These hand-rolled balls of tippy Feng Qing tea are so lovely and fall sweetly into the Leaves of Cha mission to provide teas made with care and love. I borrowed from my yogic background for their nickname because they remind me of some of the traditional mala beads I’ve seen in my meditative practice.

Da Si village coop was visited by a Fujian hand-made blooming tea seller a decade ago and got the idea to offer a hand made tea of their own.

These pearls are great for traveling as you can estimate your dosing know that each pearl is about 3g.

Provenance:

• Origin: Da Si Village, Feng Qing County, Lincang Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China
• Grower/Teamaster: Da Si Village Coop
• Elevation: 1600 meters
• Harvest Date: Early March 2016; First Spring Flush
• Cultivar: Old 58 (original Dian Hong varietal, Assamica sub type)
• Cultivation: Conventional, no sprays
• Plucking Standard: Bud Pluck
• Processing Notes:  Hand rolled into approximately 3g beads or pearls
• Nickname: Black Gold Pearls, Feng Qing Mala Beads

Brewing Suggestions¹:

• Water: 190˚-200˚F
• Tea: 3g per 6oz of water (1 Mala Bead per 6oz of water²)
• Infusion: Because the tea leaves are tightly rolled into the beads, I do a long first infusion of 5 minutes, then a second half-steep (half the amount of water used originally) for 4 minutes.

Tasting Notes:

• Classic white tea taste with sweet and fruity tasting notes and aroma.

¹ Brewing suggestions are just that. Try it the suggested way then experiment. Some tea drinkers like to use slightly hotter and longer times for each subsequent infusion. Also, try it Eastern Gong Fu style: 180˚-190˚F dosed at 1g/oz of water and infused for short times like 10 seconds, 15s, 20s, 30s, 45s, and then 60 seconds until leaves are spent.

² Weighing your tea is always the best way to control your dosage. I provide approximate volume measures for convenience but they can be problematic due to the variance in tea leaf shape and size. It’s best to use the single appropriate volume measure for the tea, i.e., don’t try to measure 1.5TB using two spoons meant to measure 1 TB and a ½ TB. Use an actual 1.5 TB measuring spoon. Yes, they make them! I like the oblong ones to handle longer leaf styles.