Biluochun, literally “Green Snail Spring,” is one of China’s ten most celebrated teas, yet among green teas it remains the most delicately fragrant and visually distinctive. Grown in the micro-climate of Dongting Mountain beside Lake Tai in Jiangsu Province, this tea has captivated emperors, poets, and modern connoisseurs for over a thousand years. Its tiny, spiral-shaped leaves—so tightly rolled they resemble baby snails—release an aroma that is unusually floral for a green tea, often reminiscent of ripe peaches, orchids, and fresh apricots. To understand Biluochun is to enter a world where terroir, history, and craftsmanship converge in a single cup of jade-colored liquor.
Historical records first mention the tea during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) under the name “Xia Sha Ren Xiang,” literally “Scary-fragrant kind”—legend tells of a tea picker who ran out of space in her basket and tucked fresh leaves between her breasts; body heat caused an unexpectedly intense perfume. The name was later refined by the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661-1722) after he sampled it during his southern inspection tours. Struck by the emerald color and early-spring harvest, he rechristened it Biluochun, combining “bi” (green), “luo” (snail), and “chun” (spring). Imperial favor elevated the tea to tribute status; each Qing court spring began with palace servants measuring the precious curls into yellow-enameled cups for the emperor’s first daylight tasting.
True Biluochun comes only from the Dongting Dong Shan (East Mountain) and Xi Shan (West Mountain) peninsulas that jut into Lake Tai. Granite peaks trap morning mist, moderating temperature and refracting light, while the lake’s water mass stores heat at night, preventing frost. Camellia sinensis var. sinensis bushes are interplanted with peach, plum, and apricot trees; their blossoms drop petals that compost into the acidic, well-drained soil, adding subtle fruit esters that the tea bushes absorb. The result is a natural aromatization impossible to replicate elsewhere—attempts in Sichuan or Zhejiang yield larger, less fragrant leaves that lack the signature “peach and orchid” note.
The cultivar itself is a local landrace known as “Xiao Ye” or small-leaf type. Its buds are extraordinarily tiny—five thousand are needed for just 100 g of finished tea. Picking begins when the night temperature stabilizes above 10 °C, usually between the Qingming and Grain Rain solar terms (early April). Only the topmost “single bud with one just-opened leaf” (qiang xin) is plucked before seven in the morning, when dew still shields the tender enzymes from oxidation. Experienced pickers work barefoot to avoid crushing grass and releasing green odors that could cling to the tea.
Crafting Biluochun is a six-hour marathon that starts the moment leaves arrive at the village workshop. First comes “sha qing” or kill-green: 300 g batches are tossed onto a drum pan heated to 180 °C. Within three minutes the leaf temperature reaches 85 °C, deactivating polyphenol oxidase and locking in the vivid green color. Immediately the leaves are transferred to a woven bamboo tray where two artisans perform “cuo tuan”—a simultaneous rubbing and rolling motion that lasts fifteen minutes. Pressure must be precise: too light and the spiral won’t form; too heavy and the leaf fractures, releasing bitterness. The final moisture drops to 30 %. A short 50 °C re-roast follows, reducing water to 6 % and setting the curl. When complete, each strand is 6–7 mm long, 2 mm thick, and covered in silvery trichomes that shimmer like frost.
To brew Biluochun properly one must respect its fragility. Use spring water filtered to 50 ppm total dissolved solids; hard water flattens aroma. Pre-warm a 250 ml tulip-shaped glass to 80 °C; the tall walls allow the spirals to suspend like green dancers. Measure 3 g of tea—roughly one level teaspoon—and pour water along the glass side to avoid scorching. The first infusion, 45 seconds at 75 °C, yields a pale jade liquor with a bright ring of white foam at the meniscus; inhale gently and you’ll catch peach skin and narcissus. The second infusion, 30 seconds, is considered the peak: amino acids peak while catech