One of China's tea famous teas, Pi Lo Chun (Bi Luo Chun) comes to us from the imperial tea gardens of Dong Ting Mountain in southern Jiangsu Province. There, the tea leaves sprout amidst peach, plum and apricot blossoms.
The tender down-covered leaves are picked while they are still diminutive shoots not more than 2 centimeters long. They are pan-fired in several steps to remove the oxidizing enzyme and twist the leaves.
Its white downy sprouts - individually hand-twisted - brew a mildly sweet liquor, with a creaminess and fruitiness that is unique only to this tea.
BREWING GUIDE
Infuser Cup
Water Temp 175 ° F
Steep Time 45 sec
Tea Bowl
Water Temp ° F
Gaiwan / Teapot (6 oz.)
Water Temp 175 ° F
Steep Time 30 sec
Teapot (12 oz.)
Water Temp 175 ° F
Steep Time 1 min 30 sec
Pi Lo Chun is one of the more finicky teas to brew. Because of the small size of its leaves, it tends to become astringent quite easily if you are not careful. Approach brewing it in either two ways: cool and long or hot and short.
To brew this tea using the hot and short method, please follow the guidelines on the right. To try the cool and long method, use 2 grams of tea and water at around 150-160 degrees, and let sit for a little longer than a minute. An easy way to achieve this is to skip the initial rinse, pour your water into the gaiwan and drizzle leaves into it. Leave the lid off and wait until the leaves settle into the bottom and open slightly, then decant.
