Yin Xiang Hua Xia Tea – Underhill Lounge

Jinjunmei from Yin Xiang Hua Xia Tea.

Jinjunmei is a Black Tea from the Wuyi region of Fujian, specifically, a village named Tongmu.

Unlike traditional and smoked Lapsang teas, Jinjunmei is a relatively recent innovation.

“In 2006, another innovation took place in Tongmu. A Fujian official asked Jiang Yuanxun, the biggest manufacturer in Tongmu, to make some tea as a gift using bud tea and without the familiar smoking. The tea was made by Liange Junde, the tea master that worked for Mr Jiang at the time, and the tea Jin Jun Mei was born. In 2007, it went into production and rapidly became the most expensive black tea ever sold in China.”
Seven Cups Tea

Jinjunmei is essentially the type of early spring, carefully picked, all bud material that would normally be used for Silver Needle (or Baihao Yinzhen) White Tea. But, instead of being processed into White Tea, it is fully oxidized and then dried.

As I mentioned, Baihao Yinzhen, due to the labor necessary to carefully pick the individual spring tea buds, tends to be the most expensive of Chinese White Teas.

Making a Black Tea from this type of material is a true conspicuous luxury move.

The early flavors/scents are citrus-like. Secondary flavors evoke peach and pear. The aftertaste is subtle yet lengthy, returning to the citrus-like character, with a touch of mint-camphor overtone.

It is a lighter and subtler tea than the unsmoked Wild Lapsang, as you would expect from the material.

It is another great tea to try, whether it ends up being your favorite Black tea will be a matter of personal taste.

#Tea #Junjunmei #Cha #Yinxianghuaxiatea #DrinkTea #InstaTea

Jinjunmei
Jinjunmei
Jinjunmei
Jinjunmei

Huangshan Maofeng has strong buds from Yin Xiang Hua Xia tea.

Huangshan Maofeng is another green tea almost always included in lists of “Big 10 Famous Chinese Teas” (十大中国名茶)”.

My notes are, “light grassy vegetal flavor evocative of green beans or asparagus with a camphor/pine aftertaste.”

This is a super elegant and light green tea, more vegetal than fruity, almost no bitterness or grip to speak of.

The English translation of the name is “Yellow Mountain Fur Peak”, due to the “small white hairs which cover the leaves and the shape of the processed leaves which is said to resemble the peak of a mountain”.

The recommended way to brew tippy green teas like this is to add a small amount (say 1g per 100ml water) to a tall, preferable tempered, water glass and cover with hot (185F/85C) water. Then wait and watch the dance as the liquid cools and the tea leaves drop to the bottom of the glass. Then, as your glass gets down half way, add more water until the liquid tastes more like water than tea. The only downside to this method is it is not as fast as brewing with a gaiwan, it enforces a leisurely contemplative pace to your tea drinking. Or maybe it is an upside? You also tend to end up eating a few tea leaves, which isn’t really a bad thing.⁣

#Tea #Cha #GreenTea #DrinkTea #YinXiangHuaXiaTea #HuangshanMaofeng