A boat on a lake in Chunan, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

A virtuous indulgence

Great to get the fresh teas in late last week and spent the weekend steeped in the glorious stuff. It’s like seasonal fruit and veg: what you don’t have all year round you really look forward to. For me the Long Jing means spring has arrived. Brewed light and quick to get the sweetest, nuttiest notes and sipped at breakfast, it's a virtuous indulgence. I savour the fresh cut-grass fragrance, the brilliant green liquor and the sweet aftertaste which lingers on my tongue. Then there’s the subliminal sense of the liquid antioxidants coursing through you. A bonus that unlike sausages, means it might be as good for you as it tastes.

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black&white #42: The Leafies, an afternoon of extraordinary tea

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