Jin Jun Mei – the golden and beautiful eyebrows, a pictorial description in three characters. It is the king of Hong Cha in China and was born in 2005, as an exquisite variation of Souchong from Tong Mu Guan inside the natural preserved wood of Wuyi. The main differences are: 1) the raw material – both Souchong and Jin Jun Mei are coming from the same tea tree, but for Jin Jun Mei, only the youngest buds are used; 2) the roasting process, both teas are slowly roast dried using woodfire, except in the case of Jin Jun Mei, no smoke is allowed to develop, therefore Jin Jun Mei has not the typical smoky scent of Souchong. This Jin Jun Mei is the best one I came across so far. It is complex, with various components, fruity in the direction of exotic fruits (mango and Longan), beautifully smooth, round and rich. 

Year of harvest: 2016 Spring