Xiang Zhen / Aromatic Needles - Alternate Name???

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.


Dec 15th, '12, 21:40
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Joined: Dec 31st, '09, 21:36

Xiang Zhen / Aromatic Needles - Alternate Name???

by ZeroC » Dec 15th, '12, 21:40

Is there an alternate name for Xiang Zhen aka Aromatic Needles? I've found two sources in China but no state side source. See http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=2022 and http://www.pu-erhtea.com/TeaType.aspx?typeID=41

Thanks.

Dec 6th, '13, 19:28
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Joined: Dec 31st, '09, 21:36

Re: Xiang Zhen / Aromatic Needles - Alternate Name???

by ZeroC » Dec 6th, '13, 19:28

Thread resurrection since I didn't get a reply way back when. Any takers?

refreshed links as well.
http://www.pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=287
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/greentea/2 ... n-tea.html

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Dec 6th, '13, 21:27
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Location: somewhere over the rainbow

Re: Xiang Zhen / Aromatic Needles - Alternate Name???

by Poohblah » Dec 6th, '13, 21:27

Here are my thoughts:
  • Yunnan green teas in general aren't particularly high quality. I've yet to find a worthwhile Yunnan green.
  • The price is suspiciously low. That's not indicative of a quality tea either.
  • Heavy roasting can make a tea more aromatic, and in conjunction with the other two things I mentioned, this makes me suspect that the aroma is the only enticing thing about this tea.
I have not seen a stateside source.

EDIT: I just noticed that you linked to two different teas with the same name. The one from Yunnan sourcing is made from large leaves that are rolled into a needle shape and heavy roasted. The one from pu-erhtea.com is made from buds and processed similar to most green teas. I was looking at the one from Yunnan Sourcing when I made the third comment in the list above.

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Dec 7th, '13, 22:42
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Re: Xiang Zhen / Aromatic Needles - Alternate Name???

by chrl42 » Dec 7th, '13, 22:42

My thoughts on Yunnan and green.

1. A labor cost in Yunnan is much cheaper than long-time green producing provinces like Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui. Furthermore, there are numerous tea trees grown in Yunnan...many are not drinkable tree species and not being cultivated. But Yunnan is still the only province where some unreported oldest trees can be found place to place

2. Tea trees are different. Tea tree in China (except Yunnan), Korea and Japan is the small-leaf-variety (same as Darjeeling). Which wins in subtlety and is praised when grown on high altitude. And it's been a notion for years in China, that's why those tributary teas in Yunnan during Qing dynasty were small-leaf-varieties from the six famous mountains.

When tea trade with West flourished in old era and decided to export leaves from India and Sri Lanka. Many worried because tea trees there were different from the Chinese ones. The worries shortly disappeared, they found out the big-leaf-variety (and cultivated) tastes better with oxidation. That's how India and Sri Lanka's black teas got its fame. The same knowledge can be applied to Puerh and its fermentation.

Before 50s, no one took a consideration to Yunnan and its major big-leaf-varieties. So HKers when they purchased Yunnan leaves in cheap price, they just left in garage being neglected. The weather in HK is very wet, when HKers tasted Yunnanese leaves after decades..the taste came much better with a camphor aroma, that's how Puerh legend began.


the small-leaf-variety and the middle-leaf-variety are still grown in Yunnan...and very young buds from the big-leaf-variety are very drinkable..(I don't know Yunnan greens are basically which one)..I talked too long...just choose what you like...that's what I wanted to say :mrgreen:

Dec 19th, '13, 22:49
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Joined: Dec 31st, '09, 21:36

Re: Xiang Zhen / Aromatic Needles - Alternate Name???

by ZeroC » Dec 19th, '13, 22:49

Well I like the Xiang Zhen that I got from Yunnan Soucing in the past. I'm set on other teas for the moment and don't have a need to put in an order large enough to justify the shipping, hence wanting a stateside source. I also liked their Imperial Pure Bud Bi Luo Chun as well. Really, all the teas I've gotten from Yunnan Sourcing were good. White, green, black, oolong and pu erh. No complaints from me.

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