will be gone in about ten days, right after Qingming Festival 清明节。Early spring tea is another of those "seize the moment" China things. Mine comes from one of Xishuangbanna's 西双版纳傣族自治州 famous tea mountains, Youle Shan 优乐山。Here's a shot of the place it is grown and a look at the tea in a large bin at the store. 

 

-- Click the photos to enlarge them.

 

          

 

 

I've laid a couple toothpicks onto my private supply to give you a sense of scale. These are delicate shoots with only one immature leaf. Next picture is of some this tea set out ready to be brewed, with the lilies beside it just for fun. 

 

         

 

 

This tea is usually brewed in a glass. You don't need a teapot 茶壶 or a gaiwan 盖碗。Put a generous pinch of dried tea leaves into a tall pre-warmed glass and add water that is a few degrees below boiling. One way to do this is to bring your water to a boil, then let it stand for a couple of seconds. You will often see tea people pouring the water for this brew in a high stream. That accomplishes the same thing.  If you live in China, you probably have a water machine 饮水机。Hot water from it works fine for this purpose.  Notice I have the glass several inches away from the spigot. 

 

     

 

It doesn't need to stand more than five or ten seconds before you pour it through a strainer into a small distribution pitcher 公道杯。These hair-like leaf elements release their flavor quickly and easily. From there it goes into the small drinking cups 品茗杯, served to yourself and your guests.  The host will usually pass the glass of brewed leaves around to give interested guests a good whiff. 

 

I've covered the "how to" of brewing and serving green tea much more thoroughly elsewhere. Please have a look there for details: https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/51305-springtime-in-a-glass-yunnan-maofeng-tea-云南毛峰茶/

 

You can add more hot water three or four times before the tea loses its flavor. This isn't one of those famous 耐泡 Pu'er teas that can last you all morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any tea fancier worth his salt will want to play with the leaves at the end of the session. Spread some out and take a close look. Easy to see how these delicate tips are not too easy to pick. It's an operation that can't be automated or rushed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early spring tea is well worth seeking out. Buy some and enjoy it right now. If one were a poet, one could write about it capturing the impermanence of life, how it's a reminder not to put things off till tomorrow. 

 

[ZhangKaiRong]

Definitely best time of the year for good Chinese green tea!

Yesterday evening I bought a package of 蒙顶柿花  and 蒙顶甘露, both came from Sichuan and hit the shelves here in Europe. Tea shops in Europe get their teas first from Sichuan, the second batch comes from Yunnan and then from the eastern coast. Both 蒙顶 are great, although for pre-Qingming teas I'm recommending a more Japanese-like approach and using a slightly lower temperature water (around 65 Celsius degrees) and longer brewing time compared to "normal" green teas, in order to bring the best flavors out of the fresh leaves.

[Tomsima]

Water just off the boil works fine with these tea leaves as they have been seared in processing, so any good quality leaves won't get destroyed by pouring boiling water directly on. However pouring from a height like you might with a 岩茶 is probably a waste as the flavour will come out much quicker and you won't get the most of the flavour. I use a 蓋碗 as it spreads the flavour out really nicely, works especially well with 龍井 which is fantastic by the second to third 泡, a method I saw on a tea blog last year. Couldn't afford 西湖龍井, I went for 高山龍井, it's great, give it a try if you want a very close second.

[Guest realmayo]

Now begins the wait for UK vendors to get the new year's tea into the country and up for sale.

I suppose the one upside of the still-wintry weather here is I hadn't thought about missing fresh green tea in spring sunshine, until abcdefg's post.

[Guest realmayo]

7 hours ago, ZhangKaiRong said:

Yesterday evening I bought

Care to say who from?

[abcdefg]

On 3/28/2018 at 7:00 AM, ZhangKaiRong said:

Yesterday evening I bought a package of 蒙顶柿花  and 蒙顶甘露, both came from Sichuan and hit the shelves here in Europe

 

I've had Mengding Ganlu 蒙顶甘露 and admire it a lot. If it were not for the easy availability of Yunnan teas here in Kunming, I would have spent more effort seeking out and getting to know quite a few of Sichuan's delicious teas. They are every bit as good as our local products, just a bit less easy for me to find here.  

 

ZKR, if you feel so inclined, it would be great if you would write up a post on those delicious Mengding 蒙顶 teas. I, for one, would like to learn more about them. 

 

On 3/28/2018 at 12:25 PM, Tomsima said:

I use a 蓋碗 as it spreads the flavour out really nicely, works especially well with 龍井 which is fantastic by the second to third 泡, a method I saw on a tea blog last year.

 

A gaiwan 盖碗 is versatile and works quite well for brewing any green tea, no doubt about that. I certainly would not argue against it. It affords the ultimate in flavor control. But brewing in a glass is also a suitable way to make these light-flavored green teas, and it has the added benefit of allowing one to watch the tea as it does the slow "tea dance." The leaves move up and down in the glass as they steep, performing an ancient Chinese ballet. 

 

The conventional wisdom is that if the tea is lighter and more delicate in structure and flavor, water that is less hot does a better job of brewing it into a well-balanced beverage. A hearty and full-flavored large-leaf Pu'er, for example requires boiling water and a very hot clay teapot to show its taste to best advantage. These Maofeng 毛峰 teas are more often brewed the way Zhang Kai Rong suggested. The method I wrote up for this thread is a "middle road." 

 

 

[艾墨本]

@abcdefg Have you heard of the magazine about tea that comes out of http://teasagehut.org ? 

 

Your articles would make a great addition to it. Your writing and pictures as well as your narrative style merit publication. 

[abcdefg]

Many thanks, @艾墨本 -- I had never heard of Teasagehut and their programs. I'm going to get busy right now and see if I can at least arrange a visit. I like the sound of their philosophy and the environment they provide. 

[Alex_Hart]

Nice post, abcd! I've seen some signs for the fresh Longjing here, but have yet managed to go check out any of the stores. 

 

I agree with 艾墨本 that you should publish your posts somewhere (at least until your book is finished)!

[Balthazar]

On 3/29/2018 at 6:02 AM, 艾墨本 said:

Have you heard of the magazine about tea that comes out of http://teasagehut.org ? 

 

The Global Tea Hut magazine is actually really good (probably unrivaled in any non-Asian language), at least the samples I've read. Regardless of what one feels about the "organization" itself, "Wu De" (Aaron Fisher, author of "Way of Tea"), undoubtedly has a lot of knowledge about tea and excellent sourcing skills. Even those who are somewhat put off by the "cultish" vibes the Tea Sage Hut may give off seem to recognize that the teas they source are top notch. I was fortunate enough to taste the Bingdao tea they provided with the magazine a few years ago (a limited Mengku Shuanjiang production, supposedly with real Bingdao material), and it was one of the most powerful puer teas I've ever tried. While I never subscribed to the magazine, I have no doubt the samples they send out with it are more than enough to justify the cost ...

 

But I digress from the subject of this topic ... These days I don't consume a whole lot of Chinese green teas. Overall I feel like Japanese greens offer a lot more for less money, but I might not have felt that way had I lived in China.

 

As usual, thanks for sharing @abcdefg

[Alex_Hart]

On 4/1/2018 at 11:44 PM, Balthazar said:

But I digress from the subject of this topic ... These days I don't consume a whole lot of Chinese green teas. Overall I feel like Japanese greens offer a lot more for less money, but I might not have felt that way had I lived in China.

 

Perhaps because the teas that get exported from China tend to be the "brand name" teas. For example, Hangzhou's Longjing is very expensive, but there are several green teas from nearby that command a far lower price. Even here just miles from the tea farms, tea shops don't often advertise these teas. 安吉 (home of the famous 安吉白茶) has a similar situation. If you go to any tea shop in Shanghai, the only 安吉 tea you will find is the 安吉白茶, which costs a fortune. If you go to 安吉 itself, you'll find some really delicious green teas that can be had for the price of lunch. 

