Jin Jun Mei金骏眉
wuyi-red · Tongmu Guan, Wuyi Mountains, Fujian, China
Jin Jun Mei is a wuyi-red black tea from Tongmu Guan, Wuyi Mountains, Fujian, China. Brew it at 85°C with 5g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 9 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. A quick rinse is recommended.
Quick facts
- Origin
- Tongmu Guan, Wuyi Mountains, Fujian, China
- Category
- Black tea
- Cultivar
- Xiao Cai Cha (小菜茶) / Qi Zhong
- Oxidation
- full
- Roast
- none
- Water temp
- 85°C
- Leaf ratio
- 5g / 100ml
- Infusions
- up to 9
- Rinse
- Yes
Tasting notes
Real Jin Jun Mei barely feels like a red tea at first. It enters soft — almost silky — and you get honey and lychee and a cool rose thing happening at the edges before any of the usual red-tea weight shows up. The body is light on purpose. These are single buds from the same Tong Mu valley as Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, and you are meant to taste the rawness of the bud, not char or smoke. By the third or fourth steep a warmer sweet-potato and cocoa layer comes through underneath. The trap is money. Genuine Tong Mu material is scarce and expensive; most of what gets sold as Jin Jun Mei is Yunnan buds or Wuyi outer-region leaf — still pleasant, but flat where the real thing is floral. If your cup tastes like a stronger Dian Hong, that is what you bought. Keep water under 90°C.
Flavor profile
A luxurious single-bud tea with honey sweetness layered over rose and lychee florals. The mouthfeel is silky and the body surprisingly delicate for a red tea. Later infusions reveal warm malt and cocoa undertones with a lingering sweet finish.
Terroir
High altitude (1200-1800m), misty bamboo forest, mineral-rich soil
Cultivar: Xiao Cai Cha (小菜茶) / Qi Zhong
Brewing
Rinse: Quick 3-second rinse — just enough to wet the buds.
- Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
- Steep 1: 10 seconds
- Steep 2: 10 seconds
- Steep 3: 10 seconds
- Steep 4: 15 seconds
- Steep 5: 15 seconds
- Steep 6: 20 seconds
- Steep 7: 25 seconds
- Steep 8: 30 seconds
- Steep 9: 40 seconds
This tea is delicate — keep water below 90°C. Higher temperature brings out more chocolate character but sacrifices florals. Use less leaf if you want to emphasize sweetness.
Aroma & taste
Aroma
- honey
- rose
- lychee
- dried fruit
Taste
- honey
- malt
- lychee
- chocolate
- sweet potato
Processing
- hand-picked single buds
- withered
- rolled
- fully oxidized
- dried