Qimen: Selecting raw leaves, grading and quality
Qimen are one of those teas that Arnaud and I are really keen on. These are teas that we prepare regularly for a tasty breakfast or a tea break in the afternoon.A century and a half ago, they conquered the West and supplanted Fujian black teas for a good reason: their delicacy appealed to the English and the Dutch... Yet today, in the Western world, Qimen is more synonymous with Blend for breakfast, or even simply teabags. Indeed, unfortunately, we have generally only access to very low quality Qimen, mass produced in summer and fall when productivity is the most important.Today, in China, more and more producers are questioning this productivist logic and are moving towards the production of quality...