Jin Jun Mei

An outstanding Jin Jun Mei black tea from famous Tongmu – the birthplace of black teas – in Fujian, China. Tea Master Mr Shi tends to these beautiful buds at 800m altitude on the slopes of Wu Yi Shan mountainside, protected by wild trees and mist. The unique conditions here produce teas of sublime quality and flavour. Picked Pre Qing Ming, the leaves are carefully withered, rolled and fired to create slender golden-black twists – it’s no wonder this tea is also charmingly known as ‘Golden Beautiful Eyebrows’. Even just inhaling the aroma of the dry leaf is an experience: candied, chocolatey, perfumed. The thick infusion is an astonishing amber colour with a brilliant orange hue, and the sweetest fragrance of hops, sandalwood and distant orange. The taste is a balance of biscuit, spice and a lingering floral-sweetness, though as this tea stands up to multiple infusions, it slowly changes profile as you savour each cup, becoming sweeter, like butterscotch, and imparting an overall feeling of pleasant wellbeing.