The local name for Biluochun tea produced in Dongtong is “Fragrance that Frightens One to Death”. There is a legend that Emperor Kangxi in Qing Dynasty names the tea “Biluochun” during his southern patrol in Suzhou. Biluochun, as one of the top ten tea types in China, is the famous specialty of Suzhou. It is recorded that Biluochun tea has obtained great reputation ever since Sui and Tang dynasties, with a history of over one thousand years.
Biluochun tea is originally produced in Dongting East and South Mountain in Wuzhong District, Suzhou. Dongting East Mountain, like a giant boat, is a peninsula in the Taihu Lake, while Dongting West Mountain is an island standing in Taihu Lake erectly. The climate in both mountains is temperate, with annual mean temperature of 15.5&~16.5? and annual rainfall of 1200-1500mm. This area is blessed with moist air, plentiful water, and sub-acid or acid loosened soil. All of these provide wonderful environment for the growth of tea trees.
Dongting East and West Mountain, the production area of Biluochun tea, is a famous fruit-tea intercropping area in China. Tea trees and trees of loquat, mandarin orange, Chinese plum, apricot, plum, persimmon, ginkgo and pomegranate, etc are in the mode of stereo plantation. Tea trees and fruit trees are connected in both branches and roots. In this way, tea is fumigated with fragrances of fruits and flowers, which nourish the natural character of pleasant fragrance and taste of Biluochun tea.
The manufacturing requirements on Biluochun tea are quite strict. In the early spring, the tea trees sprout, and pluck the tea when the length of bug tip, i.e. “one bud and one tender leave?is not larger than 2cm. Then process them through a series of special techniques, such as heating, baking and drying and rubbing, etc. The features of Biluochun tea are as follows: even stripe, graceful form, snail-shaped figure, fuzz-coated surface, bitty-cream color, intense fragrance and mellow taste. Biluochun tea enjoys lofty reputations in national and foreign tea markets with “Four Wonders? namely, beautiful form, bright color, intense fragrance and mellow taste. All Biluochun tea made in Dongting Suzhou are produced with young follages. About 60 thousand “one bud and one tender leave?are needed to produce 0.5 kilo Biluochun tea. Therefore, Biluochun is also called “Energy-consuming tea?or “Painstaking-effort tea?
