Biluochun Tea

Biluochun Tea

Biluochun tea (碧螺春, Bì Luó Chūn) also known as Pi Lo Chun tea is a famous Chinese green tea and is one of the top 10 famous Chinese tea. It is native to the Dongting Mountain located in Tai Lake in the Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province, so it is also called Dongting Biluochun.

Biluochun tea has a history of more than 1,000 years, and it can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). At that time, it is regarded as a tribute tea that is enjoyed by the emperor and nobles.

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Growth Environment of Biluochun Tea

Dongting Mountain, the birthplace of Biluochun tea, is a National 5A Scenic Area, where the ecological environment is superior, and the flowers and fruits are all over the mountain.

Dongting Mountain has a profound historical and cultural heritage, a large number of famous people, numerous historical sites, and rich underground natural mineral water resources. The main source of Dongting Mountain Mineral Water is located here.

The tea trees and various fruit trees are planted alternately in Dongting Mountain. They are connected by branches, roots, and veins. Tea trees absorb the fragrance of flowers and fruits, which cultivated the natural quality of Biluochun tea. Precisely because of this superior environment, Biluochun tea has a very high quality.

Characteristics of Biluochun Tea

  • Color: shiny, yellow-green, covered with a layer of white hairs.
  • Shape: slender like a bee leg and curled.
  • Fragrance: fresh fragrance of flowers and fruits.
  • Taste: sweet, mellow, and aftertaste.

According to the quality, Biluochun tea can be classified into five grades, of which the first grade and the second grade are the most precious and more expensive. The better the quality of Biluochun tea, the more tender the raw materials of it.

Generally, the picking time is from March to April. Especially, the tea leaves picked before the Qingming Festival (around April 5th) are the best because they are more tender than that of late April.

High-quality Biluochun tea is made from 100% of buds which are generally 1.6cm-2.0cm long, the shape of them curled like the tongue of the sparrow, so it is called “Sparrow’s tongue”.

Producing 500g of high-quality Biluochun tea requires 68K-74K buds. An amazing historical record is that there was 500g of Biluochun tea produced by using 90K buds.

Benefits of Biluochun Tea

  • The caffeine in tea can excite the central nervous system, helping people to invigorate the spirit, improve thinking, and eliminate fatigue.
  • The tea theophylline in tea has a diuretic effect.
  • Biluochun tea has the effect of strengthening the heart and relieving spasms. It can relieve bronchial spasms and promote blood circulation.
  • The vitamin C and tea theophylline in tea have the effect of promoting blood circulation and dispersing stasis to prevent arteriosclerosis.
  • The tea polyphenols and tannic acid in the tea act on the bacteria and kill them, so Biluochun tea can be used to treat intestinal diseases, skin ulcers, and oral inflammation.
  • A variety of compounds such as aromatic substances in tea can regulate fat metabolism to achieve the purpose of losing weight.
  • Biluochun contains fluorine ion, which has a great affinity with the calcium of teeth, improving the anti-acid and anti-caries ability of teeth.
  • Anti-aging and Anti-cancer.

How to Make Biluochun Tea

  • Tea sets: glass cup or porcelain cup.
  • The ratio of Biluochun tea leaves to water: 1:50. For example, 3g of tea leaves:150ml of water.
  • The temperature of the water: 80℃-85℃ is best. Do not use too hot water to make high-quality Biluochun tea, or it will destroy the nutrients of it.

How to Identify High-Quality Biluochun Tea

The high-quality Biluochun tea leaves are covered with a layer of white hairs, looking like green covered by silver. These white hairs generated during the processing are a good symbol of high-quality Biluochun tea. The Brewed high-quality Biluochun tea smells very fragrant and the tea liquid looks very clear.

The low-quality Biluochun tea leaves look even a little dark not bright green, covered with fewer white hairs. And after brewing, the tea liquid is a little turbid not clear and smells not very fragrant.