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2023 Jin Jun Mei

2023 Jin Jun Mei

CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK
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Crafted by the Li Family

Hand-picked and traditionally hand-finished within the true Wuyishan Ecological Preserve on forested biodiverse, rocky, mountainous land for distinct Wuyi minerality.
 
The Li Family is an award-winning, highly respected force for sustainability, hand-firing craft, rare varietal preservation, and tea education in Wuyishan.
    • DATE OF PICKINGSpring 2023
    • Wuyishan Ecological PreserveWuyishan, Fujian
    • ELEVATION600 METERS
    • Xingcun XiaozhongTea Varietal

    Jin Jun Mei Wuyi black tea is one of the most labor intensive and demanding teas to produce. Fine Jin Jun Mei is made exclusively from tiny spring buds, and requires thousands and thousands of hand-picked golden buds to make a single pound of finished tea. The result is a downy tea with a thick full texture, and a beautiful elegance. Li Xiangxi's spring-fed tea grows out of rocky, sandy soil, yielding a rich mineral flavor true to Wuyishan's unique terroir.

  • true
    80
    steamed bun, pastry
    true
    70
    pear
    true
    75
    marigold
    true
    85
    coriander, cardamom, cinnamon
    true
    crisp, sweet

    Tasting Profile

    • savory - steamed bun, pastry
    • fruit - pear
    • floral - marigold
    • spice - coriander, cardamom, cinnamon
    • texture - crisp, sweet

The Li Family also recommends:

  1. 2023 Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong
    2023 Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong
    The earliest Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, (or Lapsang Souchong as it is commonly referred to in the West) was never deep-smoked. The smokiness was a natural and subtle addition that came from drying the leaves in a wok heated by pine wood. The smoke from the pine wood naturally mixed with the tea, creating a deeper and more foresty flavor that accentuated the tea's minerality. The Li Family preserves this old-school aesthetic with careful application of smoke from local resinous pine. The sweet, roasted quality of the smoke processing blends with the rich flavor of the tea to yield a dark fruity flavor, and bring front and center the mineral texture of the soil of Wuyi.
  2. Hua Xiang Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong
    Hua Xiang Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong
    While Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong is usually smoked, the same leaf material and finishing technique can be used without the final smoking step. Hua Xiang means floral fragrance, referring to the natural but subtle floral notes in Xingcun Xiaozhong varietal that are brought out through the Li Family’s expert hand-processing. When smaller leaf material mixed with delicate buds is used, rich vanilla undertones can develop, accenting the savory nutty flavors. The main difference between this tea and a classic Wuyi Gongfu Black is that Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong is not necessarily curled and twisted as thoroughly, giving it a more open structure suitable for incorporating that smaller bud and leaf mixture that wouldn’t work in the tight twists of Wuyi Gongfu Black, but both are very traditional calls back to the very earliest black teas in the world.
  3. Aged Old Tree Wuyi Gongfu Black
    Aged Old Tree Wuyi Gongfu Black

    Under careful airtight conditions, Wuyi teas that are particularly rich and packed with minerality can age into deeper, more complex teas. Li Xiangxi’s personal favorite is to use her old tree Wuyi Gongfu Black, picked from trees approaching one hundred years of age. The Old Tree Wuyi Black gains more foresty notes and deep cooling qualities on the palette that make it thrilling to sip. This is not a yearly release- this is a special must-try one-off from Li Xiangxi. Li Xiangxi has been aging this Old Tree Wuyi Black tea since 2015, and she kindly shared more than half of what is left of her personal reserve.

  • 'The pristine beauty of Wuyi, the biodiversity of the valleys, the sweetness of the water, the deep devotion of the farmers like Li Xiangxi and her family – for us, tea has always been about connecting with places, people, and history, but Wuyi is a life affirming confirmation of everything there is to love about the humble camellia sinensis plant.'

  • 4
    6-8
    205
    18 seconds
    10
    4
    6
    205
    6 seconds
    3
    4
    12
    room temp
    8 hours

    Steeping Instructions

    Western

    4 g.6-8
    oz.    use 205° watersteep 18 secondsresteep many times
    add 10 sec. each infusion

    Gongfu

    4 g.6 ozuse 205° watersteep 6 seconds
    add 3 sec. per steeping    enjoy many steepings

    Iced/Cold

    4 g.12
    oz.    use room temp. waterrefrigerate overnight
    8 hours    add ice & enjoy

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