Zhu Ye Qing
A Sichuan green tea from Mount Emei, made only from very early spring buds and shaped into slim flat needles resembling bamboo leaves. It is unusual among Chinese famous teas in being a modern creation with a registered trademark rather than a centuries-old name.
Character
Delicate and sweet with a distinct fresh-bamboo note, and very low astringency even when brewed carelessly. Traditionally shown off in a tall glass where the needles stand upright.
- Flavour
- Sweet, Vegetal, Nutty
- Aroma
- Fresh
- Mouthfeel
- Light, Silky
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- fresh bamboo, chestnut, sweet pea
- Aftertaste
- Clean, sweet and cooling.
Delicate intensity: light in the mouth with little grip. forgiving of a long steep.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Oxidation
- Unoxidised
- Harvest
- First flush
- Processing
- Withering → Pan-firing (Chinese fixation) → Drying
History
Created in 1964 on Mount Emei and named by a visiting official, making it one of the youngest teas with a national reputation in China. It was designed as a premium early-spring green for a domestic market that was only then re-forming.
Brewing
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 75–85 °C · 1 authored infusion
Grandpa style
0.5–1 g/100 ml · 75–85 °C · 1 authored infusion
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
3–4 g/100 ml · 75–85 °C · 4 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Meng Ding Gan Lu
Two Sichuan greens from mountains a short distance apart, both early-harvest and delicate. They are frequently confused by name and by appearance.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Junshan Yinzhen
Shares 6 descriptors with Zhu Ye Qing: sweet, vegetal, nutty, light, silky and fresh.
- Anji Bai Cha
Shares 5 descriptors with Zhu Ye Qing: sweet, vegetal, light, silky and fresh.
- Anji Bai Cha supreme
Shares 5 descriptors with Zhu Ye Qing: sweet, vegetal, light, silky and fresh.
- Bai Ji Guan
Shares 5 descriptors with Zhu Ye Qing: sweet, nutty, light, silky and fresh.
- Enshi Yu Lu
Shares 5 descriptors with Zhu Ye Qing: vegetal, nutty, sweet, silky and fresh.
- Hou Kui supreme
Shares 5 descriptors with Zhu Ye Qing: vegetal, sweet, light, silky and fresh.
- Huang Jin Ya
Shares 5 descriptors with Zhu Ye Qing: sweet, vegetal, light, silky and fresh.