Tea Focus – Jun Shan Silver Needle (Jun Shan Yin Zhen) Yellow Tea

Jun Shan Yin Zhen

Juan Shan Yin Zhen is generally held to be the finest yellow tea around. The freshness the buds used, the care taken in production, and of course its exquisitely refreshing flavour are second to none. Since the sixties it has been consistently awarded innumerable prizes in China.

There is documentary evidence of Yellow teas being made in this way dating to as early as 1597, during the Ming Dynasty. Throughout this period it was used as a tribute offering to the Chinese Emperors. Hundreds of years later, it was still favoured among a new breed of ruling elite: Mao Tse Tung professed it to be his tea of choice.

The traditional production techniques for this tea require particular attention and skill, which is why some producers are resorting to simpler methods similar to those used for green tea. The tea is only grown in one place, Jun Shan island in Dong Ting, a lake in the province of Hunan. The lake is only one kilometre in width, which means production volumes are extremely low.

They are further limited in that the tea can only be picked very soon after the Qing Ming festival at the very latest; all JING’s Jun Shan Yin Zhen is harvested before the festival to ensure idea weather conditions for the plumpest, most tender buds. The greatest care is taking during the harvesting process – single buds are carefully twisted from the stem with the tips of the finger and thumb, making sure that they are not torn or scratched with the fingernails, and frost-damaged or discoloured buds are avoided.

Tea harvests are never undertaken in the rain, ensuring none of the flavour is lost in the time between picking and final storage of the finished product. The test for a good Jun Shan Yin Zhen is said to be that the strong, fat buds should stand up on end on infusion.

To prepare the tea, it is first wok-fried to ‘kill green’, preventing it from oxidizing further. It is then lightly baked to give the leaves their characteristic withered yellow appearance. It is then wrapped in thick paper in 1.5kg parcels and placed in out of the light for about 48 hours. This is what gives yellow tea the infusion colour from which it takes its name. The temperature inside the parcels will rise gradually, and when the temperature reaches 30°C they are opened and the contents mixed around to evenly distribute this heat. They are then repacked to ensure homogenous withering throughout the crop.

The tea is then baked again at 50°C for one hour to reduce water content, removed from the flame when the leaves have taken on a slight golden sheen. The wrapping process is repeated for another twenty hours, and finally the tea is fully fired to remove all remaining water from the leaves. In total, the process takes about 70 consecutive hours, and roughly fifty to sixty thousand buds are used to make just one kilogram of tea.

It is easy to see how this tea has held on to its legendary status for hundreds of years. We hope The hard work that went into making it will be paid off in every cup.

Tea Focus – Keemun Gong Fu Black Tea (Keemun Gong Fu Hung Cha)

 

Keemun Gong Fu

Keemun Gong Fu is widely considered to be one of the finest black teas in the world. It was so highly regarded that the Chinese sometimes referred to it as ‘the prince of tea’, such was the reputation of its exquisite flavour and rich fragrance, along with the fact that it is one of the most valuable black teas produced in China. Although this tea is perhaps not so well known in the West as many Indian black teas, many of us have probably been drinking it without being aware of it, as it is often used in combination with other varieties in English Breakfast Tea blends.

The story of Keemun Gong Fu can be traced back to just one man, a businessman and Civil servant from Keemun county in the the Anhui province in the second half of the nineteenth century. While travelling in Fujian, he observed the black tea production techniques used in that province, and was inspired to try to recreate them in his home town, where only green tea had been cultivated previously. He used local tea bushes, so creating a completely new and unique tea, and the success of the project is testified to by the tea’s popularity today. This popularity is in part down to Yuan Long Hu, who in 1916 cultivated a wild tea crop in Keemun, and transplanted many Keemun bushes to different parts of the province. He visited each plantation regularly to teach producers the techniques developed in his hometown in the 19^th century and to ensure that the highest standards were maintained in the production of any crop bearing his town’s name. He also sold the tea throughout the country and beyond, and Keemun Gong Fu began to make a name for itself outside of China for the first time.

The Anhui province where the tea is grown is temperate, with abundant rainfall. The region is home to the famous and stunning Huang Shan mountain range, which shelters the tea producing areas in a moist microcosm of swirling mists and gentle showers. A network of small streams and fresh springs criss-cross web-like throughout the region, which nourishes the soil with a unique complex of minerals, creating an incredibly lush and fertile terroir.

