Culinary Specialties CooksShopHere- Green Tea: Jingdong Wuliang Snow Orchid

Black

Oolong

Jingdong Wuliang Snow Orchid
2011 Early Spring

Wuliang Shan, Yunnan Province, China
Charcoal-fired
Long, straight leaves with a slight twist
Soft, buttery, sweet flavor
Delicate aroma of woodland spring flowers
Pale jade-colored liquor

4 oz	8 oz	16 oz
~~15.00~~ 10.00 Buy	~~30.00~~ 20.00 Buy	~~60.00~~ 40.00 Buy

This tea is made from large leaf tea tree varietals found in the old forests of Wuliang mountain. It is a most delicious and unusual green tea. First the leaf is slightly withered (not usual for green tea) and then lightly oxidized in a rattling or bruising step ( customary in oolong manufacture but not for green tea).

In theory, this tea could be considered to be a Yunnan version of Baozhong, Taiwan’s magnificent leafy, army-green oolong. Baozhong is given just a slight oxidation (12-18%) which keeps it quite green in color but adds an amazing rich undertone to the taste of the liquor. We imagine that these steps are undertaken with this Yunnan tea to accommodate for the large size of the fresh leaf. Or perhaps this procedure is simply a local method used by the tea makers in this particular, remote region of Yunnan Province.

Update March 2012: Quite simply - I love this tea. If you appreciate hearty, full-flavored greens that actually border on an oolong for style, buy this tea. When steeping this tea you need to either weigh your leaf, or understand the 'pound of lead / pound of feathers' rule of volume to weight. You must not skimp on the quantity (by volume) that you use when steeping this tea - you get a HUGE bag of it, and it will often re-steep even 3 times, so it calculates to be one of the least expensive teas that we have ever had. It is GREAT and it is just startting to really show its complex profile!
RJH

Use 1.25 Tablespoons (2-3 grams) per 6 oz of water.
Steep 2-3 infusions at 2 minutes each.
Water temperature should be 170˚ - 180˚ F