2010 Early Spring Green Tea Is In
I am a green tea lover, so there is nothing that gives me more of a thrill that the arrival of the first green teas. For the last two years I have been here in Tucson waiting like everyone else for the tea to arrive. That’s what happens when you have kids in school. Zhuping is having all the fun, but it is still great when I start opening up the boxes.
During the Tang Dynasty tea was graded based on the first tea to make it to the capital, which in those days was Xian. It must have been just so exciting as the horses raced across China to bring the first tea to the emperor. Today I just got the UPS truck which came in the morning with 14 boxes of the best green tea I’m going to get in 2010.
It was a cold winter in China this year in the East, so the harvest was pushed off. There is not going to be as much Ming Qian tea as usual, but this is all Ming Qian that came today. Zhuping has done a great job of finding great tea and keeping the prices down in a year when the competition has been fierce. The market went crazy and some prices skyrocketed. I received a gift from a government friend of some Anji Bai Cha that sold for close to $500 a kilo, and Shi Feng Long Jing was even higher. We are lucky to have long standing relationships with the producers we buy from, so we were not hit as hard. I’m nervous about opening my gift (but I will).
It was hard to decide what to try first, but I went for the Tang Dynasty favorite, Gu Zhu Zi Sun (Purple Bamboo Shoot). I am especially excited about this tea because it is from wild bushes and traditionally made. I am going to write a post about it soon with photos. I’m just a little bit behind as always. We hope to have our teas packed and ready to buy by the middle of next week. I love this tea! I can’t wait to try all of them.
Austin
I'd be happy to swing by and help you open that gift, since it's making you so nervous!
There is something so thrilling about getting the new tea and discovering how different it is. The new Date Fragrance Puer is simply phenomenal. What a shock to open the box and find such an incredibly different (and spectacular) tea.
I'm like you, in really anticipating the Spring teas.. Winter goes on forever, and while blacks and oolongs are each wonderful and probably more suitable for a cold winter day, along about January I really start to crave fresh green tea. For virtually every other product, I can just turn to the web and summon it with a few clicks, but not so, green teas in late winter; they aren't anywhere to be found. And, with the extended winter in China this year, it was worse than usual! I'm glad they're finally here, and I can't wait to try them.
I can fully imagine the anticipation. I remember when I was waiting for my packet from Seven Cups to arrive, then it got stuck at Belgian customs for two weeks! And that was just a little box, not 14 big ones
I'm usually more an wulong lover, but lately I'm turning more and more towards green tea. The Biluochun I got from you guys must have something to do with that. The picking grade is fantastic, nothing but the tiniest fresh green leaves.
I'm a big fan of Dragon Well and brew in a French press everyday, then putting it in the fridge for ice tea. I recently got some Early Spring Dragon Well, but it was too weak. Does it need a second flushing? Does it need to brew longer? What's the secret to brewing this special tea?
Thanks in advance.
Hi James
You will need give me a bit more information for me to answer your question. I can tell that in general the first tea harvested is lighter tasting then tea harvested later. In general most people in the West brew it incorrectly. The very good green tea, especially those that are harvested before April 5th, should be brewed in a glass or gaiwan at a relatively cooler water, between 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The mistakes that most people make is that they end the infusion by poring all of the water off at the end of an infusion. The tea leaves should never be exposed to air, and should continue to stay covered by water. The tea doesn't start to have much body until the second or third infusion. You can do that easily with your French press. Westerners also don't use enough leaves. There is not less satisfying than an insipid cup of tea. Increase the number the amount of tea that you brew. I don't know the size of French press you are are using but I am guessing it is large since us save for ice tea.
There is another issue. There was very little Longjing made before April 5 this year, and the price went up considerably. There is always a large amount of tea fake Longjing that is made in Western China where the harvest time is much earlier. It is for sale in Hongzhou everywhere, even before the local harvest begins. Paying a high price for the tea doesn't guarantee authenticity, the real thing is NEVER cheap. 2010 is the problem is exacerbated by the lack of supply. If you bought your tea from us, we can vouch for it, but we can't speak for other companies. There are few companies that indicate the harvest time or the tea maker. Longjing is the most faked of all Chinese green teas.
If you can give me more information about how you are brewing it, where you purchased it, the size of your French press, the amount of tea that you are using, I can help you further.
Austin