 The picking season for the tea begins in spring, and harvests continue periodically for several months, rather than picking the tea all at once. In each successive round of picking, less tea is harvested, and the harvests themselves become less frequent and tend to tail off some time in late summer or early autumn. The tea is prepared by rolling whole tea leaves into thin strips, taking care they do not crumble or break. In fact, it is from this procedure that the tea takes its name, since Gong fu can be translated as ‘careful skill’.

Keemun Gong Fu is ideal as an invigorating breakfast tea, and if feeling particularly English is even appropriate for drinking with milk – although it would never be dreamt of in China!

Yunnan Gold – Tea Focus

Posted by: Bennet

Yunnan Gold is a newcomer among Chinese black teas, first produced in 1938. But despite its relative infancy, Yunnan Gold has already developed a reputation for opulence – it was a favourite of the young Queen Elizabeth, who was said to proudly display it in a glass cabinet. When it was first introduced, the rare tea could fetch nearly £900 per 500g. Today, although now produced in much larger quantities, it still retains some of that sense of luxury and indulgence.

Yunnan Gold was originally grown specifically for export to Great Britain through Hong Kong, rather than for the Chinese domestic market. Despite this, its popularity was such that it soon began to spread throughout mainland China.

Yunnan Gold

The tea got off to a false start, however, since production was halted by the Civil War that led to the establishment of the People’s Republic, and due to further ensuing unrest it was not recommenced until as late as the nineteen-eighties, at which time the original production techniques were faithfully revived.

The tea is grown in gardens with an altitude of between one-thousand and two thousand metres, which ensures a mild average annual temperature. This means that the tea harvest can begin in spring and continue right until the end of autumn.

The spring crop is always considered to be the finest, the characteristic golden colour is at its most light and delicate and the leaves are plump and tender. During the harsher seasons of summer and autumn, the temperature tends to cause the stems of the leaves to harden and the leaves to become less supple.

The golden tinge of the leaves varies in intensity depending on the region in which the tea is grown as well as the time of year at which it is picked. The crops grown in the west of Yunnan province are known to carry a more orangey-gold colour, whereas those produced in the south of the province tend to be tinged with a purer bright gold.

Yunnan Province, China

The leaves become darker throughout the year, the darkest tea leaves will be those harvested in autumn. The tea from the western region of the province is generally thought to be of highest quality, Yunnan Gold harvested in the south is usually slightly more astringent.

The deep, rich flavour of this tea, with hints of winter spice, can be enjoyed equally in the morning or the afternoon

Matcha Supreme Infusion Guide Video

Our new Matcha Infusion Guide video shows you how to make your own perfect bowl of Matcha.

JING Tea – Testing our Teas for Antioxidants

We receive so many questions regarding the antioxidant levels in our teas.  In order to provide accurate information to our customers, we decided to commission tests on our teas by an independent and certified laboratory.

We will be commissioning further research across a much larger range of our teas in the near future.

Jun Shan Silver Needle Yellow Tea - A top performer in our antioxidant tests

The tests we commissioned assessed the levels of Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is the most abundant and commonly found catechin/flavonoid found in tea.  Flavonoids are the polyphenolic compounds contained in vegetables, fruits and plant which have been the subject of extensive research into their antioxidant effects.

Pre-Rain Dragon Well Supreme Green Tea - the highest green tea in our results

Below we have included a list of the results, showing the amounts of EGCG found in each of the teas we tested. We’ve then given this in the form of mg/250ml serving.

1. Pre-Rain Jun Shan Silver Needle Yellow Tea – 75.25mg EGCG/250ml serving

2. Pre-Rain Organic Dragon Well Supreme Green Tea – 64.5mg EGCG/250ml serving

3. Organic Gunpowder Supreme Green Tea – 61mg EGCG/250ml serving

4. Organic White Peony Supreme White Tea – 50.75mg EGCG/250ml serving

5. Silver Needle White Tea – 39.25mg EGCG/250ml serving

6. Big Red Robe Supreme Oolong Tea – 26.5mg EGCG/250ml serving

7. Yellow Gold Oolong Tea – 14.5mg EGCG/250ml serving

8. Assam Breakfast Black Tea – 6mg EGCG/250ml serving

On our website, next to each tea, you will also be able to see the total levels of antioxidants for each tea. These figures include results for the less abundant antioxidants – Epicatechine, ECG and EGC.

