OUR OFFERINGS - CLOUD & MIST

Location:  Fujian, China
Altitude:  850-1000 m
Harvest: Early Spring 2008

Characteristics

Body: Smooth, buttery
Flavor: Honey, baking spice, toasted almond
Finish: Sweet, lingering

Tasting Notes

Our Cloud & Mist is an unusually complex, nuanced green tea that derives its delicate flavor of nectar and spice from the fragile microclimate that produces it. The body is smooth and buttery and complements the unique flavor notes well. Cloud & Mist has a sweet lingering finish reminiscent of wild honey and toasted almond.

Doug's Notes

Cloud & Mist is a famous style of green tea that many people write about in books or magazines, but it rarely makes its way out of China. We were very fortunate to purchase an excellent lot of this rare tea.

China produces a number of teas that use the name Cloud & Mist. They tend to grow in various provinces, and while there is no specific definition, Cloud & Mist teas typically share some common characteristics that make them different from other teas. Cloud and Mist teas get their name from the cloudy, humid mountains where they grow. The cooler climate causes the plants to grow slowly which gives them their distinctive flavors. Often they are directly descended from native varietals since the plants are already accustomed to growing in their unusual environment.

Our Cloud & Mist tea is grown in the steep, dew-laden mountains of Fujian. The name of the mountain, located near the port city of Fuzhou, is Drum Mountain. It was Buddhist monks who first started planting and cultivating the Mei Lan Chun tea varietal here centuries ago. This tea has become increasing rare since the plant grows so slowly, produces a small yield, and requires great care to process. Often times at sunset, fog covers Drum Mountain and dew coats the plants keeping them cool throughout the night.

The preparation of Cloud & Mist is one of the easiest that I have ever come across. The low astringency provides a generous time and temperature window, which prevents over-extraction. Cloud & Mist is a perfect counterpoint to our other China green offerings since the flavor is nothing like any other China green tea.

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