Jasmine Snow Flake

This tea has a very poetic name in Chinese — 碧潭飘雪 — which loosely translates to "tranquil snowfall over jade pond". The image references a very calming scene in nature, and also describes the beautiful experience of brewing this tea: in water, the green tea leaves drift to the bottom of the teapot, while the white jasmine buds float above, like snow suspended on a lake.

The base green tea is Emei Spring Maofeng, a delicate first harvest green tea from gardens located at the peak of this sacred mountain. The jasmine flowers come from the village of Jiajiang, known to produce the best jasmine in Sichuan.

Tea leaves have long been known for their remarkable capacity to absorb and preserve the scent of flowers. However, successfully scenting tea leaves is tedious and depends on processes perfected over centuries. The craft began in the Southern Song Dynasty, over a thousand years ago. It requires a careful understanding of the ratio of flower to tea, and several rounds of infusions to achieve a lasting transfer of the flower's otherwise fleeting scent.

Traditionally, scenting is done in small batches: tiny jasmine blossoms are scattered with the tea leaves on bamboo mats and left overnight, where the tea leaves gradually absorb the delicate night-aromas of the blossoms. The next morning, craftsmen separate the jasmine flowers from the tea leaves, and the tea is baked over charcoal for a few hours. This Jasmine Snow Flake went through six rounds of scenting, taking over two weeks to complete.

The tea leaves look extra green in this harvest. They are themselves rich in aroma, binding with the scent of jasmine to produce something very complex. The liquor is weighty and less sweet this year, without any astringency, making it feel glycerol and composed. The jasmine is vivid and immediate, lasting for over 6 infusions, gradually becoming sweeter and sweeter.