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“Had this last night while starting Elementary (which BTW I’m immediately fond of—it’s like a breath of fresh air antidote to a lot of the problems I have with Sherlock). It was lovely and I’m...” Read full tasting note
“It’s Monday, and I’ve got a cupboard bursting with untasted teas! I’m going to try comparing some milk oolongs later this week, but for now, this seemed like a nice way to start. I got this as a...” Read full tasting note
This is one of Chinas most famous teas. Our Bi Lou Chun was collected by our certified tea sommelier on this year’s spring tea tour. The name Bi Lou Chun translates as either Spring Snail shell or Green Snail Spring. This tea hails from the island of Dongting in the Jaingstu province in China. This is a fairly isolated region 2 hours north of Hangzhou (the hometown of Long Jin.) The leafsets are picked early in the harvesting season with a plucking standard of one bud one leaf. Then they go through very careful processing. The leaves are small and tightly wound resembling a snails shell. The tea gets its trademark roasted aroma and flavour from its processing. To stop oxidization the tea leaves are fixed in hot woks. This provides the tea with the roasted vegetal flavour it is renowned for. This tea is a wonderful form of Chinese green tea. Its sweet roasted flavours make it perfect for those who may find other greens too grassy. The health benefits of Bi Lou Chun may include increased metabolism and weight loss. Because of the high antioxidant content of green tea Bi Lou Chun may help maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones, as well as lowering blood pressure and bad cholesterol. Some studies have shown antioxidants may have cancer fighting properties.
Region: Dong Shan, Jiang Su Province, China
Other Names: Bi Lo Chun, Spring Snail Shell, Pi Lo Chun, Green Snail Spring.
Appearance: The leafsets are a tightly wound spiral shape with a very dark green (even blue in certain light) colour. The dry leaves have fuzzy hairs blanketing the white tips. The leaves have a very sweet, roasted and nutty aroma.
Taste: The teas liquor is light and thin with strong roasted vegetal flavours with soft floral hints of sweet citrus and fruity notes.
Steeping Guide:
Teaware: Glass or ceramic Gai Wan
Amount: 3g /1½ teaspoons
Temperature: 80°c (176°F)
Steeping Time: 1 to 2 minutes for the first two steeps and 3 to 5 minutes for the third and fourth.
*These steeping directions are for a traditional Gong Fu style tea, if you are brewing this tea in a regular cup we recommend steeping for 2 – 3 minutes. This tea can also been re-steeped 4 times.
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Had this last night while starting Elementary (which BTW I’m immediately fond of—it’s like a breath of fresh air antidote to a lot of the problems I have with Sherlock). It was lovely and I’m going to enjoy drinking my little pouch down for sure (I love bilochuns!), but Verdant’s still takes the cake (definitely no slight on this though—I’m hardpressed to think of more than maybe 5 teas I’ve had as or more delicious). Resteeped a couple times, but not endlessly potent like Verdant’s either.
It’s Monday, and I’ve got a cupboard bursting with untasted teas! I’m going to try comparing some milk oolongs later this week, but for now, this seemed like a nice way to start.
I got this as a sample from Tao Tea Leaf when I met up with Indigobloom last week – just a little paper pouch.
Dry leaf: Long, dark, and quite spindly. It smelled faintly sweet, but I couldn’t quite compare it to anything. They were a bit hard to measure, but I tried to get 3 tsp of leaf as closely as I could. There should be at least as much leaf left in the sample.
Steeping parameters: The sample didn’t come with any instructions, so I fell back on the default green steeping parameters that I’ve seen others use: 1 tsp for 8 oz of water, 80°C for 3 minutes.
Liquor: The wet leaves smelled very heavily of salt, butter, and vegetables. After steeping, they were a nice olive/jade green, and I hope to get at least one more steep out of them. The liquor is a pale golden colour that shades down to a deeper amber as it sits in the pot. The taste is similar to the wet leaf aroma: buttered vegetables (I’m getting asparagus) with a slight taste of honey at the beginning of the sip. There’s also a bit of astringency as the sip progresses, leading to a bit of dry throat.
Verdict: I quite like this! It’s smooth and slightly sweet, while still retaining a lot of the crisp flavours I associate with green tea. I hope that this tea turns out to be characteristic of Bi Luo Chuns in general. I’ll edit the note once I get a second steep out of the pot.
Flavors: Asparagus, Butter
i like both sherlock and elementary for different reasons :) they both have their place in my world
I enjoy Sherlock, but I love Elementary more. Elementary lovers unite! :)
I would so love to see this: http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/16546-frankenstein my friend who has and tipped me off to it said “B/c it is nuts watching them both play the same guy after seeing both of them play the same guys. And it makes me love Miller even more as Sherlock. He is not afraid to be weak as a kitten. Neither is Cumberbatch, but the BBC Sherlock won’t let him.”
Woah, that is crazy! That would be so interesting to see.