Bi Lo Chun ~ Goldfish

No, I haven’t forgotten about my favorite shop in Royal Oak. I have been meaning to review more Goldfish teas for a while now, but distractions kept creeping in. In fact Goldfish has some great examples of exotic teas I have yet to review from any vendor.  Surprisingly, one of those is Bi Lo Chun. Well-known among tea lovers, although I’ve tried Bi Lo Chun a couple times in the past, I somehow never got a round tuit until today.

Often spelled “biluochun”, this tea is a very delicate Green from the region of Jiangsu kn0wn as East and West Dongting. As i found out later in this review, Biluochun is grown in humid conditions surrounded by fruit trees and tends to absorb a bit of those aromas in the spring flush. Biluochun is thus one of the more naturally fragrant Chinese Green. Biluochun means “green snail spring” and the snail-spring is taken from the taught curly twist of the bud and one leaf set covered in fibery hairs. *shivers* It gives me goosebumps!

Bi Lo Chun is one of those rare teas where the loose leaf, spent tea and liquor are all very visually appealing (or they would have been if i’d done a better job of photographing them…). With a heady, Tippy aroma of dandelion smooshed between one’s fingers and a bit of melon, Bi Lo Chun actually reminds me a bit of a Guangzhou Milk Oolong. In coloration, the deep amber is reminiscent of a Pouchung or TiKuanYin. I swear the more tea I drink, the more i miss Oolong. ;)

In flavor though, Bi Lo Chun is a bit removed from an Oolong. As advertised, the delicate curl of the loose leaf unfurls into a gooey low-astrigency Green that definitely reminds me of melon or lychee (especially in aftertaste). In grit, Bi Lo Chun is tops: I could tell from the loose leaf that it had a good deal of powder falling off each curl. Amazingly though, that powder is completely homogenynized in the liquor and only reimerges on the tongue as layer of dust that slowly spreads backwards down the tongue after i swallow. A few minutes after the last swallow, the tongue curls up on the sides in anticipation of another sip. Bi Lo Chun’s consistency is not unlike a Yellow–and I can’t say that comes as a disappointment. xD

1. Aroma – 93
2. Taste – 94
3. Texture – 93
4. Spunk – 95
5. Price – 89
6. Availability – 90
7. Appearance – 94

Mean score – 93% after rounding up.

Bi Lo Chun is the Jiangsu Green equivalent of a Yunnan Gold. Bold and refreshing with exciting Tip, but full of Green antioxidants, Goldfish’s Bi Lo Chun is worth every penny.