Longjing Fluffballs

[debunix]

You've had plenty of reassurance and explanations here.

If they don't satisfy you, give it away in a TeaSwap, or dump the tea, and let that be the last long jing you buy & waste--if you look closely enough, they'll all have some traces of it.

And avoid all silver needle teas too--they're covered in the stuff. No more bai mu dan, includes lots of fuzzy leaves. And definitely, absolutely avoid Ya Bao tea buds, covered in downy stuff. The rest of us will do our best to preserve you from future fluff ball nightmares by consuming it for you.

[nickE]

And avoid all silver needle teas too--they're covered in the stuff. No more bai mu dan, includes lots of fuzzy leaves. And definitely, absolutely avoid Ya Bao tea buds, covered in downy stuff. The rest of us will do our best to preserve you from future fluff ball nightmares by consuming it for you.

Ouch

Some Yunnan Blacks are quite fuzzy as well.

[Tead Off]

And avoid all silver needle teas too--they're covered in the stuff. No more bai mu dan, includes lots of fuzzy leaves. And definitely, absolutely avoid Ya Bao tea buds, covered in downy stuff. The rest of us will do our best to preserve you from future fluff ball nightmares by consuming it for you.

Ouch

Some Yunnan Blacks are quite fuzzy as well.

So are my arms.

[debunix]

Doing my part to make the world safer from fluffballs as I write, taming some leaves infested with them, taking this duty seriously and giving it all the delicious infusions required to render them wholly, wetly, completely unfluffed.

[rayFrev]

found this on a guys blog,

"From 2006 on, I've been dedicated a month or two trying to learn more on the grading of Longjing. So far, the experiences were Before Rain Pre-Qing Ming (3 grades), Pre-Ming, and after Qing-Ming Pre-Grain Rain (3 grades). Each year, I do concluded on the same result. The Second harvest after pre-ming or pre-rain is the most bold and savory. Hence the less expensive price tag. Green bean, orchids, dry rice, sweet corn and seaweed.

Due to the harsh Spring weather this year, 2010 harvest has been compromised. More interestingly, a Pre Pre-Ming longjing sample I received from Hangzhou Tea Institute, besides it has much earlier harvesting date, the hair ball from the young buds were very obvious.Traditionally, the fury balls are sifted for a unified appearance. This year, I have seen many vendors advertising the extra fluff as a guaranteed of pre-ming premium harvest. Are these new tactics or marketing scams? The more the vendors add fluff balls or hair, the higher the price they get for that weight.... Some fluff balls I've seen on the web is like bubble tea/tapioca pearls/frog eggs. Very soon, 2011 will have Pre-Pre-Ming, after last snow, first valley mist, White hair Shi-Feng blah blah Longjing, which is covered with fluffs."

so i guess it's as most thought... it's just fluffed off balls, still makes me ill..."hey look at all those fluff balls, damn that's some high grade longjing!!!"

[rabbit]

found this on a guys blog,

"From 2006 on, I've been dedicated a month or two trying to learn more on the grading of Longjing. So far, the experiences were Before Rain Pre-Qing Ming (3 grades), Pre-Ming, and after Qing-Ming Pre-Grain Rain (3 grades). Each year, I do concluded on the same result. The Second harvest after pre-ming or pre-rain is the most bold and savory. Hence the less expensive price tag. Green bean, orchids, dry rice, sweet corn and seaweed.

Due to the harsh Spring weather this year, 2010 harvest has been compromised. More interestingly, a Pre Pre-Ming longjing sample I received from Hangzhou Tea Institute, besides it has much earlier harvesting date, the hair ball from the young buds were very obvious.Traditionally, the fury balls are sifted for a unified appearance. This year, I have seen many vendors advertising the extra fluff as a guaranteed of pre-ming premium harvest. Are these new tactics or marketing scams? The more the vendors add fluff balls or hair, the higher the price they get for that weight.... Some fluff balls I've seen on the web is like bubble tea/tapioca pearls/frog eggs. Very soon, 2011 will have Pre-Pre-Ming, after last snow, first valley mist, White hair Shi-Feng blah blah Longjing, which is covered with fluffs."

so i guess it's as most thought... it's just fluffed off balls, still makes me ill..."hey look at all those fluff balls, damn that's some high grade longjing!!!"

That is a really good post! I completely agree, as soon as a company realizes they can say "fluffballs make it high quality" they will sell the tea for more than it's worth and the general consumer will just nod their head and say "wow, this really is the most elite pre pre-qing fluffy longjing ever!"

Don't fall for the hype, it's just fluff.

[rayFrev]

Ray- the picture attached didn't look like a longjing tea. I am sorry to suggest that. ~ T

hey is that your blog i quoted? lol this one http://themandarinstea.blogspot.com/201 ... ng-10.html

[Tead Off]

Ray- the picture attached didn't look like a longjing tea. I am sorry to suggest that. ~ T

hey is that your blog i quoted? lol this one http://themandarinstea.blogspot.com/201 ... ng-10.html

This is Tim's blog

[Evan Draper]

Good to find this thread, I had wondered about the fluffballs in my longjing. But I finally looked it up because I was translating an essay about Bailin Gongfu, and I came across this phrase:
"茸毫多呈颗粒绒球状"
which I guess I would translate as "many downy hairs show up as grain-down-spheres," or grain-sized fluffballs. Anybody ever seen fluffballs in hongcha?

[Alex]

"Longjing Fluffballs" - Sounds like either an insult or the name of my next band....

LOL