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“Fresh Tea” – The Artistry of Chinese Tea

"Fresh tea" takes on a new meaning in China.  In the West, where fresh is understood as recently harvested or new; on China-side, fresh tea is a type or class of tea produced in the spring and made to local customs.  Typically not highly processed, these teas are made without a prevailing standard, are handmade and offer a rich palette of flavor defined by local custom and taste.

While the varietal may be known, such as a Mao Feng or Mei Zhan in Fujian Province, tea farms and local farmers harvest these teas and process them according to their taste or the prevailing local flavor.  The resulting "fresh" tea has aroma and flavor qualities usually not found beyond the local area and they are produced in comparatively small quantities.   

These teas often vary in appearance and taste year-to-year.   The flavors vary as there is no blending and no standard beyond the color of the leaf and the discretion of the tea maker. The result is "fresh" teas, not well known but certainly some of China's most interesting and prized teas.

Difficult to find, rich in palette flavors, these rare varietals offer an opportunity to enjoy some of China's finest teas.

Silk Road Teas "Fresh Tea" offerings:

  • outofstock Sold Out

    Black Cloud

    This Meizhan cultivar is made to customs of processing known in China as "fresh tea" denoting it is made to local timing of harvest, proccessing and flavor profile. Not made to a standard and certainly varied in its taste each season, this tea well...
    Malt, chocolate & molasses!

  • Black Fragrance

    Black Fragrance

    Black Fragrance is in the class of early spring teas called "fresh tea". These teas are made using local customs of harvesting and processing. Typically, they are early Spring pick teas, are made in small quantities and are not made for export. This lot...
    Unusually sweet fragrance, steeps into complex flavors.

  • Black Fragrance - Rare

    Black Fragrance - Rare

    Black Fragrance is in the class of early spring teas known as "fresh tea". These are early spring harvest teas made to local customs of processing to bring out the favored aromas and flavors of the surrounding population. Typically, they are made in...
    "Fresh tea", notes of molasses & fruit, with a lingering finish.

  • Empress Green

    Empress Green

    There is a class of teas harvested early in the spring & processed to local customs of appearance, flavor, and aroma. Typically made in small lots and rarely exported, these teas are often exceptional and offer a window into the great...
    "Fresh tea", strong flavors, nuanced & refreshing

  • Wild Green

    Wild Green

    Known for its mountains, bamboo forests and abundant springs, Anhui Province each year produces green and yellow teas of exceptional quality. High farm elevations and soils rich in humus and iron, bring forth a number of wonderful spring teas. In this...
    Wild harvest, spring tea flavors