You don’t have to know much to know this tea is awesome. Brown sugar in aroma, light in body, plums and roses in the cup with a spice-like quality that wants to imitate clove, but without the bite.

Plum Blossom was produced by Mr. Du Yong Gang in Fengqing county of Yunnan province on 4/14/2021. It’s two leaf and one bud pick from the Mei Zhan cultivar growing at approximately 5,000 feet. The Mei Zhan cultivar is originally from Fujian province and is often used for oolong production, but it is highly versatile and can make excellent black tea (as is the case here). Translated from the local Min Nan language, Mei Zhan (or Mui Qiam) describes one’s resilient spirit and inner beauty in the face of adversity, which is often depicted as a plum blossom on a snow-covered branch. Mei Zhan is now growing in many different regions of China.

Mr. Du Yong Gang is a graduate of the Yunnan Agricultural University (where he studied tea production) and a Buddhist. Mr. Du’s talents sent him to Fengqing (rough pronunciation: “fung-cheeng”) to manage a large, government-run tea factory there. Dissatisfied with making large-volume/low-quality tea, he quit his job to start out on his own. The deliberate approach from his academic and Buddhist sensibilities left a good impression after spending an afternoon with him during our last trip to Yunnan in 2019.

Ingredients: black tea

Steeping Instructions

4 grams | 10-12 oz water | 212°F | Steep 4 min.

Traditional Steeping 

Use 6 grams of tea in a 150ml gaiwan or teapot (adjust to your tastes):

• 10 second rinse (discard)
• 1^st Steep – 25 sec.
• 2^nd Steep – 20 sec.
• 3^rd Steep – 45 sec.
• 4^th Steep – 90 sec.
• 5^th Steep – 3 minutes
• 6^th Steep – 6 minutes

Number of Cups

2 oz makes 19 cups, 4 oz makes 38 cups, 1 lb makes 151 cups