30g Snow Buds 雪芽

Snow Buds (雪芽, Xǔe Yá, "Snow Buds") - made from the early spring pure bud picking of green tea from Emei Mountain, this exceptionally downy tea exemplifies the subtle magnificence of high grade Chinese green tea. Rather than becoming more flavorful as the quality increases, Chinese greens tend to become increasingly more subtle as they become earlier and higher altitude. This tea tastes like melted snow - pure, clean, refreshing, with a barely-perceptible flavor, especially on the first few steepings, and an exceptionally light color. I enjoy serving this tea to first-time tea drinkers at the tea house to see their reaction. Invariably they enjoy it and remark on how good it is, but when I ask them “what do you like about it” they’re at a loss for words. That’s what’s so special about high grade Chinese greens - they are rarefied to the point where the flavor and even the fragrance take a back seat to the more intangible qualities of the tea. Due to its subtlety, freshness, and lack of astringency, this tea can be steeped at a full boil.