A Beijing Teahouse – Puerh Tasting

Posted by: David

As many of you will know, our 2003 Wild Yi Wu Raw Puerh has been a real office favourite over the last couple of months.  So it was with great excitement that last week, while on holiday in China, I paid a visit to a lovely Beijing teahouse specialising in fine puerh.

On my second day in Beijing, still jet-lagged and in need of a good, relaxing morning of drinking great tea, I set out from my hostel looking forward to the morning ahead.

Hidden away off a busy, restaurant packed street, the teahouse was a welcome respite from the sometimes overwhelming heat and pace of a Beijing summer. I was welcomed into the teahouse and taken up to a gallery level past many cases of puerh cakes from some of the most famous factories in China.

中国茶叶公司云南省公司- Zhong Guo Cha Ye Gong Si Yun Nan Sheng Gong Si 1950s Zhongcha Red Seal - Grade A Cake 中茶牌圆茶 - Zhong Cha Pai Yuan Cha

There’s something about rare and old puerh cakes that brings about a great sense of anticipation in me. It’s not that I get to drink them often by any means, it’s just that the way they are wrapped and how visibly old they are adds to the sense of a special occasion.

The above cake was the oldest on display, a 1950s Red Seal cake from Menghai Factory. Walking past these cakes, upto a table surrounded by large comfortable chairs definitely put me in the right mood to enjoy the tea I was about to drink.

云南七子饼茶 – Yun Nan Qi Zi Bing Cha 7582 – Menghai 1970s Cake (Green Seal) 七十年代厚纸绿印 – Qi Shi Nian Dai Hou Zhi Lu Ying

The cakes shown in these photos are rarely brought out to drink but I was lucky enough to be able to try a 1980s Menghai Cake which had a beautifully deeply coloured infusion and a very active mouthfeel. The flavour was long and smooth with some delicate sweetness and rich, almost leathery notes.

1980s Menghai Infusion

It also had a lovely calming effect which allowed to overcome my initial awe and to begin chatting in Mandarin with the owner of the teahouse and other customers around the table. For most of the morning, we enjoyed the multiple infusions that a tea like this can handle, taking breaks to try other cakes from the 1990s from both Xiaguan and Menghai factories.

I was also able to enjoy a nice long lunch in the teahouse during which, as the only foreigner, I was jostled into drinking numerous shots of 15 year old Mao Tai and 10 year old baijiu, a strong Chinese spirit distilled from sorghum. My plate was also stacked with ribs and wild mushrooms and was refilled frequently.

After some more tea to restore myself before venturing back into the busy Beijing streets, I took a closer look at some of the display cabinets and found some teaware gems – 1950s teacups and Yixing teapots, some of which are shown above.

云南七子饼茶 – Yun Nan Qi Zi Bing Cha 勐海九三年- Meng Hai Jiu San Nian 水蓝印-Shui Lan Yin Menghai 1993 Blue Seal Cake

I’ve loved puerh for as long as I have loved great tea and had been drinking a lot of it in the office before I left for China, but this teahouse experience gave me even more enthusiasm for puerh history and the tastes and feelings brought about by well aged teas. I left the teahouse feeling invigorated, ready to take on the 12 hour overnight train to Xi’an which I had booked for later that day.

Preparing Matcha

Posted by: David

We’re very happy to have just launched our first Matcha green tea on the website. It’s a high grade, made using top quality tencha leaves. It has a delicious flavour balancing sweetness and savouriness, a lovely thick texture and a vibrant bright green colour.

Preparing Matcha is intimidating at first but very easy if you follow a few basic and easy steps.  Below is a quick guide which will help you to make your own delicious matcha at home. All of the tools that you need to make this tea are available in our Matcha Set.

Matcha Powder in Bowl

First, add about 2g or 2 (chashaku) spoons of matcha into the bowl. If you don’t have a traditional chashaku matcha spoon then about two thirds of a teaspoon will equal a similar amount to that shown in the photo above. Notice the vibrant green colour of the powder – this is a hallmark of top quality matcha.

Whisk and Paste

You will notice that the powdered matcha has a few lumps in it. In order to make really smooth matcha you will need to get rid of these lumps. You can do this by adding a very small amount of cold water to the bowl.

Using hot water to do this will not remove the lumps so it is important that the water is cold. Next, use your whisk to gently make a paste and to remove any lumps.

Hot Water Added

You are now ready to add the hot water, 80 degrees celsius is best. Add about 60-70ml of the water.

Whisking the Matcha

Now to the whisking. Firmly grip the bamboo handle of the whisk with your index, middle and ring finger. Use your other hand to hold and support the bowl. Whisk using rapid wrist movements and try not to let the tip of the whisk touch the bottom of the bowl.

If you move the whisk through the bowl as if you were writing the letter ‘m’ you will be whisking the matcha correctly. 30 seconds to 1 minute is often enough to achieve the desired result.

Finished Matcha in Bowl

When there are no large bubbles left in the match and the resulting bowl looks thick and frothy with many tiny bubbles, as in the picture above, then your matcha is ready to drink.

A Visit to Guangxi for Jasmine Tea

Posted by: Bethan

Despite living in China for 2 years in the past, I had never visited Guangxi province before my recent visit to see JING’s jasmine tea production.  Given the size of China, this might not seem that strange, but every single person visiting me whilst I worked in the Middle Kingdom went to the famous city of Guilin or the travellers mecca of Yangshuo to see the mountainous karste peaks and the Lijiang river that have made Guangxi famous.

Jasmine Flower Picker

I travelled to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, rather than Guilin, to begin my journey to our tea farmers, and it was obvious that I was not taking the standard travellers route.  Virtually all major cities in China have considerable numbers of foreigners now that China welcomes tourism to the country, but it appeared that Nanning was not going to be the same as I found myself to be the only westerner boarding the large flight.

It is always amusing to travel in China if you can speak Mandarin but are a ‘laowai’ (foreigner) as discussions immediately begin about you with the reasonable expectation that you can’t understand what is being said.  As I boarded a bus at the airport to go to the plane, my fellow passengers began considerably long conversations about how I must be a student going to university in Nanning, wasn’t my skin really white and my eyes terribly blue?  The chatter soon stopped when I recieved a phone call from a Chinese friend in Shanghai wanting to make sure I was ok and I answered in Mandarin!

I spent no time in Nanning itself but travelled straight to the jasmine producing region several hours drive away from the city.  The country side was certainly not what I was expecting, as it has none of the impressive peaks of Guilin, but a more gentile, rolling countryside passed by my window.  There were few large towns in between Nanning and my destination which made a refreshing change from Shanghai and the lush green scenery captivated me for the entire journey.

Inspecting the Jasmine Flowers

The first thing that struck me as we travelled was that the traditional Chinese hats that many people wear in the countryside were made from metallic foil.  I have never seen this before, and found out very quickly that it was specific to Guangxi.  It certainly seems sensible too, as the sun was exceptionally strong (our car overheated twice on the long journey!).

Guangxi is a province that relies heavily on agriculture in its economy, producing huge amounts of jasmine, rice, sweet potatoes, sweet corn and 85% of the world’s star anise.  As a result, the food in the province is fantastic and extremely varied.  Warm sweet corn juice was given to us at every meal and it was delicious.  We also ate large numbers of ‘zongzi’ a rice cake dish that is traditionally eaten only at the dragon boat festival, but is a local delicacy of Guangxi.

I had dinner with the head of the agriculture in the region one evening, and he explained to me that for many agricultural goods, Guangxi produces the majority of the world’s crops, but that the people in the area do not make a lot of money from this, as most trade is done through agents and many Western companies never go to Guangxi direct, preferring to buy from companies in Hong Kong or the southern coastal cities.  This has meant that Guangxi’s economy has suffered greatly since the ‘opening up’ of China, and in comparison to her neighbouring industrial province Guangdong, she is extremely poor.  I was certainly pleased that JING works direct with the farmers in the area and proud that I can now sit and write about the experience.

Having come from Shanghai and leaving for Shenzhen immediately afterwards, Guangxi was a fantastic break from the often overwhelming pace of life in these urban centres.  The people were exceptionally friendly and the food was fantastic.  I feel very priveleged to have been to Nanning rather than Guilin, although every time I see the spectacular peaks of that region, I think I should probably head back there next year!

Jasmine Tea Discovery

Posted by Bethan.

I have never knowingly seen jasmine plants or blossoms, and going to see our jasmine pearls and jasmine silver needle be scented was an eye opening experience.

