En Shi Yu Lu (Jade Dew) Organic
One of the famous green teas of China, En Shi Yu Lu (Jade Dew) is a living piece of tea history. Most Chinese green tea today is panned, fired in a hot wok to stop oxidation and darken the leaf. But this one is steamed, the much older method that was standard in China over a thousand years ago, around the time of the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907).
We don't often think of tea as having fashions, but it does, evolving over the centuries just like everything else, as producers experiment and drinkers discover something new. Steaming gradually fell out of favour in China as panning took over, and the technique might have been lost here entirely. Instead it was carried to Japan by early Buddhist monks, where it endured and became the signature of the most famous Japanese greens. En Shi Yu Lu is one of the few Chinese steamed teas to survive, revived in the early 20th century, and it makes a rather lovely case for bringing a vintage method back into fashion.
The wheel has since turned full circle. China is now producing steamed teas in earnest once again, Matcha among them, with Chinese growers learning the Japanese methods, just as Japanese growers once learned from China. A nice reminder that in tea, as in most things, fashions have a habit of coming back around.
After steaming, the deep green leaves are hand rolled to release bold, complex, vegetal layers, with a gentle astringency balanced by umami. It is medium-bodied and easy-going: enough depth for a proper all-day green, without ever being overpowering. This is why I chose it; part history, part flavour, and a tea I find myself reaching for again and again.
"A well-made twisted leaf. Easy on the palate, good green tea quality which makes for easy drinking." - Great Taste Awards 2019 (1 Star)
Ingredients || Premium Organic Green Tea
Warning, packed in an environment that contains nuts
Caffeine || Yes
Tasting Notes || Complex flavours of vegetal layers, with a gentle astringency balanced by umami notes
Brewing Notes || 1 teaspoon per cup, 80ºC, brew for 2 minutes. Good for multiple infusions.