The Jin Xuan is a cultivar of camellia sinensis that is widespread on the island of Taiwan and is often identified by the abbreviation TRES#12. Since the name of this tea is so general in nature, it is incumbent on us to explain a detail about these leaves, and to do so, we must talk about the harvest.
This Jin Xuan, in fact, was harvested in March, that is, before the rainy season. In this way this product was able to retain a distinctive vegetal flavor that few Taiwanese teas can boast since harvesting these requires waiting longer for the plant to have developed sufficiently large leaves. Thanks to the climatic conditions in which the plantation where this product comes from was developed, one can clearly feel that the plant has already managed to impart all its mineral and nutrient richness to the leaf, giving us a bright yellow infusion.
This is an elegant and delicate tea, for gentle souls who enjoy the floral flavors and sweet milky notes characteristic of this cultivar's own.
Tasting - Sight and Smell
Organic Jin Xuan oolong tea leaves are dark green in color, with lighter shades and ochre tints at the stems. They are tightly rolled leaves of rather irregular size. Once infused, the leaves express themselves with a really wide aromatic range: white flowers, condensed milk, creme caramel, as well as light vegetable hints and roasted notes of cereals and sweet almonds. The liqueur in the cup has a rather bright light golden color.
Tasting Notes
GONG FU CHA
The first infusion of Jin Xuan organic oolong tea has delicate floral hints of magnolia, starchy notes of puffed rice and a hint of vanilla. A sweet vegetal note of baby peas and butter spinach is also perceived. It is with the second infusion that the floral scents intensify with notes of white flowers such as wisteria and lily of the valley. The taste is sweet, reminiscent of white sugar. As the body thickens, milky notes of vanilla cream and butter cookies also appear. The third infusion, with the leaves now open, also makes new aromas appear on the nose, this time of tropical fruits such as mango and papaya. Also on the palate, we find again a very sweet exotic fruit note, more like coconut. On the finish, the floral bouquet diminishes and the milky notes grow in intensity: in fact, the body is increasingly enveloping on the palate.
TO THE WEST
The first sip of Jin Xuan organic oolong tea offers a floral taste (wisteria, magnolia, hints of jasmine) and soon after a fleeting fresh and sweet vegetal note, like fresh peas, which, however, quickly disappears. Secondly, notes of toasted and puffed rice are perceived, with the sweetness of the cereal starch seeming to give more body to the liquor. Milky notes are also clearly perceived, reminiscent of butter cookies and vanilla pudding. The finish is floral and milky, with lingering sweet notes.
Location of origin
Nantou, Taiwan
Production
After harvesting, Jin Xuan tea leaves wither in the sun for a few hours before being passed to rest on bamboo trays under cover. From here, oxidation is initiated through manual massaging of the leaf that is performed by the master producer. Given the low oxidation of this tea (about 10 percent) it will only take a short time before the tea moves on to the next stage where the leaves pass through a charcoal-heated kiln to lock in enzymatic activity and fix the characteristics of the product. After this kiln stage, the leaf is given its final shape by hand by rolling it on itself so that its aromas can be better preserved. Once the product has completed its drying process, which will allow the rolled shape to remain fixed, it will be ready for consumption.
Preparation
We strongly recommend infusing Jin Xuan organic tea by the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 5.5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain multiple infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 90°C, an initial infusion of 20 seconds can be made, after which, keeping the water at the same temperature, the time can be increased each time by 10 seconds from the previous infusion (20 - 30 - 40 ...).
This tea has a longevity of about 6 infusions.
For a classic preparation according to the Western style we recommend 2 grams of leaves (about 1 teaspoon) in a 150 ml cup with water at 90°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes.
If you would like to try experimenting with infusions with this tea with different amounts of leaves try to think of the suitable amount to allow the leaf to expand freely in the liquid without being compressed or hindered in this. By doing so you will make the most of this product without hindering the extraction of the flavor substances.
The tea can be filtered for ease when tasting and also the infusion times given above here are meant to be purely indicative so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.
We recommend storing Jin Xuan organic tea in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight.
