Yun Wu Ming Qian Cloud Mist

Description

Yun Wu Ming Qian Cloud Mist green tea (云雾明前绿茶) is an expertly made early spring green tea from Nankeng Village (南坑村) in Zhenghe County of Fujian Province, China. Made by hand from tender young leaves of the local Cai Cha plants grown at high altitude, it has a thick taste with a balanced flavour and a long aftertaste. Sourced by us direct from one of the Chen & Zhou family tea gardens, this batch was harvested on 23 March 2022.

This Yun Wu Cloud Mist green tea comes from a garden with tea trees that are approximately 40 years old. It is a wild garden, with the trees having minimal human interference. The tea plants are grown on rocky soil, and are of the local Xiao Cai Cha cultivar. This is a native plant of the area and is similar to other local native plants found throughout various regions in China. The combination of the tea plants, higher altitude, cloudy spring conditions and soil results in a more complex, but balanced flavour profile.

We have recently partnered with a wife and husband team who represent Chen and Zhou tea master families respectively to bring their traditional teas to our shop. The family has gardens in Wuyi Shan and in Zhenghe County of Fujian Province, as well as having gardens in Guangdong Province. They specialise in producing hand crafted artisanal teas. Compared to larger gardens and factory productions, these are made in small batches and are still made according to traditional methods passed down the generations in their families. You can find the selection of teas from the Chen & Zhou family gardens in our shop. This includes some fantastic hongcha and yancha!

In China the name Yun Wu (云雾) is somewhat common and is often also used in many other regions throughout the country to describe a green tea that is produced locally but that does not fall under any of the ‘famous’ tea types or has any other modern branding attached to it. Generally, it is a good quality local green tea that was hand plucked but then more machine processed in order to keep the costs reasonable. These teas do vary in quality and taste depending on the growing region and processing but tend to be somewhere in the middle. Perhaps the reason for the popularity of the Yun Wu name is a Chinese saying 高山云雾出好茶 (gāoshān yúnwù chū hǎo chá), which can be roughly translated as ‘high mountain, cloud and mist leads to good tea’! Living up to the ‘Cloud and Mist’ name, this tea is harvested in spring when the area at this elevation experiences plenty of clouds and morning mists. And unlike some of the other Yun Wu teas from our shop, this one is entirely hand crafted.

This Yun Wu Ming Qian Cloud Mist has a neat dark curled leaf with a verdant aroma. It produces a light green-yellow liquor with a fresh, vegetal and lightly toasty aroma. The taste achieves a fine balance between savoury umami and sweet creamy flavours. It has buttery, vegetal and nutty notes with a delicate creamy mouthfeel. It delivers a lasting but clean aftertaste that has a mineral edge. The overall impression is of a balanced, clean and refreshing green tea.

We suggest brewing at 90°C for 2-3 minutes according to your taste. It should be brewed multiple times depending on your taste preferences. This tea works really well for gongfu brewing using a porcelain or glass gaiwan.

Location of Nankeng Village:

Yun Wu Ming Qian Cloud Mist tea was first featured in our January 2023 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.