Recently, I had the pleasure of tasting tea from Umi Tea Sets. Umi Tea Sets sent me wonderful tea and a gaiwan to try. The box arrived in perfect condition and smelled of amazing tea.
This Bi Luo Chun Tea by Colourful Tea from Dongting Mountain in China is incredible and features a sweet, buttery taste. There are also distinct floral notes. Biluochun is a famous green tea and translates to “green snail spring”. The protected natural reserve of Dongting Mountain is located in the Jiangsu province of China. The climate, soil and precipitation make this area ideal for growing tea plants. These trees grow near fruit trees, helping create this distinct aroma. I often drink flavoured blends and the unique flavouring of the tea can be lost. This tea is an amazing reminder of how eloquent tea leaves taste on their own. It’s amazing that one plant (Camellia Sinensis) can take on so many forms based on the way the tea is processed. In the spring, Bi Luo Chun Tea is rolled into tight spirals resembling snails, which gives it its unique appearance and taste.
Umi Tea Set’s website describes the tea as follows: “Biluochun has a 1,000 year history. According to Casual Watching Record, “The tea growing in Dongting Mountain looks like mustard, is slender, and tastes very sweet and fragrant. And it’s named after its extremely strong aroma.” When Emperor Kangxi making his southern tour to Dongting, he drank the tea and loved the tea immediately. And he granted the tea the name of Biluochun, taking it from tight knots, being curled like snails and taken in early spring. Since then, Biluochun became a tributed tea and famous all over the world. Biluochun: “Biluochun” tea cube tight knot, and its curling as conch.”
I also love the gaiwan I received. The bamboo details on the gaiwan and the ease of infusing tea in it are just wonderful. Gaiwan is Mandarin for covered cup. Using a gaiwan is easy. You fill the bowl with tea leaves and hot water, let the tea steep then pour from the bowl using the lid as a strainer. The one I used has holes so it’s even easier. This gives a beautiful, intimate way to steep tea. You can visually see the tea steeping and expanding and smell the delicious aroma of the fresh tea leaves. It also makes it easy to infuse for a second time (third, fourth…). Each time you steep a tea such as Bi Luo Chun Tea, the flavour tastes a little different and you can pick up different notes depending on how many time it’s been steeped. A gaiwan makes it easy to continue to resteep your tea leaves and re-experience a different taste with each infusion.
Umi Tea Sets has a beautiful selection of tea sets, tea cups, teapots and tea accessories to choose from. They range from cast iron to glass, and the pottery one as pictured here. You can even purchase beautiful tea pets! Never heard of a tea pet? These little companions are cute additions to tea time and usually sit on a tea tray during a tea ceremony. Traditionally, when you brew your tea, you pour some leftover tea on your tea pet and they can also be used to check if water is hot enough.
Visit Umi Tea Sets to discover the variety of teas and accessories that are offered. Bi Luo Chun Tea is a delicious way to get you started!
Steeped in Tea 
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