Dongting Mountains Pi Lo Chun (Bi Luo Chun)

Like birds’ tongues with a strong aroma

Appearance & Taste

Two Main Categories of Spring Tea

Tea picked before the end of May is known as spring tea. After one-year rehabilitation, the buds of the plant are stout and strong in the spring, with delicate leaves and a rich white fuzz. The tea leaves contain rich effective substances. Spring tea is regarded as having the best quality compared to tea picked in the summer or autumn. Depending on the precise growth period, spring tea can be divided into Mingqian tea and Yuqiang tea.

Good-quality Biluochun leaves look like birds’ tongues; the dry tea leaves are tightly curled and silvery green with fuzzy white hair.

Our Biluochun is Mingqian tea. See below taste differences between Mingqian and Yuqian teas.

1. Mingqian tea

Mingqian tea is made from leaves picked before Pure Brightness (Apr.4th, 5th, or 6th). Tea workers only pick very recent buds; these comprise almost 100% of the raw material for Mingqian tea. However, because of the low temperatures before Pure Brightness, these buds are limited, and due to the low growth rate of the plant, the yield is usually very small. There is therefore a saying:‘Mingqian tea is as expensive as gold’. It is regarded as the highest grade of Biluochun.

Taste: Mingqian tea has an extraordinarily delicate and fresh taste –like the earliest spring day on the tip of the tongue.

2. Yuqian tea

Yuqian tea is made from tea picked before the Grain Rain (19, 20 or 21 April). During this period, the temperature is moderate and the rainfall is abundant, and the first tea leaves appear. One bud with the first leaf provides the raw material for making Yuqian tea.

Although Yuqian tea is not as delicately flavoured as Mingqian tea, it has a stronger taste and can be brewed longer and more times. This is because the temperature is higher during the picking period for Yuqian tea, which causes the tea leaves to grow relatively fast; the accumulated substances in the tea leaves are also richer.

Taste: Yuqian tea is very fresh with a strong aroma. It has a robust flavor, a sweet, lingering fragrance and an invigorating taste.

Adjust the amount of tea based on your own taste

Brewing Guide

Because Biluochun leaves are very delicate, it is best to use the top-drop (what’s this?) brewing method or you can also use bottom-drop method.

Top-drop Method:

1. Warm the teaware with hot water. Discard the water afterwards
2. Pour hot water (80°C) into the teaware until it is seven-tenths full
3. Add 2 teaspoons of tea for tea cup/gaiwan (125ML), 4 teaspoons for glass (250ML) and 8 teaspoons for tea pot (500ML)
4. Infuse tea for around 1 minute for first brew, if using gaiwan gongfu, the first brew can be around 45s, the second time is around 1 min, then gradually increase steeping time for subsequent brewing
5. Drink until 1/3 of the tea is left before refilling
6. Repeat a total of 3 times – different aromas will be released with each brew
7. Gradually increase steeping time for subsequent brews.

Bottom-Drop Method:

1. Warm the teaware with hot water. Discard the water afterwards
2. Add 2 teaspoons of tea for tea cup/gaiwan (125ML), 4 teaspoons for glass (250ML) and 8 teaspoons for tea pot (500ML)
3. Pour hot water (80°C) into the teaware until it is one-third full
4. Tilt the glass cup, slowly rotating it two times (this is to ensure a better infusion)
5. Pour hot water (80°C) into the teaware until it is seven-tenths full
6. Infuse tea for around 1 minute, if using gaiwan gongfu, the first brew can be around 45s, the second time is around 1 min, then gradually increase steeping time for subsequent brewing
7. Drink until 1/3 of the tea is left before refilling
8. Repeat a total of 2-3 times
9. Gradually increase steeping time for subsequent brews.

Harvest & Production

Timing & Ingredients

Ingredients: Our Biluochun is made using a bud with single leaf; only the most delicate are picked.

Picking Time: Picking begins around the Spring Equinox ((Mar.20^th, 21^th, 22^th) and ends around the Grain Rain (Apr.19th, 20th, or 21th). Tea made from the leaves picked between the Spring Equinox (Mar.20^th, 21^th, 22^th) and Pure Brightness （Apr.4th, 5th, or 6th）is called ‘Mingqian tea’, which is considered to have the best quality and is sold at the highest price on the market.

Production Time: Spring 2019