Zhuyeqing Tea (Bamboo Green Tea) - Single Buds Aren't Always Best

by Julian Tai
(Horsham)

Zhuyeqing tea is a Chinese green tea as well as a company trademark. The word Zhuyeqing can be translated into "Bamboo Leaf Green".

Grown in Southwestern China's Mount Emei, Zhuyeqing tea is relatively young compared to other famous Chinese tea.

It was discovered by Foreign Minister General Chen Yi in 1964. Impressed by its quality, he enquired about it. When told it hadn't had a name, General Chen proceeded to name it Zhuyeqing, because the leaves resemble bamboo shoots.

I bought the tea from China in June 2007. It is not an authentic tea produced by the Zhuyeqing company. I was just curious how it tasted like.

You see, while high grade greens generally looks good, teas that look good doesn't necessarily taste great. This is one example.

Looking at the single buds standing on their ends, hanging vertically at the top of the glass, you would think this is a great tea, won't you? Well, it actually tastes astringent and has none of the characteristics of a high grade.

So what went wrong there?

I can only speculate. Perhaps it is grown at low altitude? Perhaps the tea garden is low quality. Perhaps it is harvested in the summer, when the quality is lowest?

Don't get me wrong. I am sure a real Bamboo green is worth trying. I just want to make the general point that external appearance can be deceiving when it comes to loose tea.

Still, this is a picture to enjoy.