Jiangsu Teas

Jiangsu Province has been producing tea since the Tang Dynasty (around the 5th century) and even though Jiangsu makes up only 1.8% of the total tea production in China, the province has many renowned teas and is best known for its naturally fragrant green teas. Jasmine teas and black teas are also grown there as well. The cities of Suzhou, Yixing, and Nanjing and particularly favored for their rich, flavorful tea.

Suzhou's Bi Luo Chun tea has long been one of China's best loved green teas, known for its buttery flavor and curled leaves. For over a thousand years both literati and common folk have consistently ranked this green tea among China's finest, and many travelers to Suzhou leave some space in their luggage to take some home. It has a rich but mild flavor, even slightly sweet, and does not leave a harsh or bitter aftertaste. Peach, apricot, and plum trees are often planted among the tea bushes, and the fruit trees are in full bloom just as the unfolding tea leaves are at their most tender and receptive to absorbing the sweet scent of the trees. It also has a distinctive shape, as the small leaves are tightly curled up. This odd shape gave the tea its name. It was originally a wild tea, and the peasants who picked it named it Buddha Moves the Heart in admiration of its delicious taste. When the great Emperor Kangxi was inspecting Jiangsu, he tried the tea and thought the name rather tacky and not worthy of such a fine tea. He renamed it Bi Luo Chun. Bi is a type of green jade, used to reflect the tea's verdant color; Luo means snail, because the shape of the curled leaves is reminiscent of a snail, and Chun means spring, which is the season the leaves are harvested.

Bi Luo Chun is grown outside of Suzhou in the hills along the shores of Tai Lake. The mists and fog from the lake keep the tea bushes moist all year long, and the area's fertile soil is excellent for growing tea. The painstaking harvest and preparation is also a factor in the tea's excellence. In fact, it is often called China's "artisanal tea", since its picking and preparation requires skilled workers. The leaves must be picked when they are young and tender, just coming out of their buds, in late March or early April, and the pickers need to pick carefully and slowly to get each individual leaf. Once the leaves have been harvested, the best ones are then selected to be dried and sold.

Another renowned Jiangsu tea is Yixing's Yang Xian tea. Yixing, situated near the city of Wuxi, is better known as the home of some of China's best teapots, but the town also produces its own excellent green tea. It is called Yang Xian after an ancient name for the region. The tea has a light color, and has a delicate mellow taste with just a hint of bitterness. Yang Xian tea has been grown in the region for over 2,000 years, making it one of China's oldest teas. It was often sent to the capital for the use of the imperial family, which speaks to its truly excellent quality. The tea leaves must be picked early in spring, when the leaves are long and thin yet still very fresh and tender. The dry leaves look like tiny spear blades, with flat, pointy leaves.

Yu Hua, which literally means Rain Flower, is Nanjing's local tea and a favorite throughout China. It takes its poetic name from the Rain Flower Terrace area of southern Nanjing, where it was first grown. The taste is slightly sweet with a light and elegant flavor. The dark green leaves are long and round with a sharp point, reminiscent of small pine needles. Yu Hua tea was the favorite breakfast tea when Nanjing was the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, almost 1,600 years ago. It has remained popular ever since.