Have you wondered what are the most famous and revered premium teas out there?! I did and so I started researching. Quality, scarcity and price are the key criteria I used in my selection.
Here are my top 10 famous teas (coming from the Camellia Sinensis plant):
- Anji White (Anji Bai Cha)
- Big Red Robe (Da Hong Pao)
- Darjeeling First Flush
- Dragonwell (Long Jing)
- Gyokuro (Jade Dew)
- High Mountain (Gao Shan) Oolong
- Matcha (ceremonial grade)
- Sheng Pu-erh
- Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy)
- White Hair Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen)
I will split this series into 5 blogs, each covering 2 famous teas.
A few general remarks to start with. The best quality teas are normally consumed locally by tea connoisseurs who can afford them, the remaining are exported. The most expensive of them are still handmade, although Japanese teas are mostly machine-processed. A lot of skill and time is required to make them. They are usually produced in small quantities by small farmers. All these factors determine the quality of the teas and thus their price.
Darjeeling First Flush
Darjeeling First Flush is an unusual black tea with a greenish appearance and peculiar taste. The leaves are lightly oxidised to meet the increasing demand for greener teas.
Darjeeling is a mountainous area at the edge of the Himalayas (north-east India). It started making teas in the 1840s. The terroir is ideal for growing this superb tea: the cold winters allow the tea plant to rest, grow slowly and concentrate flavour. From the tea bushes one bud and 2 leaves are plucked in early spring (starting in mid-March). Unlike most Indian tea plants, this tea belongs to the Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, which were originally brought here by the British from China in the 1830s.
Unlike most black teas, this one has a muscatel flavour, the reason why the tea is called the ‘champagne of teas’. The first flush tea is delicately floral and features some fruity notes too. But it is also somehow astringent.
There are approx. 80 tea estates in Darjeeling that produce delicious teas, such as Jungpana, Thurbo, and Margaret’s Hope. In order to prevent fake Darjeeling from being sold in the market, in 1986, the Tea Board of India created a trademark logo to help buyers identify authentic Darjeeling tea.
Plus, Darjeeling tea has been protected by Geographical Indication since 2003.
Dragonwell
Dragonwell (Long Jing) is probably the most beloved Chinese green tea. It originally comes from Longjing Village in Zhejiang Province. It started being made during the Qing dynasty (1644-1914).
The original cultivar of this tea is Qunti Zhonge. Later on, new cultivars were developed to produce a bigger yield, such as the now popular Longjing 43 and also Xiaoye Fuding.
The leaves are plucked 2-3 times in spring (early March – late April). The first flush is lighter in taste, but highly priced. The second flush, considered the best, is the imperial (pre-qian ming) plucking, followed a few weeks later by the yu qian plucking.
After being withered, the tea master fires the leaves in woks over charcoal and gives them a flat shape.
The liquor has a pleasant toasted nutty flavour with potentially a slight astringency or even bitterness. The taste is powerful, but at the same time balanced.
The prices for this tea vary widely. This means that Long Jing is also the most imitated tea. According to M.L. Heiss and R.J. Heiss, there are 8 grades of Long Jing from 3 designated places – Shi Feng, Meijiawu Village, and West Lake Village. The highest grade is AAA Jing Pin – made of only buds and one leaf, followed by AA Te Ji – made of 70% buds and one leaf and 30% one bud and 2 leaves, and Grade 1 – 70% one bud and 2 leaves and 30% buds and one leaf. As you can see, choosing the highest quality is not an easy task.
