Master's Green (古法香, Gǔ Fǎ Xiāng, "Ancient Technique Fragrance") - Gǔ Fǎ means “Ancient Technique” and refers to the extremely unusual method used to produce this remarkable tea. A Tiě Guān Yīn varietal, grown in the Panying Mountains in the southwest of Guizhou, the leaves are picked in early spring and left to rest on mats for 30-40 days. The idiosyncratic pluck involves keeping long stems which retain water and rehydrate the leaves after the sun sets. This continuous drying and remoistening of the leaves causes them to oxidize, meaning that this “green tea” made in what appears to be an archaic Guizhou style, is more like an oolong than a modern unoxidized green tea. Complex floral notes, a green-gold liquor and a soft mouthfeel make Gǔ Fǎ Xiāng reminiscent of a Taiwanese Baozhong, with a distinctive “orchid” fragrance common to all of Master Lin’s Panying greens and oolongs.
This tea comes to us from Rui Liu of Grass People Tree in London.