Zhu Ye Qing (竹葉青)

archetype: Bamboo rain

A light bamboo shower in the grove: leaves straight as arrows, smelling only of bamboo's freshness.

History

Zhu Ye Qing — 'green bamboo leaf' — is a relatively young variety (1964), created at the Wannian monastery on Mount Emei (Sichuan). Its name was given by Premier Zhou Enlai when he saw the straightened leaf shoots in his cup. The bushes grow among bamboo groves, and the leaf gathers the scent of its neighbour. Made only in spring; the leaf is dried over low heat into a strictly straight form.

Monks of Mount Emei say: bamboo is the spine of the mountain. When the bamboo is silent, the mountain sleeps; when the bamboo breathes, the mountain is alive. The leaf of Zhu Ye Qing is 'the voice of the bamboo': fine, even, straight. He who drinks it becomes the same — straight, without a bend.

Terroir

800–1200 m. weathered granite and bamboo organic matter. dense mists, frequent rains, cool nights. The best leaf is the 'imperial Zhu Ye Qing' from a bush growing directly within the bamboo forest.

Leaf

dry leaf: straight arrows of jade green, flat, even, like needles

warmed: the warmed leaf — young bamboo, damp grass, a light chestnut

after pour: after the infusion — bamboo, meadow greenery, a thin coolness

taste: young bamboo, damp grass, a light chestnut

finish: thin, long, a cool trail of the grove

Properties

TCM: cool, yin; clears heat, brightens the head, supports the stomach

Modern: high theanine, light structure; gentle stimulation, good for the nervous system

Cha qi: light, rising, cool; felt as a 'straightening of the spine'

Caffeine: moderate (25–40 mg)

Brewing ritual

a glass of 200 ml; 80 °C; 4 g / 200 ml. 35s — the first rain: bamboo, grass; 55s — the peak: damp greenery, a light chestnut; 85s — the finale — a cool trail of the grove.

When to drink

day and early evening. spring and early autumn. after a long conversation, when you want bamboo silence. steamed rice, young bamboo, white fish, light vegetables. quiet work; conversation with someone with whom one doesn't have to say much

Tea meditation

Listen to the rain.
Each drop is its own leaf.
Bamboo bends but does not break. Be like bamboo.

Questions and answers

How do you brew Zhu Ye Qing?

a glass of 200 ml; 80 °C; 4 g / 200 ml. 35s — the first rain: bamboo, grass; 55s — the peak: damp greenery, a light chestnut; 85s — the finale — a cool trail of the grove.

What does Zhu Ye Qing taste like?

young bamboo, damp grass, a light chestnut

How much caffeine is in Zhu Ye Qing?

moderate (25–40 mg)

What are the effects of Zhu Ye Qing?

high theanine, light structure; gentle stimulation, good for the nervous system