Bu Zhi Chun

Bu Zhi Chun means "unaware of spring." The bush buds late and picking waits until the middle of May, by which time the rest of Wuyi has been harvested, roasted, and put away. Leaves come off the bush fine and curved, closer to a sparrow's tongue than a proper rock tea leaf.

Dry leaf smells faintly of roasted chestnut. The liquor pours a clear amber and the texture is the first thing you notice, thick and smooth without any grip. Underneath there's a floral top note and the wet-stone minerality people mean when they talk about yan yun. The finish is cooling and sweet, closer to sugarcane or mao gen than to sugar, and it stays in the throat well after you've put the cup down.