Old Grove Jin Jun Mei "Golden Brows" 老丛金骏眉
Type: Black Tea
Region: Wuyi Mountains, Fujian
Harvest: 2024
Elevation: 500 - 600m
Roast: Traditional
Tasting Notes
Initial: Propolis and Cocoa
Body: Dried Dark Red Fruit & Fermented Glutinous Rice
Finish: Dark Chocolate & Honey Sweetness
This is my interpretation of Jin Jun Mei "Golden Brows" black tea. I was able to secure this year's harvest of fresh picked buds from an old grove of trees from a secluded garden near Tong Mu Guan "Paulownia Pass" - the place and origin of the very first black teas.
The buds selected was short and plump, much thicker than the usual native cultivars "Cai Cha aka garden varietal", which makes it an excellent material to withstand traditional crating techniques that requires more vigorous tossing, rolling, and heating.
This was a truly labor intensive tea, using only the highest standard of tiny young buds. Each tea tree only sprouts a scant handful of buds each spring, making these kinds of tea very limited. A single pound of tea consists of tens of thousands of buds. After crafting and drying, the remaining count isn't all that much.
The hand picked buds were transformed into tiny golden fur buds using centuries old traditional tea crafting techniques and roasting. I requested my teacher to add layer of charcoal roast to bring out the darker chocolate and cocoa notes. The result is a intoxicating fragranced and remarkably complex black tea.
From my experience with this tea, it will get better and open up over time in storage as it is still a new harvest. The dried red fruit and fermented sweet glutinous rice in the body will become much more apparent over time. This is a very versatile tea to brew. A longer infusion with lower temperature steeps (200 -205 F) will bring out more of the sweetness, while the hotter temperatures (208 - 210 F) will increase the intensity of darker malty cocoa notes.
