The Name Jin Jun Mei (金骏眉)

Jin Jun Mei is a style of Wuyi Mountain black tea related to Lapsang Souchong (see smoked style here and unsmoked style here), the latter being known in China as “Zhengshan Xiaozhong” (正山小种) tea. It is a special grade of Zhengshan Xiaozhong that is made purely of the buds from the tea plant. It is representative of high-end black tea in Fujian and has become the most expensive variety of black tea in China. The name “Jin Jun Mei” can be explained as follows:

Jin (金): “Jin” means “gold” or “metal” in Chinese. Jin Jun Mei is made entirely of early spring buds from the tea plant which have a golden appearance after processing. It is harvested once a year, and only tea from tea trees in the Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve can make the unique quality of authentic Jin Jun Mei. The tea is therefore as rare and as precious as gold. 

Jun (骏): “Jun” refers to an “excellent horse,” a “noble steed.” A galloping horse symbolizes success and increased fortune in China. It was hoped that, as a new tea, Jin Jun Mei would take off and rise to popularity like a galloping stallion. 

Mei (眉): Many famous traditional Chinese teas have the word "mei" (eyebrow) in their name. Jin Jun Mei tea leaves are as slender as eyebrows. In China, "mei" is also associated with longevity. 

Fuyun #6 Cultivar

The Fuyun #6 tea cultivar (福云六号) is characterized by its hairy leaves which turn golden after processing. It has an early harvest time (early to mid-March) and produces a honey-flavored Jin Jun Mei tea. This cultivar is generally used for either black teas (hong cha) or white teas.

Fuyun #6 was bred by the Tea Research Institute of the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (福建省农业科学院茶叶研究) in the late 1950s through early 1970s and is a hybrid of the Fuding Dabaicha (福鼎大白茶) and Yunnan large-leaf tea (云南大叶茶). It is categorized as a small tree with large leaves, semi-open tree posture, and is densely branched. It is high yielding, drought resistant, cold resistant, and disease resistant, but is vulnerable to mites and small green leafhoppers. 

Huang Guang Mountain (黄岗山)

At 2,160 meters above sea level, Huang Guang Mountain is the highest peak of the Wuyi Mountains as well as in all of the six provinces of East China. Situated at the junction of Wuyishan City (武夷山市), Fujian Province and Qianshan County (铅山县), Jiangxi Province, it has the second highest peak (also the second highest in Jiangxi), called Dushujian (独竖尖), on its northwest side. The second highest peak in Fujian, Xianglu Peak (香炉峰), is to its southwest. It is known as the “Roof of East China” (华东屋脊) and “Pillar of Wuyi” (武夷支柱). At its latitude, the area is the largest and most complete subtropical native forest system in the world, which earned it World Heritage Site status in 1999. In addition to breathtaking scenery, the region is known for its rare plants, exotic animals, and excellent environmental conditions for growing tea. 

Production Area of ​​the Original Jin Jun Mei

Jin Jun Mei originated in Tongmu Village (桐木村), Xingcun Town (星村镇), in the Wuyi Mountains. In 2005, Jiang Yuanxun (江元勋) lead a team of tea enthusiasts to create a new style of tea using only the buds of the highest grade Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea. Tongmu village is designated as a "World Natural Heritage Site" and also is called a “birthplace of black tea” (called “red tea” in China). Tea from this location is also therefore called "Tongmuguan Xiaozhong" (桐木关小种) or "Xingcun Xiaozhong" (星村小种). Often Jin Jun Mei tea from Tongmu Village is made from the Wuyi Cai Cha family of cultivars, such as Xiao Cai Cha (小菜茶).

Tongmu Village has a high terrain with the average altitude of its main tea-producing areas at around 3,937 feet. Tea farms will usually be covered by fog for about a third of the year. The average annual temperature is 51.8-64.4°F, the average annual precipitation is about 2000 mm, the average humidity is 80%, the soil PH value is 4.5-5, and the thickness of the topsoil layer is 11.81-35.43 inches. 

The Origin Story of Jin Jun Mei

Jin Jun Mei was first created in 2005, filling the gap created by a lack of high-end black teas in China's domestic market. Its birth is legendary because it was discovered by accident. 

One afternoon in July 2005, Jiang Yuanxun accompanied several guests from Beijing to relax in a bamboo forest and saw a woman going up the mountain to chop the branches of an old tea tree to use to sprout the next year. The tea tree branches were all covered with tiny buds. The guests said: "Tieguanyin and Longjing can make good tea with bud tips, why can't Xiaozhong wild tea (小种野茶)"? This question touched Jiang Yuanxun, and he immediately gave the woman money to pick the bud tips for him, and then, together with tea masters, tried making bud tea using the traditional production technology of Xiaozhong black tea. Unexpectedly, this innovation of Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea was a hit. The tea soup was golden in color, sweet and smooth, with a light and sweet fragrance reminiscent of flowers and honey.