Zhulan Hua Cha

Classification and Origin

Chloranthus spicatus (珠兰 zhū lán).

roasted green tea — 烘青 (hōng qīng).

Shexian County (歙县, Shèxiàn) in the area of present-day Huangshan City, Anhui Province — the historical land of Huizhou (徽州). The best-known variety is Shexian zhulan hua cha (歙县珠兰花茶).

Zhejiang Province, primarily the Jinhua area (金华, Jīnhuá); cultivation of chloranthus and production of scented tea in the south — in Fujian and Guangdong, where the climate is favorable for this heat-loving plant — is also mentioned. The exact modern geography and production volumes vary, and it is worth relying on current regional data for this point.

Type: scented (flower) green tea — 花茶 (huā chá).

Brewing

soft, temperature around 80–85 °C; boiling water coarsens both the green leaf and the subtle floral aroma.

approximately 3 g per 150 ml.

first steep is short (30–40 seconds), then to taste; the tea withstands several infusions, in which the floral note gradually gives way to the clean green base.

Teaware: a glass cup or gaiwan allows one to admire the unfurling of the leaf and to control the infusion.