Jin Jun Mei (known in English as ‘Golden Beautiful Eyebrow’) is a lapsang souchong black tea originally from Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, China. Delicately twisted leaves with a high concentration of golden tips distinguishes this tea from other black teas. The quality of the tea really shines through in this absolutely gorgeous black tea. It is made from two small shoots plucked in early spring from the plant's stem which are subsequently fully oxidized and then roasted to giving a tea that has a sweet, fruity and flowery flavour with a long lasting sweet after-taste. The brew is bright reddish in colour.
The material used for Jin Jun Mei is all high-quality buds, labor-intensive to hand-pick, that results in low yields produced. To produce 500 g of JIN JUN MEI, it is estimated that around 50,000 shoots must be plucked! As a farmer can harvest an average of 2,000 buds a day, it requires around 20 farmers to produce such a quantity of tea in one day, which partly explains its high cost.
This tea has a deep amber liquor with a floral and malty aroma. The brewed result is rich, smooth, and reminiscent of dark chocolate and sweet potatoes. A full-bodied infusion deep red with a honey-like sweetness, a subtle milkiness and light coppery finish. The tea has enough flavor to be interesting, without the harsh astringency of some other varieties of black tea. It has a very comfortable taste and does not need anything added to it. Jin Jun Mei is one of those rare and exceptional teas that you remember for a long time, and which reaches rare heights of excellence.
