Yunnan Spring Green Snail
Yunnan Spring Green Snail
Literally meaning “Spring Green Snail” due to its curled appearance, Bi Luo Chun is one of the most classic green teas in China. This Bi Luo Chun comes from a large-leaf tea varietal grown in Yunnan, rather than the smaller sinensis varietals grown farther north which are traditionally used to make this tea. As a result, it is especially buttery and robust, while also possessing many of the subtle nuances and delicate grassy flavors this tea is famous for.
The curled style of the leaves adds to the tea’s infuse-ability . It is an especially robust green tea that can stand up to multiple gong-fu style steepings. It is complex and not overly grassy. A strong choice for Chinese-style green tea lovers.
Origin - Simao County, Yunnan, China
Harvest - Spring 2023
Varietal - Yunkang #100 (云抗100号)
Tastes Like - Buttered Peas, Toasted Nuts, Bright Grass
Sold in one ounce increments
Tea Name
The name “Spring Green Snail” is “Bi Luo Chun” (碧螺春) in mandarin. The word “bi” 碧 is one of several Chinese words to denote the color green, and refers particularly to light green or light blue. The word “luo” 螺 refers to a snail or its spiral shell, and “chun” 春 is spring. So it is easy to see that the name represents the appearance of the finished tea leaves and the time of year when the tea is produced.
Spring Green Snail from Yunnan
The original Bi Luo Chun (“Spring Green Snail”) comes from the Dongting (洞庭) tea growing areas in Jiangsu Province (江苏省), but because the “Bi Luo Chun” style is also partly defined by the unique shaping of the tea leaves during processing and the resulting snail-like appearance, teas from other regions can also be called Bi Luo Chun based on processing style and appearance. In fact, this Yunnan Bi Luo Chun arguably looks more “snail-like” than the original.
Unlike the original Bi Luo Chun (and most other Chinese green teas) which are made from the small-leaf (sinensis) variety of the Camellia sinensis plant, this Bi Luo Chun is made from the large-leaf assamica variety. The large-leaf variety is often used to make puer tea. Clones of the large-leaf variety which are bred by asexual reproduction account for a wide variety of cultivars including Yunkang #100 (云抗100号), Yunkang #43 (云抗43号), Yunkang #10 (云抗10号), Yunkang #14 (云抗14号), Yunkang #37 (云抗37号), Yunmei (云梅), Yungui (云瑰), Yunxuan #9 (云选9号), etc. Green tea made from Yunkang cultivars that are processed in this way are also referred to as “ball tea” (球茶) by the locals. The tea is usually roasted at a high temperature during processing. The Yunkang series is also said to be particularly resistant to pests and diseases.
Simao in Yunnan Province
Simao District (思茅区) in Yunnan Province is the seat of Puer Prefecture and a place in which tea remains a central crop and product for the region. The region is ethnically diverse and is populated by many non-Han ethnic minorities including the Yi, Dai, Hani, Bulang, Wa, Lahu, and others. Much of the Yunnan green teas such as the Bi Luo Chun made from the Yunkang cultivars are grown in Simao in the communities of these ethnic minorities, such as by the Hani (哈尼族) and Yi (彝族) people in the Mojiang Hani Autonomous County (墨江哈尼族自治县) and the Ning'er Hani and Yi Autonomous County (宁洱哈尼族彝族自治县). There are thousands of acres of Yunkang #10 planted in Mojiang County. These areas are pollution free, often rocky and mountainous, and have beautiful environments with a pleasant climate that is “spring-like” year-round. Mojiang in particular is known as the “City of Ten Thousand Swallows” (万燕之城) due to the fact that tens of thousands of swallows have lived there harmoniously among the people for many years, creating a unique environment.