Chun Mee Tea（珍眉茶）

What is Chun Mee Tea

Chun Mee Tea is one of the most popular green teas that originate from China. “Chun Mee” translates in English to “ Precious Eye Brows”. Yes,the leaves of Chun Mee Tea are dried and form the arched shape of a typical eyebrow. Hence the name.

History of Chun Mee Tea

According to the Tea Board of Anhui Province,the direct ancestor of Chun Mee tea is the Anhui green tea from the Ming Dynasty in the 1600's. As the hand-processing for the eyebrow shape became perfected,this high quality tea swept through all China and became one of the favorite drink. Now,it is still loved by many people in China.

Chun Mee Tea Producing Areas

Anhui Province, China

Jiangxi Province, China

Zhejiang Province, China

Chun Mee Tea's Main Characteristics

Taste

This Chinese green tea is full-bodied, but the slight astringency helps clear and clean the mouth. While occasionally smoky or toasty notes may be found,the hallmark of this tea is the provocative plum-like aftertaste. It is versatile and has a great taste for your daily tea.

Leaf Aroma

The dried tea leaves have a sweet aroma,reminiscent of plums.

Appearance

Leaf: The leaves have a fine medium jade color. Each leaf is long,but tiny. An important quality is the consistent shape--small and curved--like the eyebrows painted on a porcelain doll.

Brew: The liquor is yellowish green and clear. There is a lingering sweet fragrance with this tea.

Grades of Chun Mee Tea

The finished leaves of a high grade Chun Mee tea are very consistent in size and shape. Any of the eyebrow teas picked "Yu-tsien" or before the Grain Rain are considered to be higher in quality. The highest grade is commonly named as 41022,followed by 9371,9370,9369,9368,9367,9366 and 9380. Generally speaking,9366 is of the lowest grade and 9380 is actually leftover fanning which occurs during the production of the other grades of chun mee.

Other Names of Chun Mee Tea:

Chun Mei

Zhen Mei

Mee Cha

Precious Eyebrows

Some white teas are also called Mei or eyebrow teas because of their shape.

Chun Mee and Young Hyson（熙春茶）

Sometimes you will see chun mee tea labeled as Hyson or Young Hyson. In fact,Hyson is a common name,like Bohea. It has been used for many teas,including pearl tea which later was named as gunpowder. You can see chun mee as one kind of young hyson.