Taiping Houkui • 太平猴魁 (authentic 2009 vs 2nd grade 2013)

At the tea house the other night, Mrs Kim did a comparison of their authentic Taiping Houkui 2009 vs a second grade spring 2013 production. Following the trend of many other teas, of the last few years authentic, long leaf Taiping Houkui is nearly impossible to find outside of China. Production is very small, requiring great skill and care to harvest at process only the most perfectly formed leaves. Since the Panama World Expo in 1915, Taiping Houkui has won several awards, including the title, King of Green Tea, in 2005. What we do find on the market is a shorter leaf version with a much brighter green colour.

On the left is the 2009, and on the right is this year's spring harvest. The differences in size and colour are obvious. The authentic version has leaves up to 15 cm long, much longer than the lower grade leaves. 

Starting with the 2009, Mrs Kim dropped a few tong-fulls of leaves into a glass infuser. The traditional technique is to cover them them water, then swirl them around in the infuser. As the leaves soften in the water, they swirl gracefully around like ribbons. In China, this part of the process is known as the Phoenix Dance.

The 2009 Taiping Houkui produced a bright golden infusion. The smell and taste were comparable to the deep roasted bitterness of Dragon Well and highlighted with a strong burst of sweetness on the tongue. 

Next came the 2013 Taiping Houkui. The infusion was noticeably greener and slightly stronger with an overwhelming grassy flavour. Though it had freshness on its side, it lacked the dynamic range of the real deal.  

Comparing the used leaves, some further subtle differences emerge. The meticulous selection of the 2009 leaves were more luminous and had perfectly clean edges, a trait of the rare cultivar use exclusively for Taiping Houkui to produce young leaves of this size. The inferior 2013 sample showed thicker, jagged leaves, lacking the distinctive youthful characteristics of the original. Straining my ear to follow Mrs Kim's instructions and descriptions in Korean, for her final appraisal, she broke out in English, referring to the 2009, "This tea is more beautiful!"

Dongting Mountain Biluochun Tea ● 洞庭山碧螺春茶

Dongting Mountain Biluochun Tea ● 洞庭山碧螺春茶

Bilochun is another from China's varying list of Ten Famous Teas, Bilochun is usually ranked second, after Dragon Well. It grows beside Dongting Mountain in Jiangsu Province.

Bi Luo Chun (Green Snail Spring, 碧螺春), was originally named "Scary Fragrance" (Xia Sha Ren Xiang, 嚇煞人香). Legend tells of a girl who discovered the tree and after she'd filled her basket with leaves she resorted to stuffing her breast with them. When her body heated the leaves, the emitted a strong scent that surprised her. When the Emperor visited the area in 1699, he thought it deserved a more elegant title and renamed the tea Biluochun since the tiny green leaves are coiled like a snail and they are harvested very early in spring.

Though Dragon Well is listed as the most famous, Biluochun has long been considered the superior of the two. When I first inquired at the teashop about high quality Chinese green tea, Biluochun is what Mr Ahn sold me. However, the next spring, when I asked for more he said the quality of Biluochun had dropped but the price had risen. Lately, when I asked about Biluochun, Mr Ahn would point to the box of Taiping Houkui (太平猴魁) and said if I want good Chinese green tea, I should buy that! Part of the reason is that with the increase of income in China, many of the great teas aren't leaving the country anymore. Great for China, unfortunate for the rest of us!

A couple of months ago, I found a box of Biluochun on the shelf among some other specialty Chinese teas. The box contained rows of 3.5 gram packets for individual sale. Per gram, they were still extremely expensive, but for a small sample, it wasn't an issue (and they gave me a second one for free!).

The packets were nicely designed with a beautiful (yet pixelated) image of Kwan Yin holding a tea leaf in her outstretched arm. Emptying out the leaves, I was pleased to see a great amount of "tea down", tiny hairs that bundle together like dust bunnies during the processing. It's a key feature of Biluochun and the amount of hair is a good signifier of the quality of the tea.

The scent of the leaves was pleasant but faint. With most teas, there is some familiar comparison to be made, peach, honey, rose, citrus, but with green tea I often find myself grasping. Perhaps the scent of a dry summer's breeze on a hot day as it brushes over a flowery meadow, surrounded by Chestnut trees? I don't know... Something's still missing. Sort of like Mr Ahn says there's something missing compared to the Biluochun of a few years ago.

Pouring the first cup, the tea is almost chalky from the down. It adds a thick texture to an otherwise soft, gentle tea. The taste is nice but in a tea that is already known for its subtlety, losing any flavour leaves little to appreciate. The second and third steep were similar, delicious but thin and little remaining in the leaf after. In a second session, I used a smaller pot and was able to stretch out a few more cups but, for the value there are better teas to spend your money on. That said, I won't mind enjoying a sample now and then.

Dragon Well Tea (Long Jing Cha) • 龍井茶

West Lake Dragon Well green tea  ❦  西湖 龍井茶

Of the unofficial "Ten Famous Chinese Teas", Dragon Well is by far the most famous.

The name originates from the town it's produced in, where there is a "dragon well" in which a benevolent dragon once lived. The water in the well is very dense and when lighter rainwater flows into the well, it swirls on top, resembling a dragon. It is possible this natural phenomenon is the origin of the dragon that once lived here, but China also used to have giant, serpent like fish that were known as dragons. So, perhaps there really was a dragon! ^_^

The most recognizable characteristic of Dragon Well tea is the way it is carefully pressed along the inside vein during roasting. The flattened leaves, with long, jagged points are like the shed scales of the tea dragon. Opening a fresh package of Dragon Well fills the space with the sweet, grassy fragrance. The leaves have an olive green hue with yellowish patches on them.

I heat the teapot and drop a couple of heaping scoops in. The sent of the tea intensifies. Generally, a pot should be filled to about a third, but with Dragon Well, it's nice to add even more. Also, green tea usually requires much cooler water, about 70-80ºC, but Dragon Well can handle 90ºC water, provided the first five infusions are kept to five seconds each. Cooler water tends to produce a sweeter tea, but hot water brings out a more complex bitterness. It's the unique boldness of the sweet and intrigue of the bitter, like dew from the dragon's breath, that makes Dragon Well so good.

The tea liquor is yellower than usual for green tea, which usually has more of a jade colour. Looking closely at the surface of the tea, you can make out the little specks of tea hairs. This is good, it means the leaves were picked young and are of high quality.

A true "West Lake" Dragon Well tea, from the town of Hang Zhou, in Zhejiang Province, just South-West of Shanghai, has the best, most complex, long-lasting taste. Though it's much more subtle than an oolong or puerh tea, every once in a while, throughout the day, after drinking this tea, a pleasant reminder of its taste emerged in my mouth.

Like other high quality green teas, when you are finished brewing, the tender leaves can also be eaten

link to The Chinese Teashop:

http://store.thechineseteashop.com/Long_Jing_Dragon_Well_Green_Tea_p/lj-001.htm