Yunnan Province in China is a southwestern region famous for tea production and accounts for almost half the tea produced in the country. While outside China, it’s most well known for its pu-erh tea, Yunnan Gold and other Dianhong teas, Yunnan green tea has long been a staple of Yunnan. This here is Kunming Yuan Baozi Bai Shou Mo Li (Jasmine).
The tea is a loose leaf of first flush green tea scented with jasmine. According to the packaging, the green tea is a large leaf Assamica variety from 200-400 year old trees native to Yunnan that are grown in yellow-red soil containing 20-30% sand on a plateau at a a subtropical humid monsoon climate at an altitude of 1200-1600 m at a latitude of N 21°09′～22°23′ and reach around 3-6 m in height with a diameter of 30-50 cm.
Steeping 2.5 g of loose leaf in 200 mL of water at 80ºC for 2 minutes, the infusion was a clear yellow colour with a delicate aroma of dewy jasmine. Served hot, the same dewy jasmine notes came through fragrant and prominent at the head of each sip ahead of a gentle buttery quality from the pan-fried Chinese green tea developing in the body with minimal astringency and bitterness in the finish. Overall, the tea was flavourful and smooth with a fuller-bodied mouthfeel than most other jasmine green teas we’ve tried. The high quality of the Yunnan looseleaf allows for several infusions more than usual Chinese green teas.
This Kunming Yuan Baozi Bai Shou Mo Li (Jasmine) contained 80 g. It was produced in China and received as a gift from family visiting China in 2019.