STiR coffee and tea magazine

Volume 3, Number 3

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STiR tea & coffee industry international 47 dering Jiangxi province. Mount Wuyi, a UNESCO world heritage site, has a mild climate and rich biodiversity that benefits organic cultivation of tea. Misty fog and sharp diurnal temperature variations there are especially favorable to the growth of good quality tea with intricate flavors and a thicker than average "rock taste." Rock teas are mainly varietal teas, and quite a few famous varietals that only thrive in specific microclimates and terroir. These varietals lose their distinctive flavors when transplanted to other regions. Well know varietal rock teas include big red robe, white rooster comb, iron Buddhist Arhat along with freshwater gold tur- tle. These top four are held in the highest regard. Only one is commercially planted and big red robe is only harvested one season a year. Processing is time consuming (requiring 20 hours) and requires great skill. All four are considered luxurious artisan teas in very limited supply. To enjoy an authentic varietal rock tea without paying a hefty premium or set- tling for a cheap imitation consider Wuyi cinnamon (rou gui) and Wuyi narcissus (shui xian). The former is a commercialized famous varietal with a subtle flavor of spicy cinnamon. The later is a more productive varietal with a pleasant flowery fla- vor. Besides varietal teas, there are also rock tea blends, which may be simply called as rock tea or with a commercial name of its own. North Fujian also produces other dark oolong, such as Minbei narcissus and Minbei oolong, which grow away from the Wuyi mountain range. Signature ball, semi-ball oolong of south Fujian The most famous oolong in the region is iron goddess of mercy (tie guan yin). This varietal tea is now the most popular oolong in China. It has two sub-groups: a popular lightly oxidized green version catering to green tea lovers who would like to find some familiarity in their cup of oolong, and a traditional medium-oxidized, intricately roasted dark-green version for genuine oolong lovers. The former has some vegetal taste and a subtle astringency, while the later posses an intricate flavor resembling roasted honey and Chinese orchid flower and the liquid is very smooth with a sweet aftertaste. Other famous south Fujian gourmet oolongs include local mountain (ben shan), golden osmanthus (huang jin gui), fingered citron (fo shou). They are all varietal teas with signature flowery or fruity flavors. Gourmet jasmine tea of northeast Fujian Fujian is the second big producer of jasmine tea in China, producing nearly one fifth of the nation's jasmine tea. The province has engaged in large scale commercial production of jasmine tea since the 18th century in answer to growing demands in northern China, with provincial capital Fuzhou as the transportation hub. Though currently Fujian jasmine output is less than half of Jiangxi province (the top produc- er), Fujian offers a greater variety of high-end jasmine tea such as jasmine big white, jasmine dragon pearl, jasmine phoenix eye and hand crafted jasmine blossoming tea. Fujian gourmet jasmine teas begin with a quality tea base and are repeatedly scented with fresh jasmine flowers for up to 8 or 9 rounds so that the tea is saturated with fragrant jasmine flavor. The amount of fresh flowers used to scent a gourmet jasmine tea could be triple the amount of tea. These teas are discreetly elegant with a jasmine fragrance will last through a third steep. The white teas of northern Fujian Fujian is China's leading producer of white tea, a specialty tea with minimal process- ing. The tea takes it name from the downy white hairs on leaves harvested from a the big white varietal. Don't confuse Fujian white tea with Anji Bai Cha: Fujian's white teas are made by wilting fresh harvests of big white varietal for up to two days. This results in a fairly light oxidation, while Anji white tea is an un-oxidized green tea made from the temperature-sensitive albescence Anji white varietal which yields off-white leaves in early Spring. Fujian white tea tastes very light and mellow with no vegetal taste. Famous Fujian white teas include: the pure-bud grade white pekoe silver needle (bai hao yin zhen), the tender bud and leaf grade white peony and the leafy grade longevity eyebrow (shou mei). Wuyi cinnamon, a varietal rock tea with spicy cinnamon flavor Jasmine Dragon Pearl

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