[amytheorangutan]

On 28/03/2018 at 1:00 PM, ZhangKaiRong said:

Yesterday evening I bought a package of 蒙顶柿花  and 蒙顶甘露, both came from Sichuan and hit the shelves here in Europe.

 

Would you mind letting me know where you bought the tea from in Europe? They sound interesting and I might give them a try ?

[abcdefg]

6 hours ago, Alex_Hart said:

If you go to any tea shop in Shanghai, the only 安吉 tea you will find is the 安吉白茶, which costs a fortune. If you go to 安吉 itself, you'll find some really delicious green teas that can be had for the price of lunch. 

 

Agree with that 150%. I've found it over and over in my own casual tea explorations. These teas, besides lacking the huge mark up that international name recognition confers, usually don't have to travel so far and don't have as many middle-men to take a bite of the profits. 

[Balthazar]

14 hours ago, Alex_Hart said:

Perhaps because the teas that get exported from China tend to be the "brand name" teas. For example, Hangzhou's Longjing is very expensive, but there are several green teas from nearby that command a far lower price. Even here just miles from the tea farms, tea shops don't often advertise these teas. 安吉 (home of the famous 安吉白茶) has a similar situation.

 

It's definitely true that what's available on the European market, understood here as meaning physical stores located in Europe, is mostly "brand teas" (brand here referring to geography (e.g. Longjing/Laobanzhang) or varietal rather than company brand), recognizable names to everyone with the slightest interest in tea beyond Lipton bags.

 

However, that's not so much the case with the online market anymore, especially not for larger vendors operating from within China. Take a look at the green tea section at Yunnan Sourcing for instance. Or The Dragon Tea House, a vendor I do not recommend but know is fairly popular. Or any of the countless Aliexpress/Taobao-alternatives out there [Edit: Apparently Aliexpress-vendors may no longer sell tea].

 

As for getting the teas yourself, directly from the source, common sense suggests that this should give you better value for your money (no, or at least fewer, middle men involved). I'm sure this is often the case too, but I don't think it always is. My impression is that for most of the above middle grade teas, farmers prefer to sell large quantities to fewer buyers (which would imply that the price difference between getting your teas directly or buying them through a vendor may not always be that large), as this is often more cost effective. I'm sure you could get a better deal buying directly from the farmer (or at a local tea market) compared to buying through a internationally focused vendor in nine out of ten cases, but I don't necessarily believe the same to be true if your compared the price/quality to that offered by the more popular Taobao-vendors (popular as in popular on online tea forums, going by Taobao-reviews alone is definitely not reliable at all).

 

In any case, for those of us not living in China buying directly from the producers is rarely an option. So yes, my opinion is mostly based on what's available online from China and Japan respectively. Here I believe Japanese green teas, in general, offer more complexity than their Chinese counterparts (although they can also be more finicky in terms of finding the correct brewing parameters). I believe the opposite to be true as far as black teas, Oolongs and ... pretty much every other type of tea is concerned.

 

I also feel less concerned about the safety of consuming green teas from Japan. Fertilizer/pesticide regulations are much more lax in China, my impression is that the same is true for testing. With Japanese teas you have some people worrying about radioactivity, post Fukushima, but testing is extensive, openly reported, and the radioactive cesium limitation is much, much lower in Japan than either the EU or the US (it's 1/12 of the US limit!). So there's also that, although I guess the same could be said about Chinese black teas, which I drink a good liter of at work each day  

 

In any case, I do enjoy Chinese green teas a lot, but based on what I am able to get from behind this computer screen I will go for a Japanese alternative most of the time. Thés du Japon is where I usually get my fix.

