Jasmine in China ---- The exploration for a new yellow tea and the discovery of a new green tea

April 9, 2012
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This year, my journey began in Sichuan. My first stop was Ming Shan, a small town at the foot of the mountain of Meng Ding - the terroir of one of the three Chinese yellow teas, Meng Ding Huang Ya. I had allowed only two days to explore this yellow tea and after two good days of meetings, tastings and visits to factories, I can say mission accomplished!

As I often do when exploring for a new tea, I like to meet different producers, visit different factories and taste their tea in order to "form a sense" of the tea, the grades and the possible processing techniques. After five factories visited in record time, it is finally the first factory visited that I have chosen. A lovely and tidy traditional factory, an extra warm human contact with the owner and manager of manufacturing, good teas, and, even more - which is rare in China, a preparation of green and yellow teas in a Gaiwan with unboiled water. (wow, I was quite moved!) It only remained to fix the problem of the price, which was of course, as everywhere in China, a little too expensive in relation to quality.

So I had the chance to learn about the stages of transformation of this yellow tea which undergoes two and sometimes three fermentations including one or two smothered under a wrapping of paper. The result is a tea with no bitterness, little vegetal flavour, cocoa on the nose and a sweet finish.

Even though the yellow tea Meng Ding Huang Ya is the most famous in this region, the finest tea produced and more consumed by the locals is a green tea called Meng Ding Gan Lu, of which I tasted several grades and have chosen one. Meng Ding Gan Lu will be a new green tea in our 2012 selection. A tea with a curly leaf, very vegetal and fruity, which will appeal to fans of Bi Luo Chun.

Jasmin Desharnais

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