Verdant Tea

2024 Mei Zhan Jin Black Tea

2024 Mei Zhan Jin Black Tea

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Decadent, buddy,
fruit-forward black tea
Mei Zhan is typically finished as a juicy luscious oolong, but the Li Family set aside a precious harvest of buds to fully oxidize, bringing out notes of cinnamon, brown sugar cookie, honey and pomegranate.
Spring 2024 ♦ Wuyishan, Fujian
Decadent, buddy,
fruit-forward black tea
Mei Zhan is typically finished as a juicy luscious oolong, but the Li Family set aside a precious harvest of buds to fully oxidize, bringing out notes of cinnamon, brown sugar cookie, honey and pomegranate.
Spring 2024 ♦ Wuyishan, Fujian
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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 2024
    • Wuyishan Ecological PreserveWuyishan, Fujian
    • ELEVATION600 METERS
    • Mei ZhanTea Varietal

    Mei Zhan varietal is famous for its rich and focused fruit-forward oolong made from long skinny spring leaves. Recently, Mr. Li has been experimenting with a stand of his family’s iconic Mei Zhan in early spring when the plant puts out huge buds that are too delicate to withstand oolong processing. He personally leads the hand-picking of the Li Family Mei Zhan buds and brings them to the family home and workshop in Tongmu for Jin Jun Mei meticulous black tea hand-finishing. The slow oxidation in bamboo baskets brings out big savory notes and sweet rich honey and cream.

  • true
    95
    cream, brown sugar cookie
    true
    75
    sweet mint, cinnamon
    true
    60
    honey
    true
    65
    pomegranate
    true
    rich, frothy

    Tasting Profile

    • savory - cream, brown sugar cookie
    • spice - sweet mint, cinnamon
    • floral - honey
    • fruit - pomegranate
    • texture - rich, frothy

Li Xiangxi also recommends:

  • 'Now Wuyishan is home to dozens of varietals from well-known teas like Shui Jin Gui and Anxi natives like Jin Guanyin to more obscure Que She, Bai Rui Xiang, and Shi Ru. Culitvar-specific teas are used almost exclusively for oolongs because their distinctive aromas that can be brought out in oolong processing. That said, there are exceptions: teas like Mei Zhan Jin Jun Mei use the gigantic buds of the aromatic, large-leafed Mei Zhan cultivar, and is a favorite of the Li Family’s for single-varietal Jin Jun Mei'

  • 5
    6
    208
    15 seconds
    10
    5
    5
    195
    5 seconds
    5
    5
    12
    room temp
    8 hours

    Steeping Instructions

    Western

    5 g.6
    oz.
    use 208° watersteep 15 secondsresteep many times
    add 10 sec. each infusion

    Gongfu

    5 g.5 ozuse 195° watersteep 5 seconds
    add 5 sec. per steeping
    enjoy many steepings

    Iced/Cold

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

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