Song Zhen

May 3, 2011 at 12:47 pm (Uncategorized)

Fellow Tea Lovers,

It’s here! It’s finally here! TEA SEASON!!!!!!

My first venture out to the tea markets this season was, ironically, not to buy spring green teas, but to purchase pu’er and black teas, ones that we already have in the Thes de Cru line. I am proud to say that it was my first purchasing done without the aid of a translator (yeah!!) and that I was clearly understood!

Today was about rediscovering teas that I fell in love with over three years ago, but discovering for the very first time that I could do it in Chinese. So today, I would like to talk to you a bit more about black teas from Yunnan. As many of you may know (or may not), the first tea plants originate from a region called Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan, where the climate is hot and dry, it’s very high altitude and is home to tea trees that are over 2000 years old. Yunnan’s best Pu’ers and Black teas come from this region, as well as all of Thes de Cru pu’er and black teas . Because of this long history, and the age of the tea plants themselves, Xishuangbanna teas have rich and complex flavours, completely unlike most black teas. Take for instance Song Zhen tea. Song Zhen tea is a classic black tea, yet, its flavor profile includes barley and honey, and lacks any of the bitterness usually associated with darker teas. It is picked and fermented, with no particularly special process used to extract its unique flavor.

It is a product of a terroir, of a land that has been producing tea for a thousand years. Song Zhen is mild, aromatic and simply does not get bitter. The colour of its infusion is a light golden honey brown. It is, quite simply, perfection in a cup.

Today, I sat conversing in Chinese with my supplier and translating in a weird English-French hybrid for my Quebecer friends who were visiting. Usually, my head would have exploded under the strain of having three languages bouncing around in my head, entertaining guests and conducting business. However, the very nature of tea allows one to stop, pause and contemplate. And when one has a cup of refreshing, soothing and interesting tea, many things can be done at once. Multitasking becomes easy.

I encourage you to find some Song Zhen wherever you can. In this crazy hectic world of ours, where else can you find the energy to work (finding tea), the ability to complete a once impossible task (converse and do business in Chinese), and have fun at the same time?

Song Zhen my friends. Song Zhen.

Did I mention there was a baby at the tasting?:)

Drink on Tea Lovers. Drink on.