Bi Luo Chun tea, Famous Chinese Green Tea

Biluochun is grown in the shade of apricot, plum, and peach trees and it has absorbed the delicate scents of the fruit blossoms. It has a floral aroma and mellow fruity flavor. Biluochun tea is one of Chinese green teas famous worldwide because of its exceptional quality. Since its shape looks like a snail and is collected in spring time, it is called a "snail spring tea".

Biluochun has the natural quality of flower and fruit fragrance, its fragrance strong, its taste heavy, and its color bright. So it is labeled as "precious tea". Suzhou 's Biluochun Tea is one of the ten most famous teas in China It is locally known as "Fearful Incense" due to the strong aroma of the brew.

During the Qing dynasty, Emperor Kangxi visited Suzhou and praised the flavor of this aromatic tea. The tea leaves are picked from the Biluo Mountain near Tai Lake , and are collected traditionally in early spring between what is known as "Tomb-sweeping Day" and "Grain Rain Day"! The technique for collecting tea leaves is very complex. Only the tender tip of the leaf is used for the tea making process. This part of the leaf should be no longer than one inch long and shaped like the tip of a spear. One tin of tea uses 60 thousand spears! It's no surprise then, that some of the finest Chinese teas are very expensive. The next step in the process is to repeatedly knead, rub and roll the leaves by hand. The Biluochun tea involves a particularly labor intensive process but the end result are leaves that are compact, tender and wonderfully fresh and aromatic.

STORIES ABOUT BILUO CHUN
It is said that there was a peak called Biluo on the East Hill of the Dongting Mountain. on the side of which grew several tea trees, and every year people came here and pick tea leaves to process them and then drink. One year, in the tea picking season, the local people tea leaves grow luxuriantly. They picked and picked, and there was too much to be held in their crates. So they put the rest in their clothes. As the fresh leaves were heated by the bodies, they spread out strong fragrance which made all the pickers shout, "It is surprisingly fragrant!"

After that, nobody used crates to hold tea leaves; instead they all carry them on their chests and named these tealeaves "frightening fragrance"(meaning strong fragrance). Among the pickers was one called Zhu Zhengyuan who was proficient in processing "frightening fragrance". One year, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty came sightseeing in the Tai Lake, and the official Song Luo presented "frightening fragrance" to the Emperor. The Emperor was very pleased with its taste, but disliked its name. So he renamed it as "Biluochun".

Healing properties  
Green Spring Snail is a fairly tannic tea, which has a powerful stimulating effect on the body's circulation. They contribute to the elasticity of the blood vessels and thus reducing their fragility and permeability. In this way Biluochun is highly effective for preventing the development of atherosclerosis and also other diseases that effect the cardiovascular system. It has a calming effect on the body, dilating blood vessels, eliminating spasms, and facilitating blood circulation.

Brewing steps
1. Suitable for brewing in a Gaiwan, flask or an earthenware teapot.
2. Firstly warm the teaware by rinsing it with hot water.
3. Add 5-7 grams of tea leaves per 100-120 ml water.
4. Pour boiling water 80-90 degrees over the tea leaves. This temperature can be achieved by waiting 20 seconds. The first steep can be made after 15-20 seconds.
5. The brew from the first steep shouldn't be drunk, as it is designed to rinse the leaves and reduce astringency.
6. The second steep can be made after a few seconds to around 20 seconds, depending on one's taste. (The shorter the brewing time, the more steeps the tea can endure). This tea can be brewed up to 7-10 times.