Song Zhen Anhua Pine Needle

Song Zhen Anhua Pine Needle is a finely made green tea from an organic garden, made from small leaves resembling pine needles. It has a bright aromatic liquor with a mellow taste. The savoury profile has fresh, verdant and vegetal notes of asparagus with a mouthwatering finish.

This is a traditional green tea from Hunan Province made from Camellia sinensis plants and has no relation to tisanes made from the leaves of pine or fir trees.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 80°C for 2-3 minutes

£2.60£9.00

(10-50g)

View wishlist
Origin:Anhua County, Hunan Province, China
Elevation:1,100m
Cultivar:Yuntaishan Da Ye Zhong (云台山大叶种)
Harvest time:6 April 2022
Sourcing:Specialist Chinese Wholesaler

Description

Song Zhen Anhua Pine Needle (安化松针绿茶) is a fine spring green tea from an organic tea garden, located in Anhua County of Hunan Province in China. The leaves are shaped to resemble small pine needles, earning this green tea its name. It produces a bright aromatic liquor with a mellow fresh taste and complex verdant and vegetal umami notes. This particular batch was harvested on 6 April 2022.

While we’ve had a Yunnan version of Song Zhen in our shop for quite some time, it is the Anhua Song Zhen that is considered to be the most famous type of ‘Pine Needle’ green tea in China. Being a famous tea from Hunan Province, this tea enjoys a local history spanning some 400 years. Pine Needle green tea from Anhua is characterised by a smaller and finer leaf due to earlier picking and use of smaller leaf local cultivar plants. This particular tea is grown at an altitude of around 1,100m at a garden that is managed to organic standards.

Anhua Song Zhen has a very fine leaf, mostly consisting of one bud and two leaves standard of picking. The leaves are smaller and younger, leading to a mellow liquor. During the final stage of processing Anhua Song Zhen is shaped into a long straight shape that resembles pine needles. It produces an aromatic liquor with a savoury green tea aroma, green-yellow colour and good clarity. The mouthwatering taste is fresh, verdant and vegetal with a pronounced savoury umami edge. It has notes of asparagus and a sweet mouthfeel. The aftertaste is mellow and lasting with a touch of herbaceous astringency. It’s a nicely balanced tea and the savoury edge makes us think of more Japanese-style green teas, like our Kamairicha.

We suggest brewing at 80°C for 2-3 minutes according to your taste. It can be brewed around 2-3 times depending on your preference.

Song Zhen Anhua Pine Needle green tea was featured in our August 2022 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.