Among the jade pantheon of Chinese green teas, none carries the lake-born perfume and snail-shell delicacy of Biluochun. Originally named “Xia Sha Ren Xiang” (“Scary-Fragrant”) by Qing-dynasty Emperor Kangxi, the tea was later rechristened “Biluochun” (“Green-Snail-Spring”) to honor its tight spiral shape and the season of its harvest. Grown on the mist-laden hills that rise from the eastern shore of Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province, Biluochun has been a tribute tea for more than three centuries, yet its story begins with a humble fruit-and-tea intercropping system that still survives today.
History and Terroir
In the Dongting Dongshan and Xishan peninsulas, peach, plum, and apricot trees are planted between rows of tea bushes. When spring arrives, fruit blossoms exhale a nectarous vapor that settles on the young tea buds, imbuing them with an unmistakable floral sweetness. Local annals record that monks from the nearby Biluo Temple first cured the leaves in the late Ming, but the tea remained obscure until 1699, when the Kangxi Emperor’s southern tour brought him to Taihu. The story claims that a servant brewed an unassuming bowl; the aroma stunned the court, and the emperor, startled by the intensity, asked its name. Told it was called “Scary-Fragrant,” he deemed the title inelegant and, gazing at the whorled leaf, bestowed the poetic name we use today.
Varietal Families
True Biluochun comes only from the Taihu microclimate, but two genetic lines dominate: the small-leaf “Dongshan Original” (Fuding Da Bai ancestry) and the slender “Xishan Cutivar” (Longjing #43 cross). Within each line, plucking standards create three commercial grades: Supreme (one bud, 1.5 cm long, 6–7 million buds per kilo), Grade 1 (one bud and one unfolding leaf), and Grade 2 (one bud and two leaves). The supreme grade is harvested within a ten-day window that starts when the lake’s morning mist lingers longest, usually between Grain Rain and the beginning of summer.
Crafting the Spiral
The transformation from leaf to snail is a five-hour ballet of heat, pressure, and timing carried out the same day the buds are picked.
- Withering: Fresh baskets are laid under shade nets for 30 minutes, reducing surface moisture by 10 % without enzymatic oxidation.
- Fixation (Sha Qing): Leaves are hand-tossed into a 200 °C iron wok, 100 g at a time. Within 90 seconds, polyphenol oxidase is denatured, locking the vivid chlorophyll green.
- Primary Rub: While still above 80 °C, the tea master presses the hot mass against the wok with a bamboo whisk, forcing cell sap to the surface and beginning the curl.
- Spiral Rolling (Cuo Tuan): The temperature drops to 60 °C. Using a figure-eight motion, the master rolls 30 g portions into a cord, then flicks the wrist to create the signature spiral. This step repeats six times, each cycle lasting three minutes with 30-second rests; moisture falls to 30 %.
- Final Bake (Hong Pei): The coiled tea is transferred to a 50 °C bamboo-charcoal oven for 40 minutes, driving residual water down to 5 %. The charcoal’s far-infrared rays caramelize amino acids, adding a hint of roasted chestnut beneath the fruity top note.
The entire process is judged by ear (a crackle like frying sesame), by eye (jade-green with silvery tips), and by nose (the marriage of magnolia and fresh soy milk). Machines can mimic the shape, but only the hand-crafted leaf releases the layered “Taihu yun” (lake rhythm) that connoisseurs prize.
Brewing Ritual for the International Table
Biluochun is delicate; aggressive water will scald the spiral and flatten the aroma. The goal is to coax the leaf open in three gentle waves.
Equipment: A 250 ml tall glass or a porcelain gaiwan, 80 °C spring water, 3 g of tea (roughly one heaping teaspoon).
- Warm the vessel, then empty it; residual heat primes the glass.