Zhushan Natural Farming Jin Xuan "Golden Nectar of Lily" Bug Bitten Oolong Tea - Winter 2022

Different from "Lily Fairy" series tea althought not far away from it, this plantation is another proof that Zhushan can be a great source of some incredible material. Being just a few miles away, this plantation however has a completely different character from the "Lily series" one. 

We met Mr. Chang during a regular day of our tea processing trip. He was the member of the killing-green squad who lives in Zhushan. Without surprise he has a plantation of tea that grows Jin Xuan tea trees, as this is the most popular varietal in the commercial tea world. However, the one he grew was nourished under a pollution-free environment. No pesticide or herbicide was ever applied to this small land at Zhushan. The forest around it also guaranteed a healthy isolation from the outside world. We believe this was why despite the catastrophic reduction in yield this winter, this precious little land still managed to generate remarkable material.

It was also apparent that the material was quite heavily bug-bitten by the little cicada. Throughout years we have noticed that the most common time for a naturally managed plantation to have bug-bitten was not during summer, but winter instead. We had such occasion on teas like "Jade Dew," "Frost Earl," "Monarch Nectar of Lily," and this trait made this tea has similarties to "Monarch Nectar of Lily." The only difference here is the terroir, which means this tea offers another great moment to learn about terroir identification.

This new plantation shall offers us a new boundary of Jin Xuan's possibility. The sweet note and elegance of Jin Xuan was beautifully realized on this tea. Interestingly, and delivers a rare robust rhythm which is not often observed on this varietal. 

Harvest:  Winter 2022 / 冬 貳零貳貳

Varietal:  Jin Xuan / 金萱

Elevation:  200 M / 貳佰 公尺

Region:  Zhushan / 竹山

Fermentation Level:  35% / 分之 卅伍

Roast Level: 2 / 貳 分

 Ready to brew!

Such a pretty tea! The burst of bug bitten goodness is right in the front of the sip. Scrumptious And totally delightful.

This is truly a heart warming, opening and brightening tea experience. The jinxuan variety is superbly elegantly unveiled in round after round of solid beauty. Such a joy.

 We have known this plantation for a while already, and finally made the collaboration possible thanks to Mr. Chang's hard work. This tea after four months of aging is finally ready, and to an old dog’s surprise, it taste very much like the “White Phoenix” we made back in the spring of 2020.