Much of the jasmine tea that I drank growing up was unbeknownst to me scented with flavourings and oils. However, JING’s jasmine teas are all scented with fresh flowers. Jasmine flowers are found in Guanxi province in the far south of China, where along with sugar cane and sweetcorn they make up the main export commodities of the region.

Jasmine Flower pickers in the fields of Guanxi province, China

The countryside in Guanxi is scattered with vividly green jasmine fields. Unlike tea bushes the plants don’t require a slope to grow on and are found at low altitude. Small buds of jasmine are scattered across the bushes, and men and women with metallic wide brimmed hats hand pick the buds from branches, placing them into bags attached to their belts.

Picking jasmine flowers in Guanxi province

An open jasmine flower can not be used to scent tea leaves, and a small yellow bud will not flavour the tea either. The workers carefully pick only the large white buds which once plucked will open a few hours later in the evening and release their scent. Over 3 kilograms of fresh flowers are needed to scent 1 kilogram of tea.

Jasmine buds ready to be picked to scent JING's jasmine teas

I had expected the fields to smell overpoweringly of jasmine, but the fragrance was subtle as the majority of buds had been picked before they blossomed. In stark contrast, the factory where the green and white tea is scented had a beautifully strong jasmine aroma once we arrived at dusk.

JING's jasmine pearl green tea being scented with fresh jasmine flowers

Our jasmine pearls and silver needle white tea leaves were laid out at 7 o’clock in the evening once the fresh flowers, picked earlier that morning, had reached the building. The evening is the best time for scenting as the temperature drops slightly and the flowers open. As flowers were placed on top of the tea leaves, they slowly disappeared under a snow like layer of buds and jasmine scent filled the room.

Jasmine Silver Needle being scented with fresh jasmine flowers

Each of our jasmine teas are scented with fresh flowers for 5 consecutive nights, but when the flowers are first placed on the leaf they are left for 3 days. The tea leaves are incredibly dry compared to the flowers and over the 3 days they absorb the moisture from the flowers and absorb the jasmine flavour more effectively on the following 4 nights.

I tentatively placed my hand into the middle of the tea and flower mix and was shocked by the heat contained within. Our farmer explained to me that the tea leaves will reach 40 degrees after 6 hours of scenting and must be turned by hand to cool them down and ensure that all the leaves are scented equally by the flowers.

Fresh jasmine flowers were tossed onto the tea leaves, and the mix was turned to ensure scenting was even.

As the temperature reached 30 degrees in the scenting room, strong men came to turn the leaves, straining with effort. The smell was incredible and putting the leaves to my nose it was amazing how effectively the flavour had already been absorbed.

My hands smelt of jasmine as I washed them that evening, such great aroma coming from the tiny buds, and it seemed a shame to wash it away!

The fresh jasmine flowers were removed from the tea leaf the morning after scenting, ready for a new batch of flowers to be placed onto them again

The next morning I returned to the factory to see the sorting of the tea leaves. You’ll notice that there are virtually no flower petals in our jasmine pearls or jasmine silver needle, and this is because each morning after a night of scenting, the flowers are separated from the tea leaves and the leaves and dried to help them to retain the jasmine aroma.

A beautiful whole silver needle bud after scenting with jasmine

The tea in front of me was only being scented for the first time, but a batch had been made before I arrived and I drank this with my hosts in the cool breeze of a fan next to the scenting room. The silver needle leaves created a beautifully clear infusion and the soft yet full jasmine aroma came through with each sip. It is certainly easy to see that the painstaking effort of picking, scenting and drying the leaves was worth it! It was incomparable to the jasmine teas of my childhood, which smelt faintly of jasmine but tasted of water with a hint of tannic green tea. It is truly a piece of artisan skill to produce such beautiful flavour.

Experiencing China

Posted by Thomas.

When I moved from Germany to London about 8 months ago I would have never guessed that I would be visiting China this year. At the end of April I had the chance to accompany Edward on his spring tea buying trip documenting the journey with my camera. During the course of one week we filmed about 7 hours of video footage which you will see on the website after editing during the next weeks.

As it was my first time in Asia there were so many new impressions and things to see and explore. I was hugely impressed by the gorgeous scenery of the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian where some of our fantastic Oolong teas are produced. We  spent two whole days in a tea factory to produce our own very special Tie Guan Yin. We were involved in every step of the production process, from the picking through different steps of withering, firing and baking. Finally we had the chance to taste the tea we made. As we worked directly with the farmers it was stunning to listen to their experiences and feel their years of knowledge while producing the tea.

