Dongting Biluochun
洞庭碧螺春 · Pi Lo Chun
Green
Its first name meant the fragrance that frightens people.
A picker on Dongting mountain ran out of room in her basket and tucked the leaves inside her blouse, where the warmth of her body woke a smell so strong it startled her. The emperor Kangxi heard the name, thought it vulgar, and renamed it green snail spring instead.
The leaves are still rolled into tiny curls that look like shells, each one covered in white down, and it takes tens of thousands of them to make a pound. Warmth still wakes it. Apricot and blossom, arriving as suddenly now as it did in the basket.
- fruity
- floral
- downy
- Origin
- Dongting mountains, Lake Tai, Suzhou, Jiangsu
- Water
- 80°C / 176°F
- Ratio
- 3.5 g / 100 ml
- Caffeine
- Medium
- Rinse
- Not needed
China Famous Teas core; Qing tribute since Kangxi (1699)
How much leaf
Gong fu brewing is leaf-heavy and short. Set your gaiwan or pot size and this is what to weigh out.
Vessel volume
100 ml
Recommended dose
Use ~3.5g of tea
The session
4 infusions, about 1m 50s of total contact time.
- Steep 115sA blossom hiding in the down.
- Steep 220sFruit steps forward, orchard-sweet.
- Steep 330sThe down melts into soft cream.
- Steep 445sFaint blossom, remembered more than tasted.
Also sold as
Bi Luo Chun, Biluochun, Pi Luo Chun, Green Snail Spring, Pi Lo Chun – Jarní spirálky
Steaper times this session for you
A countdown per infusion, a gong when each one is up, and the whole library in your pocket. Coming to iPhone.
Get notified at launchThese numbers are a median of independent gong fu sources, not a law. Leaf age, vessel and water all move them. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.