“A pool of jade green, with clusters of floating snow.” In the major tea-producing province of Sichuan, there is a unique jasmine tea called Bi Tan Piao Xue. Bi Tan Piao Xue has a tight and delicate appearance, with visible white tips, a lasting fragrance, and a sweet aftertaste. Unlike jasmine tea from other regions, authentic Bi Tan Piao Xue retains some dried jasmine flowers in the tea. It is precisely because of this that when steeped, the tea broth turns jade green, with white jasmine petals floating on the surface like drifting snow, hence its name Bi Tan Piao Xue.
Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, is known as a city of leisure, and there has always been a tradition of drinking jasmine tea among the people. The founder of Bi Tan Piao Xue, Mr. Xu Jinhua, was born in Xinjin County, Chengdu. In the 1970s, while serving as the director of Xinjin County Cultural Center, Mr. Xu purchased some tea leaves and jasmine flowers to make scented tea for cultural figures who cycled from Chengdu. Since the guests responded positively to the tea and often asked for more to take home, Mr. Xu began to improve the tea further, changing from simply mixing the flowers with the tea to using a process of scenting and mixing, thus enhancing the flavor of the tea broth. Friends also referred to this tea as “Xu Gong Tea.”
Renowned calligrapher and painter Professor Huang Chunyao composed a poem after drinking this tea: “Born with exquisite beauty, the buds before Ming, fragrant to the bone, the flower is infused. Both the leaf shape and broth are fine, Xu Gong Tea emerges as an unexpected treasure.” Young artist Deng Dai'kun even created a poem where each line begins with a character from the tea's name: “Gathering fine tips from the emerald hills, drawing clear spring from the depths of the pond. What do these drifting petals resemble? Snow plums scattered across the world.” Former British Prime Minister David Cameron also praised Bi Tan Piao Xue during his visit to Chengdu.
Today, the scenting technique for Bi Tan Piao Xue is listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Sichuan Province. To better preserve this craft, Mr. Xu Jinhua chose to collaborate with the “Zhu Ye Qing” brand company, registering Bi Tan Piao Xue as a trademark in 2018. Selecting premium pre-Ming spring tea from above 800 meters elevation on Mount Emei in Sichuan, combined with jasmine flowers from Hengxian County in Guangxi, it heralded a new era for high-end jasmine tea in China. If you enjoy drinking jasmine tea, you might want to try Bi Tan Piao Xue.
Not only does it contain tea but also flowers, making the tea broth visually appealing, perfect for entertaining guests or hosting tea parties.