Wuyi Mountains

There was also a very warm connection with the farmers as we spent a lot of time together experiencing the chinese culture and hospitality. I really appreciated the chinese food. During this week I had some of the most delicious food I have ever tried. I was delighted by the homemade dishes and enjoyed having lunch and dinner with a whole group of people. For the Chinese people it was very important to sit down in company, enjoying food and chatting about tea and life in general.

Chinese homemade dishes

Though the farmers in the countryside live a quite simple life they seem very happy and satisfied. We received a warm welcome and a smile everywhere we went. I’ll definitely go back to China to explore more parts of the country and the people with the liveliest culture I have ever seen. Until then I’ll hang onto my memories of this fantastic experience and have a cup of Wuyi Oolong tea.

JING Tea Wallpaper

Wide 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1600

Full 800×600 | 1024×768 | 1280×960 | 1280×1024 | 1600×1200

A lot of people have commented on our photography so we thought we would give you all a wallpaper to download so you can enjoy the sight of fresh spring tea leaves all day everyday.

The tea trees in the photo are Iron Arhat used to make oolong tea. To download please choose the correct size for your display, right click and then select “Save as”.

Dragon Well Green Tea Video

We’ve been hard at work on a number of videos for the website over recent weeks. Above is our latest effort, on our Dragon Well green tea. The video contains information on the garden from which the tea is picked, the picking, and the firing of the tea and explains how each of these affect the end result in the cup.

Our Dragon Well has an extremely thick and full taste and we believe this is due to the fact that the land on which it is grown has been organic for over ten years. The land not been overfarmed so it is still rich in nutrients and this quality comes out in the thick, juicy buds and leaves on the tea bushes.

Making Videos

Posted by: David.

Wendy and Thomas making the videos

If you have spent some time on our website recently you’ll have noticed that we have been producing a number of videos in the last few weeks. So far we have published two videos showing the scenery, production and infusion of both our Hand-made Gyokuro Supreme green tea and our Silver Needle white tea.  We spent two afternoons last week shooting for three more videos which Thomas is now editing. The next video which we will add to the website will be on our Dragon Well green tea, featuring the firing by renowned expert Mr Chen.

We have had some great feedback on the videos already. We think they work well and really help to bring each tea to life, from the scenery where the tea is picked, to the production methods and the final result in the cup. It’s great to be able to put the hours and hours of footage we have to proper use and we are glad you’re all enjoying them. If there are any teas you want to see covered, please let us know.

The Importance of Storage and Packing – Anji Bai Cha

Pre Rain Organic Anji Bai Cha

We were recently given a pack of Anji Bai Cha from another tea supplier. It really highlighted for us a problem that we see as regrettably widespread, the issue of packing and correct storage. When packed and stored correctly, teas retain their flavour, colour and quality for longer. When care is not taken to package and store tea well, it’s immediately clear from the look and taste of the end product – what ends up in your cup.

When it comes to taste, poorly stored tea will taste flat. There will be hints of the flavours that the fresh leaf contained but they will be muted. The liveliness and freshness of taste of properly stored tea will be in contrast to the flatness of badly stored tea. When it comes to the appearance of the dry leaf, it will be very clear, especially with green teas, that badly stored tea has deteriorated in terms of freshness.

Anji Bai Cha Storage

The photo above shows a poorly stored Anji Bai Cha on the left and our Anji Bai Cha green tea on the right. Both teas were picked in the same year and there has been no photoshopping on the colouring of these leaves. The effect on the colour and freshness of the leaves of bad storage really is that visible in the dry leaf. The left hand sample has lost almost all the fresh spring green leaf colours it must have had at some point.

We package our teas at source as soon after production as possible and wherever possible we use vacuum packing to ensure the tea is kept at its best for longest.

With care and proper storage, tea can be kept as fresh as possible for a long time. Our customers will testify that the Anji Bai Cha they order, receive and drink really does have the same bright colour as the above photos. It’s definitely something to keep an eye out for when buying loose leaf teas.

Hand-Made Gyokuro Supreme Green Tea Video

Following on from Bethan’s latest post on her trip to meet our Gyokuro producer, here’s a video of the tea fields, production of the tea and what makes Gyokuro so unique, not only among Japanese teas, but among all teas.

