Pull the dry leaves out for a look before you brew: small, twisted rolls of green and silver that the name refers to directly. Pi Luo Chun translates to green snail spring, and the coiled shape is meant to bring a snail to mind, though not everyone sees the resemblance right away. It is a style with deep roots in Fujian province on China's southeastern coast, a subtropical, mountainous stretch of country that borders Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong and includes the Wuyi Mountains, long known for producing serious tea. Fujian alone is home to an estimated 330 varieties of the Camellia sinensis plant.
This particular batch, though, grows in Switzerland rather than Fujian, and the cup that results is noticeably lighter than what you would get from a Fujian-grown version of the same style. The liquor pours pale yellow. In the cup, expect lemon, honey and butter up front, with grass underneath and an unexpected savoury note that leans toward coffee rather than the greener, more vegetal profile most green teas carry.
Caffeine runs on the lighter side, somewhere around 30 milligrams per 8-ounce cup — enough to notice in the morning, not enough to rival a black tea. Most people reach for this tea for the cup itself rather than the lift. Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee packs this one fresh to order.
Brew it with water cooled to about 80°C and give it up to three minutes to steep. Honey or a slice of lemon works well if you want to round out the grassy edge, though the tea holds its own served plain, and the pale colour in the cup is as much a part of the appeal as the taste itself.
