Mei Zhan Jin Guazi 2026 First Flush Spring Tea

Some teas are grown. This one is waited for.

Mei Zhan Jin Guazi is harvested once a year, before Qingming — the brief window in early spring when the mountains are still cool, the air still clean, and the first buds of the season carry everything the plant has been quietly building through winter.

Miss it, and you wait another year.

What makes this tea rare

Mei Zhan (梅占) is a bold, characterful cultivar from the mountains of Fujian — known for its intensity and its unmistakable orchid fragrance. Jin Guazi (金瓜子) refers to the shape of these hand-harvested buds: small, plump, and golden — like sunflower seeds, each one picked at peak.

The result is a tea that is simultaneously powerful and refined. Wild-grown altitude energy in a cup that finishes clean and sweet.

Tasting notes

— Orchid fragrance, deep and natural, not perfumed

— Liquor: bright amber-gold, clear and luminous

— First sip: fresh, almost brisk

— Finish: lingering sweetness, honey-toned, no bitterness

— Leaves: fat, full buds — the sign of a slow, cold early spring

Harvest details

— Harvest: Pre-Qingming 2026 (first flush, before April 5)

— Cultivar: Mei Zhan (梅占)

— Style: whole bud, minimal processing

— Origin: mountain wild-growth gardens, Fujian

— Format: 500g / 2 tins

How to brew

Water temperature: 185–195°F (85–90°C) — never boiling

Leaf ratio: 3–4g per 200ml

First steep: 30–45 seconds. Each subsequent steep, add 10–15 seconds.

This tea opens gradually. The third and fourth steeps are often the most rewarding.

A note on availability

Pre-Qingming harvests are the most limited of the year. Once this lot is gone, the next opportunity is spring 2027.

If you've been curious about Mei Zhan, this is the moment.