Notes of sweet corn, heart of palm, and artichoke.

Green tea from Hunan, China・March 2023・保靖黃金茶・Unsprayed

Huangjin Cha is a green tea that we originally sourced for Volume two of our Founder’s Collection. Now, as then, this tea is quite difficult to acquire. With a complex and aromatic profile, it’s not difficult to see why.

Hunan’s reputation as a tea-producing region is often eclipsed by its neighbors to the east and west. But this is old tea country, and little known regions can at times harbor strange and unusual treasures. Legends from the Ming and Qing dynasties tell of an old Miao woman who healed a traveler with these very leaves and was repaid in gold, giving this venerable tea its name, Huangjin, which translates in English to gold. The name is appropriate, as this tea is indeed a treasure.

Grown at a mere 350m in Baojing County, Northwestern Hunan, and picked mid March 2023, Huangjin Cha is crafted from a grove of centuries-old trees. Much like Wuyishan Ecological park, these tea trees are indigenous to the region, with records dating as far back as the 1300s. The region is hot and humid - the kind of heat that makes the air taste green - and gives Huang Jin Cha a certain weight and richness on the palate unlike other green teas.

Huangjin Cha is a layered brew. It is bold, yet perfectly balanced in a way that invites exploration of its complex aromatic and flavor profiles. Brewed, it carries a bouquet of floral and fruit notes that are more reminiscent of high mountain oolongs than green teas.

The dry leaves smell of summer corn, while the liquor has the crisp sweetness of heart of palm, and the dark verdancy of artichoke. These notes are teased out over several steeps - as the tea reveals itself through multiple umami-rich layers.

Brew: 3 grams・150 ml・180° F・1 min

This is a complex green tea that invites experimentation with different steep times. Progressively adding 30 seconds to each brew yields deeper and more complex finishes - without adding too much astringency.