Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: tightly curled, dark with lots of golden hairs
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: amber
At the end of last year, Blue Willow Tea had an unfortunate break-in at their shop in Berkeley, CA. I treated myself to a few teas as a means of showing my support. This tea was one of them. I couldn’t resist a golden black tea, especially if it is from Yunnan! The name Biluochun is synonymous with the well-known Chinese green tea, but it can also describe the leaves’ shape. The distinctive curl is thought to resemble a snail shell.
Leaf
The dry leaf was gorgeous to look at. Check out all of that bling! My camera didn’t quite pick it up, but the golden parts had a brilliant sheen to them. They had a sweet and malty aroma that made me want to dive right in. In my gaiwan, the tightly curled leaves unfurled to reveal copper-colored bud sets. Big, beautiful tea leaves like this never fail to take my breath away. The oxidation level was fairly even throughout.
Liquor
Golden Bud Biluochun brewed up an amber liquor with nice clarity. The taste was incredibly sweet with the same malty notes that I picked up in the dry leaf. A hint of smoky caramel faded into a soft finish. A spicy note that had not been present before popped up in the second infusion. There was hardly any astringency even with extended brewing times.
I purchased 2oz of this tea, and most of that was consumed gongfu style since that is my preference. The vessel did not make much difference at all. It was just as delicious whether I used a gaiwan or ceramic teapot. It also did really well when made in a more western fashion.
Have you ever tried Golden Bud Biluochun? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Golden Bud Biluochun purchased from Blue Willow Tea.
