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Jun Shan Yin Zhen or Silver needles from Jun Shan mountain as it translates into English, is acknowledged by all to be a king of teas, figuring in the list of the ten best known teas of China. As is evident from its name, this most attractive and unusual of all teas originates from Jun Shan mountain, found on the island of the same name in the middle of the Dong Ting lake in the Chinese province of Hunan. The island is frequently called the “isle of the immortal” and shrouded in a range of legends. Annual production of this tea is very limited, only the early spring Qing Ming harvest can be used, whilst leaves harvested later are sold as Jun Shan Mao Jian and Jun Shan Lu Cha teas. Jun Shan Yin Zhen has a very complex character, a yellow tea which can be compared with no other. It offers a whole spectrum of taste variations in an order unclear in advance, with the aim of attaining the quality of the best white, green but mainly yellow teas. The tea laves a specific smoky-spicy taste on the back of the tongue, a refined taste of black pepper in the throat, but only to such a degree that the specific full, sweet taste of this tea accompanies the entire drinking experience. Lovers of this tea agree that there is no other tea which makes such a pure impression. Its most famous admirers have included Mao Tse Tung, and in 2006 the Chinese government presented this tea to president Putin as a state gift. Quality Jun Shan Yin Zhen tea is frequently the final destination for the most experienced tea lovers.
In recent years it has been increasingly difficult to find authentic Jun Shan Yin Zhen. The processing of this tea, which corresponds to the original procedures, is very laborious and requires extensive knowledge and effort. A number of tea vendors replace the original procedures with new ones which are used for the processing of green tea, and are considerably less laborious, and the product is falsely sold as Jun Shan Yin Zhen, even though it should properly be named Jun Shan Qing Zhen (characteristic for its smoky but very pure taste). Another tea which often replaces this tea in stores is Fu Jian Yin Zhen. Lower sorts of Jun Shan Yin Zhen tea, which do not contain only buds but also leaves, are called Jun Shan Mao Jian. |
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