My Gyokuro Green Tea Discovery

Posted by Bethan.

As a graduate of Chinese Studies and having spent a few years living in Shanghai and Beijing, my knowledge of Japan was limited before I visited recently to see JING’s customers and suppliers. I would go so far as to say that my opinion was negatively tinted with the Sino-Japanese rivalry that I had been exposed to whilst working in China, and I was certainly a more devoted drinker of Chinese green tea than Japanese.

However, after 10 days, I have been thoroughly converted. The Japanese take intense pride in their tea industry, and hotel rooms contain Japanese green tea and hojicha (roasted tea made from a mix of stem and leaf), without an ‘English’ breakfast tea bag insight. The tea itself is of note.

It was the production of gyokuro tea which really took my breath away though. I travelled to Uji province, and the small town of Wazuka to visit the tea fields and our renowned Japanese gyokuro master.

I had a basic knowledge of gyokuro before arriving, but had my mind truly opened to the skill involved in making this tea. Gyokuro is not well known in Europe but it is the highest regarded tea in Japan. It can be machine produced or hand made, and is made in extremely small quantities in comparison to sencha, which is Japan’s most heavily produced tea, accounting for 70% of national production.

Gyokuro tea bushes lie at a lower altitude than sencha, and are covered for 20-30 days before picking in order to encourage the teas to photosynthesise, producing a sweeter, darker leaf. The finished tea leaf looks like thin needles that could be mistaken as being cut into a uniform shape. However, each leaf is actually meticulously rolled and kneaded in order to create the needles. This requires 3kg of loose leaf tea to produce 550g of gyokuro, and when produced by hand, the process takes 6 hours.

Our master is a national treasure, renowned as the number one gyokuro producer in Japan. He is a native of Uji province which produced the best gyokuro in Japan, but due to his skill, he has spent over 3 years of his life in each tea producing region in Japan teaching the tea masters in each region how to make this tea properly.

In his 70’s now, his expressive eyes glittered as he explained to me that his father taught him how to make the tea, and he has done nothing but carefully produce gyokuro ever since. The result is that he has no finger prints – worn away by rolling and kneading tea leaves over the years, he only discovered this when he was leaving Japan in the 1980s, and they tried to take his prints three times with no luck! His hands felt like thick leather but he seemed non-plussed by the sacrifice that he had made for his craft!

The Japanese Emperor himself has awarded our master with recognition for his work, and only his first tea disciple comes close to his skill in gyokuro production. This man has been taught and worked with him for 40 years, but cannot replace his master in the hearts of Japan.

Tea fields around Wazuka, Uji, Japan

The air in the mountains around his farm in Wazuka was heavy with mist and a light rain was falling when I arrived – perfect conditions for the tea bushes to flourish. The gyokuro season had ended the week before I arrived, so the covers of the bushes lay discarded at the side of the tea gardens, and I was able to drink some of the finest tea I have ever tried.

Gyokuro is not a tea that you should expect to drink in large quantities, it is something to be prepared in quantities of less than 200ml and to savour. The incredible production, results in a thick, glycerous drink which is often described as ‘soup-like’ by first time drinkers. It tastes like nothing I have ever experienced in other foods, heavy with ‘umami’, impossible to describe as it can’t be compared to much, but it is amazing.

The carefully rolled leaves have a blue tint to their dark green, shiny surface, which slowly disappears as the bright green colour comes through when the tea is made. Extremely cool water should be used when making the tea – 40 degree water for the first infusion, waiting 3 minutes to pour, increasing by 10 degree increments and reducing infusion time by 1 minute and then 30 seconds for each infusion.

Eating gyokuro tea leaves - quite delicious!

As the tea leaves themselves are extremely soft, they are fantastic to eat. We had them with a mix of soy sauce and lemon juice, and it was delicious.

I have never met a man like our gyokuro master before, and have never drunk any tea like his either. Whilst my Chinese friends may be disappointed with me saying so, this tea surpasses any other that I have drunk across the world in its uniqueness. Although it will not become my daily cuppa, I will certainly be indulging in it as often as possible in the future!

The tea I drank is available here.

Iced Teas

Posted by: David

London’s weather is getting better and better at the moment and hot drinks are sometimes a little too much to handle so I thought I would show you how easy it is to make refreshing iced tea using whole leaf tea and herbal infusions.

