Handmade Ming Qian Dong Ting West Mountain Bi Luo Chun Green Tea

There is an ancient adage that "Mingqian tea is as dear as gold," not only because of the modest output, but also because the buds that have just erupted will be subject to various factors if they are not harvested in time. As a result, Ming Qian tea is a race against the clock from plucking to production. This tea is a Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun from the West Dongting Mountain that TeaVivre discovered for you. It's a completely hand-picked and hand-made Ming Qian tea. According to statistics, 500g tea requires over 70,000 fresh tea buds and must be prepared on the day of plucking, which is enough to demonstrate its preciousness and uniqueness.

Its buds and leaves are delicate and coated with white pekoe. Just by smelling the dried tea, you may detect a rich flowery and fruity aroma. The perfume of tea, flowers, and fruits are all incorporated into the tea liquid after brewing, and the taste is sweet and refreshing, rich and mellow, leaving a nice aftertaste and stimulating saliva secretion.

	Cup Method		Chinese Gongfu Method
	Teacup: 8.8oz / 250ml		Gaiwan: 3.8oz / 110ml
	185℉ / 85℃		185℉ / 85℃
	2 Teaspoons / 2g Tea		4g Tea
	Brewing time: 5 - 8 mins		5 steeps: 20s, 25s, 30s, 40s, 50s

Dong Wu Dongting Biluochun Tea Base is located in the West Dongting Mountain. The west mountain is the largest island in Taihu Lake, just like a huge pearl inlaid on the lake, shining brightly. It is the birthplace of one of China's top ten famous teas -- Dongting Biluochun, and a national 5A picturesque location. It contains an abundance of deep underground natural mineral water resources, which results in an abundance of product resources. It is also well-known in China for its tea and fruit intercropping. Tea plants are planted alternately with peach, plum, apricot, plum, persimmon, orange, ginkgo, pomegranate, and other fruit trees. The branches and roots of tea trees and fruit trees are intertwined, allowing the tea to absorb the fruity fragrance while the flowers smell the tea aroma, preserving the natural nature of Bi Luo Chun's floral and fruity flavor.

Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun is produced in Dongting Mountain, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City. Dongting Mountain is separated into two sections: east and west. East Mountain is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water, whereas West Mountain is an island in Taihu Lake. The temperature here is warm and humid, with lots of sunshine, making it ideal for producing tea plants. Yet, plenty of sunshine and rain are insufficient to make Biluochun in Dongting Mountain stand out. Wuzhong's east and west mountains not only yield high-quality Dongting Biluochun, but also the well-known loquat, bayberry, and Dongting tangerine. Tea trees and fruit trees such as plum, orange, and loquat are planted alternately. Local people pick tea in March and April, loquat in May, and bayberry in June. Natural decaying fruits and residual leaves provide excellent nutrients for tea trees. Furthermore, the big fruit trees protect the short tea trees from direct sunlight, allowing the tea buds to keep as much umami flavor as possible. This practice of growing tea and fruit trees is one of the main reasons why Biluochun in Dongting Mountain has natural flowery and fruity aromas.

The Small-leaf tea plants in Dongting can be recognized by their characteristic slender, uniform buds and leaves. Bi Luo Chun tea made from this species of tea plant is famous for its appearance with plenty of tiny leaf tips, as well as for its bold aroma and mellow taste. The Dongting Small-leaf tea bush species, handed down from generation to generation, is the best species for producing Bi Luo Chun Tea.

In Chinese, the name “Bi Luo Chun” means “Green Snail Spring”, in reference to its tightly-coiled appearance resembling a snail’s shell, and the fact that it is picked in spring. It was given this name during the Qing Dynasty by Emperor Kang Xi. The Emperor very much favored this tea, but - perhaps with some reason - was not really enamored with the tea’s original name of “Xia Sha Ren Xiang”, which roughly means “a fragrance to scare you to death” or “astounding fragrance”!

During the 1890s it was ranked first amongst Chinese green teas, and since that time it has always been ranked in the top three. For many years it was only grown in the area around Dongting Mountain, but has recently also been produced in Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces.