Hand rolled from the most delicate spring buds.

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Jin Jun Mei is the rarest and the most sought-after black tea in China. Our Jin Jun Mei is grown in Tongmu Village, surrounded by wild trees and mist from the Wuyi mountain - about 1200 meters above sea level. 

Top quality Jin Jun Mei is almost impossible to find outside of the most discerning tea circles. Buds are picked early Spring from wild growing, primitive tea variety. They are then hand rolled - every bud is rolled between fingers - before allowing them to oxidise completely. Every 10g contains about 1000-1500 hand rolled buds.

The result is a downy tea with a thick full texture, and a beautiful elegance. This rare spring-fed tea grows out of rocky, sandy soil, yielding a rich mineral flavor true to Wuyishan's unique terroir. This year's harvest is especially unique in its lingering cooling sensation and forest undertones. It has the sweetness of the spring buds, containing natural sugars long stored over winter, but married to a complex depth with subtle notes of tropical fruit, violets, honeysuckle and burnt toffee. Dark caramels lie behind bright fragrance. There is a strong character hidden behind an elegant impression. The flavour is intense yet extremely complex and faceted. Layer after layer of flavour is revealed through many infusions.

This very rare tea is a Single Origin, Vintage tea: each Year brings a different flavour. One more amazing thing about this year's Jin Jun Mei: You can push this unique tea up to 12 infusions.

Instructions / Western Brewing →

Instructions / Gung Fu Brewing (recommended) →

Production: Spring harvest, Wuyishan Nature Reserve in Fujian Province, China.

50g. Classic Pack. €28.00

200g. Bamboo Basket Gift Pack. €120.00

The Experience

01 WATER   Read More  →

Use quality spring water or good filtered tap water. Temperature 95°C /  205°F.

02 THE EARTH & THE LEAF   Read More  →

Wuyishan Nature Reserve in Fujian Province, China. 100% hand-picked buds.

03 THE CUP   Read More  →

Dark gold, soft texture liquor. 10 s. Infusion GonFu brewing, 2 mn. Western brewing.

04 THE SENSES   Read More  →

Full, sweet and round /dark chocolate, sandalwood, more depth with each infusion.

05 THE BODY   Read More  →

Chilled and reviving, with a long lasting soothing sensation. Quite high in caffeine.

The Art of making Jin Jun Mei

This exceptional tea comes from deep in the forests of the Wuyishan Nature Reserve, in Fujian Province, Eastern China.

It is one of the most precious and rare teas in the world - a black tea made only from tiny spring buds - no open leaf. The buds are painstakingly plucked before they unfurl to the first flush of spring leaves. These extremely tender, delicate leaf-buds are picked from the Xing Cun Xiao Zhong Wuyi Lapsang tea plant, then delicately hand rolled. Our Jin Jun Mei Tea Master needs over 100,000 buds for each kilogram, using a process similar to the traditional Lapsang Souchong but eliminating the distinctive smoking process. This leaves the tea to develop a complex character, with aromas of fruit, flower, honey, malt, caramel and just a wisp of pine smoke. 

Our 2019 Jin Jun Mei is from the early March picking, before the Qing Ming or Tomb Sweeping Festival, the time when most of the famous teas from China are made. The delicate, twisted leaves, with a high concentration of golden tips, are smaller than most other golden tipped teas. It has a beautiful appearance, both in the leaf and in the infusion, which has a clear, sweetish flavour that delivers the promised notes of honey and fruit. 

This is pinnacle quality black tea unlike any other. 

The Time & The Place