Iced Teas and Herbals

Yesterday afternoon I chose a number of teas from our range which I thought would be good iced. From left to right above we have Blackcurrant and Hibiscus, Jasmine Silver Needle white tea, Organic Jade Sword green tea and Phoenix Honey Orchid oolong tea. I added a generous amount of leaf of each (1 and a half times the amount you would use for a hot infusion)  and then added cold, filtered water over the top.

Each glass was then refrigerated overnight. I was in the office first this morning so I had time to take some photos of the results before I gave them to the others when they arrived a little later. It’s a good start to the day, especially if you have had a hot cycle/tube ride/bus ride to work.

Iced Teas Lineup

The blackcurrant and hibiscus was lovely, full of rich blackcurrant flavour but without the cloying sweetness of bottled varieties. The Jasmine Silver Needle was probably the best result, very refreshing, delicate and fragrant. The Jade Sword, as when hot, was bright and fresh and the Phoenix Honey Orchid was full of the peach flavour and aroma that this tea is famous for.

They went down so well that they’ve gone back in the fridge for a second infusion for the end of the day!  Of course, if you don’t like having the leaves floating at the top you can pour the infusion through a strainer or scoop the leaves out but we find that if you do get the leaves in your mouth, it’s nice to suck the flavour out of the leaves. You can always make them in a bottle as well to take out with you.

As a general rule, if you like the tea hot, it’s likely that you’ll like the tea cold but from our experience, it’s the fragrant teas such as those above that work best. Try out your own and let us know how you get on.

Our Jasmine Pearls Green Tea Base

Posted by: David.

Jasmine Pearls Base Green Tea

We’ve just received the base green tea for our Jasmine Pearls for approval.  This is the finished green tea base that Edward saw being produced in China last month.  It has not yet been scented with fresh jasmine flowers but it is still a lovely green tea with a great balance of body and sweetness. We choose the best green tea for our Jasmine teas in spring by visiting the producers rather than waiting until summer to secure the base tea.

In the above photo, the left hand tasting cup shows the leaves after infusion and the right hand cup shows the dry hand rolled pearls.  It’s easy to see that the pearls are made of think, juicy buds for the best smoothness and sweetness.

Jasmine Pearls Base Infusion

When Edward returns to China in July we’ll have more blogs and photos on the production of this tea, including the scenting with fresh jasmine flowers.

London Chinese Masterchef

Posted by: David

Smiling Chinese Masterchef Hopeful

Edward was lucky enough to be on the judging panel for this today and a few of us took it in turns to go and see what was happening at the event. I managed to find the only spare white coat so that I could get in amongst the heat of the kitchen and see the best Chinese chefs in London in action. I was only there for the Lobster starters but all three dishes looked lovely.

Chinese kitchens have a very particularly buzzy atmosphere, very热闹 (renao) atmospherse.热闹 (renao) is a Mandarin word meaning lively, bustling, noisy. I think it comes from all the woks full of bubbling oil and the cooking style of the food, flash frying and frying and the pungent, often hot and spicy aromas of the food.

Chinese Masterchef

Some of the Lobster dishes they prepared are shown below. For further photos from the event please see our Flickr page.

Lobster Starter Dish

Lobster Dish

Lobster Dish Red

I think the first or  second dish looks the tastiest, what do you think?

Follow Friday on Twitter, for American Tea drinkers

Posted by: David.

For today’s #followfriday on Twitter we want to do something special for our American customers. We’ve had a look at where our American customers are based and can see that we have customers in fourteen U.S states:

Texas, California, New York, Delaware, Wisconsin, Washington, New Jersey, Virginia, Utah, Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida, Michigan and Conneticut.

So, as everything on #followfriday begins with f,we want to get customers in not just fourteen but all fifty states. So we’re looking for our current U.S twitter followers to recommend us to their friends in states that aren’t in the list above. In return, we’ll give the recommender and the recommendee a 15% discount voucher to use on the JING website. So it will work like this, recommend your friend and get them to follow us on @JINGTea and then get them to write the following message or similar:

@JINGTea, @texascustomer said I should check you out, I’m from (State), can you give us our discount please?

Of course we’ll follow all newcomers too. I hope this isn’t too complicated but it’s interesting to experiment like this and Twitter is the ideal tool for doing so. Hope you all enjoy the tea.

We’ll keep doing this every friday until we get to 50 states!