Jun Shan Yin ZhenAt first glance, you know youre in for something rare: slender, spear shaped buds in deep olive green, each wrapped in a delicate silver down. This tea comes from Junshan Island itselfthe cradle of yellow tea, where it has been crafted for centuries without interruption. Cultivation is limited to a handful of tiny plots, and the annual harvest is correspondingly small. The dry leaves release the scent of sweet hay with a faint peppery spark. In the

Perhaps our mildest Yan Cha on offer

yet retains a delicate aroma of orchids as if to gesture its new homeland of Pinglin

experiment

the trade route between China and Tibet that fermented the tea carried upon it for centuries

For the second fermentation

and in the wilderness there may be none available at all

or in a special tong of eight bing cha in a decorative box

The book-themed individual packaging makes it the perfect tea for travel and obviates the need for measurement: simply use a whole slice or break one in two for your gongfu cha session

with a textured glazes suggesting roughly carved marble and oxidised iron

the southwestern jewel of Japan’s main islands and the historical cradle of Japanese tea cultivation and culture

an abstract quality found in good Yan Cha

a so-called “New Generation” era emerged