Bi Luo Chun: The Green Snail Spring Tea from Lake Tai

Bi Luo Chun (碧螺春, "Green Snail Spring") is one of China's most famous green teas, grown around Lake Tai in Jiangsu province. It's made from a tiny bud and one leaf, rolled into tight spirals covered in white down, and it's known for an intensely fruity and floral aroma. The finest is picked in early spring, before Qingming. Brew it gently: water at 70–80 °C, in a glass or a porcelain gaiwan. Too hot, and those delicate buds taste cooked.

The first time I opened a bag of good Bi Luo Chun, I thought I'd been sold dust. The leaves are so small and so fuzzy that the whole thing looked like green-grey fluff. Then I poured water into a glass, dropped a pinch on top, and watched the tiny spirals sink slowly, trailing white down like snow falling in reverse. The smell that came up was fruit and flowers, apricot and orchid, far more aromatic than any green tea I knew.

It's a demanding tea, and I've cooked more than one batch with water that was too hot. But when it's right, it's one of the loveliest cups of the spring.

Where it comes from#

Bi Luo Chun grows in the hills around Lake Tai, near Suzhou in Jiangsu province, above all in the Dongting mountains: Dongshan, a peninsula reaching into the lake, and Xishan, an island. The climate is mild and misty, and here tea bushes are traditionally planted among peach, plum, apricot and other fruit trees. Many drinkers believe the fruit trees help give the tea its unusual fruity aroma.

There's a well-known story about the name. The tea was once called by a local nickname meaning something like "scarily fragrant". When the Kangxi emperor tasted it on a tour of the south, the story goes, he found the name too crude and gave it a more elegant one: Bi Luo Chun, "green snail spring", after the jade colour, the spiral shape and the spring harvest. As with most tea legends, take it as a good story rather than history.

How it's made#

Bi Luo Chun is picked in spring, roughly from late March to around 20 April, with the earliest, pre-Qingming pickings the most prized. Only a single bud and one tiny leaf are taken. It takes a huge number of shoots to make even a small amount of finished tea.

The processing is fast and entirely about keeping the leaf fresh: the whole journey from bush to finished tea is done within about a day, traditionally within around twelve hours. The leaves are fired in a hot wok to stop oxidation, then rolled by hand into tight spirals while they dry, which rubs the fine white hairs to the surface. That's where the frosty, downy look comes from.

What it tastes like#

• Dry leaf: fresh, green, with a sweet fruity note.
• Aroma in the cup: fruit and flowers: apricot, peach, orchid, sometimes a hint of citrus.
• Taste: fresh and bright, sweet, with a gentle green-bean and spring-greens character underneath.
• Texture: light and silky; the down makes the liquor slightly hazy, which is normal.

Compared with Longjing, Bi Luo Chun is less nutty and toasty and much more aromatic and fruity. If Longjing is roasted chestnuts, Bi Luo Chun is an orchard in spring.

How to brew Bi Luo Chun#

Top-pour in a glass (my favourite)#

Because the buds are tiny and densely rolled, Bi Luo Chun is traditionally brewed "top-pour": water first, then leaves.

1. Fill a tall glass (200–250 ml) with water at about 70–75 °C.
2. Sprinkle about 2–3 g of leaf on the surface.
3. Watch the spirals slowly absorb water and sink, unfurling as they go.
4. Drink when most of the leaves have sunk. Top up when a third is left.

This avoids pouring hot water directly onto the delicate buds, and it's beautiful to watch. It's a gentle form of grandpa style.

Gongfu#

Use a porcelain or glass gaiwan, pour the water down the side rather than straight onto the leaves, and leave the lid off between steeps. Bi Luo Chun is best on the lighter side, with less leaf than most green teas. Full chart: gongfu brewing chart.

Western#

About 2 g per 250 ml, water at 70–80 °C, 1–1.5 minutes.

My side-by-side: 75 °C vs 90 °C#

To show how heat-sensitive it is, I brewed the same pre-Qingming Bi Luo Chun twice: 3 g each, top-pour in two glasses, one at 75 °C, one at 90 °C.

After 1 minute. At 75 °C: pale jade, apricot and orchid, sweet and bright. At 90 °C: darker, more yellow, smelled of cooked greens; the fruit was mostly gone.

After 3 minutes. At 75 °C: fuller, still sweet. At 90 °C: bitter and slightly drying.

First top-up. At 75 °C: softer, still floral. At 90 °C: flat.

Fifteen degrees made the difference between one of China's great teas and a mediocre one.

How to choose good Bi Luo Chun#

• Lots of white down. It's a sign of young, tender buds.
• Small, tight, even spirals. Large, loose or uneven leaves suggest later pickings or lower grades.
• Fresh colour. Silvery green, not dull olive or brownish.
• A harvest date. Spring of the current year, ideally pre-Qingming.
• Origin. Dongting (Dongshan and Xishan, Lake Tai) is the classic area. "Bi Luo Chun" is also used as a style name for tea from other provinces, which can be pleasant but different.

How to store it#

Like all green tea, Bi Luo Chun is fragile. Keep it airtight and opaque, cool and away from smells, and drink it within a few months to a year. Unopened packs can go in the fridge; if you store opened tea there, portion it, seal it and let each portion reach room temperature before opening.

Myths about Bi Luo Chun#

"The hazy liquor means it's low quality." No. The haze comes from the fine down, which is a sign of good, bud-rich tea.

"More leaf gives a better cup." Bi Luo Chun is best light. Too much leaf quickly turns bitter.

"Any Bi Luo Chun is from Lake Tai." The name is widely used for tea from other regions too.

My honest take#

Bi Luo Chun rewards care more than almost any tea. Get fresh spring leaf, keep the water at 70–75 °C, and try the top-pour method once. If you've only had it brewed hot, it will taste like a different tea.

The bottom line#

Bi Luo Chun is Lake Tai's downy, fruity, floral spring green tea. Choose fresh, downy spirals, brew cool and gently, ideally top-pour in a glass, and drink it young. For the other famous greens, see my Chinese green tea guide.

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