What is Chun Mei green tea good for?

Chun Mee (or Chun Mei) is a very famous and popular green tea among Chinese tea lovers.

The Chinese name for this tea literally means “precious eyebrow” (珍眉). This curious name comes from the shape the leaves take after processing, which resembles that of the eyebrows drawn on porcelain dolls.

Originally produced in China’s Jiangxi province, Chun Mee is now produced in many other parts of the country with different quality grades indicated by a numerical abbreviation. For example, the one denoted by the abbreviation 41022 is the highest quality grade, while the one denoted by the abbreviation 8147 is the lowest quality grade, made mainly from broken leaves and therefore less valuable.

How Chun Mei is produced?

Chun Mee is usually harvested in spring, selecting only the youngest and most tender shoots from each plant. Then the leaves are hand-rolled and heated in a pan until they have the typical needle-like appearance.

This preparation gives the tea an intense flavor, with a smoky hint and a lingering chestnut flavor. In addition, this tea has generally higher levels of theine than other green teas.

Once infused, you will get a pale yellow, clear beverage. Using less valuable qualities of Chun Mee will result in a drink that tends to be darker and cloudy.

How to prepare a cup of Chun Mee

Chun Mee should be prepared using water at a slightly higher temperature than other more delicate green teas, such as Japanese sencha and gyokuro. Infusion times are also slightly longer, but be careful not to overdo it to avoid the release of the bitter, astringent flavor.

Below are directions for preparing this green tea.

• Heat the water to 80-90°C.
• Infuse about 3 grams of Chun Mee per cup
• Cover the steeped tea to keep the heat constant
• Allow to steep about 2 minutes

– Chun Mee can be infused several times. We recommend that you follow the manufacturer’s directions on this.