What is Bi Luo Chun tea?
Bi Luo Chun Tea (Pi Lo Chun, Biluochun, Green Snail Spring) is another prized Chinese green tea. This one originates from Dongting Mountains in the Jiangsu province. Fruit trees are often planted among the tea shrubs. In early spring, when these trees are in full bloom, new tender tea leaves and little buds absorb the surrounding fruity-floral flavors. This is the time to harvest Bi Luo Chun until the spring rain in April. Only one leaf and a bud are plucked. Harvesting and total production are done in the traditional artisan way, by hand only.
The history of Bi Luo Chun tea
Bi Luo Chun tea is inseparably linked with the freshness of spring. Named after a small green snail that heralds the arrival of spring in China, Bi Luo Chun is picked in March, capturing the season’s scents and colors in its green-tinted, distinctively curled leaves. Another name of this tea is ‘Xia Sha Ren Xiang’ (Astounding Fragrance). Chinese folklore talks about a young girl who ran out of space in her basket while picking the tea. She put the tea leaves between her breasts instead. The aroma of the fresh tea warmed by her body “astonished” the girl. Or so the legend goes. Anyway, this Chinese green tea is tremendously fragrant, with a fruity-floral aroma.
What does Bi Luo Chun tea taste like? 
Bi Luo Chun tea leaves exude fragrances reminiscent of fresh spring mountain air, punctuated by dandelion greens, fresh cucumbers, and even hints of lettuce and spinach. This range of herbaceous scents is often overlaid by fruity notes, including “peachy” and “apricot.” Bi Luo Chun is thus a complex green tea, “fragrant,” “flowery,” “delicate,” “light,” yet “fully expanded in your mouth.”
Tea tips
Authentic and premium Bi Luo Chun can be identified by soft green leaves with white tips and floral and fruity notes in their fragrance. Until recently, Bi Luo Chun has been only produced in Jiangsu. Nowadays, it also comes from Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces and even Taiwan. Although the tea purists might argue that only Jiangsu Bi Luo Chun is the real thing, in reality, it’s a good idea to judge a tea by the taste, not by the label.
Other famous Chinese green tea varieties include Dragonwell, Gunpowder, Yun Wu, and Xinyang Mao Jian.
Where to buy the best Bi Luo Chun tea online? 
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Pi Lo Chun Green tea from the Jiangsu province of China. Pi Lo Chun (sometimes written biluochun) is made from the finest tender buds, gathered and processed exclusively by hand. Perfumy and sweet floral, with a full body and slight earthiness. Lingering, aromatic finish and interestingly floral-smoky. Pi Lo Chun is known for having a very distinct character; you'll find ours to be quite friendly to the palate and savory. Enjoy! |
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Bi Luo Chun Green Tea (Pi Lo Chun) Downy, floral and fruity. Made only from tea buds and tiny leaves in an involved process that results in a tight, rolled-up shape, Bi Luo Chun is renowned for its strong fruity aroma and mellow flavor. 500 g of Bi Luo Chun tea is made from around 60-70 thousands tender buds. A plantation growing Bi Luo Chun is amazing to visit, with the tea plants mixed in among a variety of fragrant fruit trees to give the tea its natural fruity aroma and taste. |
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Jasmine Bi Luo Chun Green Tea Refreshing, smooth with jasmine fragrance. Although this tea has the Bi Luo Chun name, it is made using different materials; the name comes from its similar appearance, slightly curly leaves like snail shells. This tea has a lovely jasmine fragrance to it, a result of meticulous scenting with jasmine blossoms. |
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Isabelle is a freelance writer, self-taught tea nerd, and tea blending enthusiast. She is a herbalist with a strong interest in Ayurveda. Each year Isabelle travels extensively, returning with tea samples from around the world. She is a big fan of handmade teaware and Japanese green teas.