 

7 hours ago, abcdefg said:

Agree with that 150%. I've found it over and over in my own casual tea explorations. These teas, besides lacking the huge mark up that international name recognition confers, usually don't have to travel so far and don't have as many middle-men to take a bite of the profits. 

 

Definitely agree regarding Shanghai tea shops (actually, non-online tea shops in general) and price/quality. My mother once bought some ripe puer from a shop at the top of a Nanjing Lu mall. It was sad stuff indeed, although the unsuspecting customer wouldn't have guessed as much from the price tag.

[abcdefg]

I'm really glad to have your perspective on these issues @Balthazar-- It's been over 10 years since I've bought tea online, and I therefore have only very scant knowledge of how that works these days, recommendations and pitfalls of which to be wary. 

 

When I go to other parts of China (or to Taiwan) to taste and buy tea, I don't pay close attention to the economics of it. I view the trip as a chance to get to know something about interesting new places, the local people, the local customs and so on. I admit to being a dilettante instead of a hard-nosed businessmen. 

[Balthazar]

17 hours ago, abcdefg said:

I view the trip as a chance to get to know something about interesting new places, the local people, the local customs and so on. I admit to being a dilettante instead of a hard-nosed businessmen. 

 

It's interesting you'd bring that up, as it's definitely a strong point in favour of the "direct buying" approach. I've done it myself on the rare occasions that have presented themselves (and I can count those with one hand), but these days the closest I get to any such experience is through the Wechat-updates of a Taiwanese producer I buy directly from (he produces an outstanding traditional roast Dong Ding).

 

The actual buying experience (and everything that surrounds it), in person, at the place of production, really has value in itself. Some vendors, such as Jingmai focused Farmerleaf (or Wuyi Origin), are trying (and doing a good job) to transfer some of that to the Internet. But to go there and see, taste, smell and experience for yourself is something different altogether.

 

Speaking of Farmerleaf, here's a fun little video (Youtube)

[Luxi]

On 4/6/2018 at 1:57 AM, abcdefg said:

over 10 years since I've bought tea online, and I therefore have only very scant knowledge of how that works these days,

My 2021 Yunnan Spring tea has just left Guangzhou, it only took 2-3 days since ordering through the web and less than £10 on Chinese mail postage. It will be delivered by Royal Mail (hopefully tea is still duty free in UK) and I already have a tracking number. So looking forward to this bit of China ?

 

I ordered from Yunnan Sourcing, from where I have ordered, and received some gorgeous teas in the past, without problems. I think they have a shop in Oregon, and used to have a shop in Dallas but I don't have any references.  The prices are amazing compared to what one would pay here, and these people know their teas.

No lobbying or commercial interest at all, I just love their teas and the write ups and reviews on their website.

[Guest realmayo]

Started putting together an order, of 2021 green tea, from Yunnan Sourcing yesterday! Like you Luxi, I've ordered from them in the past and always been very happy. Trying to resist adding another teapot to the order this time though. Yes I wonder how @abcdefg is getting his tea fix in the US these days?

[abcdefg]

2 hours ago, realmayo said:

Yes I wonder how @abcdefg is getting his tea fix in the US these days?

 

I've been living on fumes! Most of my tea is still in my Kunming apartment, all of the Pu'er stored in large clay urns with efficient tops. Have the ripe Pu'er in one urn and the raw Pu'er in another. Used to keep them together, but my landlord finally browbeat me into investing in a second clay urn so I could do it properly. (She is a Pu'er connoisseur.) 

 

It's in a cool spot, protected from direct sunlight. So it might have even improved by the time I make it back (whenever that is, some time well in the future.) 

 

Like you, I ordered some tea from Yunnan Sourcing about a month ago, shipped to my Texas address. Wanted to share some with my brother. I have been pleased with their selection and pricing. Efficient shipping. 

[Luxi]

1 hour ago, abcdefg said:

So it might have even improved by the time I make it back

 

It will be the best Pu'er you've ever tasted!