Scented Spring Ta Xue Lan Fei Yellow Tea

The leaf of Scented Spring Ta Xue Lan Fei Yellow Tea is tapered, thin, and covered with pekoe, a soft down that protects the more tender leaves and buds from insects and the elements. The true character of this tea, traditionally enjoyed by husbands, lies in its unique aroma: a fusion of tea buds and fragrant orchid flowers, in a fresh and refined blend that lends a light floral fragrance to every sip. This tea comes from Ya’an, located in the famous Mengding Shan tea-producing region of Sichuan.

Place of origin

Ya’an, Mengding Shan, China

Tasting – Sight and smell

Spring Ta Xue Lan Fei yellow tea consists solely of small, thin, sandy-green and silver-white buds: in fact, they are covered with a thin layer of pekoe that makes them shiny and velvety. The scent is already exquisitely floral. Once infused, the buds release aromas of flowers, with secondary vegetal notes and faint hints of roasted almonds. The finish is sweet and reminiscent of beeswax. In the cup, the liquor is pale yellow and transparent: small particles of pekoe can be seen on the surface. The aroma of the liquor is delicate and floral, with citrus notes of lemon.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA
The first infusion of Spring Ta Xue Lan Fei yellow tea is extremely floral, with hints of wild rose and orchid. Intense citrus scents of lemon and lemon balm follow, and then the sweetness of acacia honey. The second infusion brings out a delicate vegetal note, a mix of sweet corn and spring grass, while the flowers are still present but more discreet. With the third infusion and the following ones, the floral notes return, very fresh and long lasting: the balance between the tea’s natural sweet and slightly vegetal notes and the floral notes due to the scenting with orchid flowers is incredible.

WESTERN
With a first sip of Spring Ta Xue Lan Fei yellow tea, floral hints of rose and orchid, as well as fruity and sweet notes reminiscent of candied cedar, are clearly discernible. A very elegant and delicate vegetal note follows, hinting at the sweetness of corn, while the finish is decidedly citrusy, with notes of lemon and verbena. It is a silky-bodied and light t, with no astringency or bitterness in the taste. The persistence is long and intensely floral, with great freshness.

How to prepare

We strongly recommend infusing Spring Ta Xue Lan Fei yellow tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 150 ml to make several infusions with different tastes.

Heat the water to 80°C and proceed with an initial 15-second infusion. Keeping the water at the same temperature, you can then continue to exploit the same leaves by adding more water and increasing the infusion time by 5 seconds each time.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 1 teaspoon) in a 200 ml cup with water at 80°C for an infusion time of 2-3min.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

It is recommended that Spring Ta Xue Lan Fei yellow tea be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.