Classification and Origin
Category: regional green tea with geographical indication.
approximately 35°N latitude — one of the northernmost zones of commercial tea cultivation in China; tea bushes grow significantly north of the traditional “tea belt” south of the Yangtze.
tradition places Rizhao among the so-called “three great coastal tea zones of the world” at similar latitudes — alongside Shizuoka in Japan and Boseong in Korea. This comparison is more promotional than strictly scientific in nature, but it accurately conveys the essence: tea grows in a cool maritime climate with a cold winter.
Origin: Rizhao (日照, literally “sunshine”) prefecture-level city in southeastern Shandong Province (山东), on the Yellow Sea coast.
Type: green tea (绿茶, lǜchá), non-fermented.
Organoleptic Profile
Taste: — dense, full, “thick” (浓厚, nónghòu), with obvious body and strength; with proper brewing, bitterness is moderate.
Brewing
Teaware: — a glass or a gaiwan; in glass the “dance” of the leaves is beautifully visible.