Single-origin tea, direct from the village.
"Fresh apple, dried apple, apple juice, all through the same cup, dry leaf straight to liquor, and consistent from the first steep to the last. You don't need a trained palate for it, just a normal nose and tongue."
This is the rarest Yulu we've tasted, and it tastes like apple. A steamed green tea from Enshi that breaks the usual complaint about Yulu, that it's thin, a little bitter, one-note. This one is layered like a full meal. Floral and fresh up front, apple and jam through the middle, nori and briny richness at the core, a clean sweet finish.
Flavor profile
What happens in the cup
Sour plum jam sweetness first, then apple, finishing on a briny, savory note.
Rich, like yogurt wrapped around butter, mixed with the clean steamed-green aroma and florals.
Smooth and dense, fresh but never thin, with nori and briny savor underneath. Most Yulu is one-note and turns bitter after a few steeps. This one keeps a richness that carries through, like a full meal: florals and freshness at the start, apple and jam sweet-tartness before the main course, then the smooth, dense body wrapped in nori, brine, yogurt, and butter that actually fills you up, closing on a clean sweetness. Consistent from the first steep to the last, unlike most Yulu, which fades or turns bitter after a round or two.
Who grew this tea
Qiu, Wufeng Mountain, Enshi
Among all the names buried in Enshi's tea history, there's Wufeng Mountain Chama Tea Factory, once the biggest Yulu factory in the region, back in the 90s. Matsushita Satoshi came through more than once to learn, camera on his shoulder, and wrote China's steamed tea craft into his book. He wrote that Enshi Yulu doesn't lose to Japanese gyokuro.
The factory doesn't exist anymore. Neither does the tea, mostly. When we first heard about an apple-aroma Yulu from the old teacher who once ran Chama, we didn't quite believe it. After drinking this much tea, you learn that flavor claims like that are usually faint, more suggestion than substance.
Asking a retired master to come back and make tea again felt like too much to ask. We're glad we did. Fresh apple, dried apple, apple juice, all through the same cup, dry leaf straight to liquor, consistent from the first steep to the last. Layered like a French meal: nori and a briny freshness up front, then something in the air like cream, butter, black truffle, closing on apple, sweet-tart jam, a faint floral. Nothing thin about it.
We used to think Matsushita's line about Enshi Yulu not losing to gyokuro was old-era flattery. Tasting this one, we don't anymore. We're calling it "French Cuisine" Yulu, so the name won't get buried again. Finished by Qiu at Wufeng Mountain, Enshi.
Perfect moments for this tea
How to brew
Keep the water just under a full boil. 194°F / 90°C protects the delicate apple and floral top notes.