Gentle umami (a savoury, brothy quality), sweet corn warmth, and a cool finish that takes its time fading. Most Chinese green tea is pan-fired, but Jade Dew uses steam, an older method that preserves brighter aroma and a softer body. Known as Enshi Yulu (恩施玉露), this April 2025 lot comes from 900 meters in Hubei province, one of the few places in China still making steamed green tea. What You'll Taste Think tender greens with a sweet corn undertone and mineral coolness underneath. The liquor pours pale green with a fresh vegetal scent, and first steeps deliver soft umami alongside light sweetness with a satin mouthfeel that glides without weight. Later rounds lean sweeter as bamboo and meadow notes surface while the palate stays clean and the cool finish grows more distinct. Steaming instead of pan-firing keeps that umami softer than any other Chinese green in the catalog. Where It Comes From Jade Dew comes from Xuan'en county in Enshi, western Hubei, where mist and cold nights slow the leaves. The Xuanen Farmer's cooperative tends Echa #1 bushes at 900 meters, growing them organically without certification and picking in April when buds run sweetest. Cool temperatures and rich soil concentrate amino acids in the leaf, which is why the cup tastes sweet instead of sharp. Hubei is one of the few Chinese tea regions still making steamed green tea. How It's Made The key step is steam fixation. Where most green tea makers fire leaves in a hot pan to stop oxidation, this lot passes through hot steam instead, locking in chlorophyll and amino acids that give the cup its bright color and deep umami. The cooperative then rolls each leaf into a tight needle and dries it slowly, keeping it so delicate that a few extra degrees during brewing can turn sweetness into bitterness. Start with the 25-gram bag — that gives you around five sessions to discover how steamed Chinese green tea compares to the pan-fired style most people know. If you already enjoy Sencha or Gyokuro, this is the Chinese side of that family. How to Brew Brew 5 grams in 100 ml of 80°C water for 30 seconds. Five grams is about a tablespoon, and staying at that temperature matters because going hotter pulls bitterness from the delicate steamed leaf. A 25-gram bag covers roughly 5 sessions with 3-4 steeps per round, adding a few seconds each time. FAQ What is jade dew tea? Jade dew, or Enshi Yulu, is a steamed Chinese green tea from Hubei province. While most Chinese green teas are pan-fired in a hot wok, jade dew uses steam fixation, a method more common in Japan. The result is a brighter cup with pronounced umami and a smooth finish. How is Jade Dew different from Sencha? Both are steamed green teas, but Jade Dew comes from China and Sencha comes from Japan. Jade Dew delivers gentler umami with mineral sweetness, while Sencha runs grassier with a sharper marine edge. Same technique, different terroir. Is Jade Dew the same as Gyokuro? No. Both names translate to "jade dew," but they are different teas from different countries. Jade Dew (Enshi Yulu, 恩施玉露) is a Chinese steamed green tea from Hubei with a vegetal, chestnut character. Gyokuro is a Japanese shade-grown green tea with a savoury, marine flavor from weeks under shade cloth. Why does Jade Dew taste different from pan-fired Chinese greens? Steam versus fire. Most Chinese green tea is pan-fired in a hot wok, which builds nutty, roasted notes. Jade Dew is steamed, an older Chinese method that preserves brighter aromas and a softer body. The result sits closer to Japanese green tea in brightness while keeping the chestnut sweetness of its Chinese origin.
