What is a Grand Cru Tea? How to define and select them?
“ Tea is an art ”
This is what Lu Yu (733-804) , a Chinese thinker/poet, described in one of his major works, the Cha Jing or the Classic of Tea dated 780.
Similar to the world of wine in France,
The story of a Grand Cru tea begins in the earth, with notions of terroir, species and varieties. It takes shape with advanced botany and agriculture, sometimes wild and often mastered by Man.
I- Grand Cru Teas, exceptional teas from tea-growing regions.
In the same spirit as a wine, a Grand Cru tea is above all a reflection of the typicality of a country, a region and all the characteristics that form a terroir. Not always easily identifiable, Grand Cru teas nevertheless have an identity card all their own.
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Which countries produce Grands Crus teas?
First, the country . A true geographical imprint, this often determines the general identity of the tea. Its history, more or less ancient, its reputation or even its own identity around the tea route give it a natural legitimacy.
It inevitably remains one of the first choices for certain emblematic Grands Crus teas.
Some major countries in tea culture, such as China, India, Ceylon and even Japan, have left their mark on the types, names and taste characteristics of their emblematic Grands Crus.
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Which regions produce Grands Crus teas?
Next comes the region, which can also be called the province or the district. This is the second point of identification for a Grand Cru tea . Some regions are very strongly preceded by their reputation, such as Darjeeling with its Gopaldhara spring tea, northern India with Assam , China and its legendary Long Jing “Dragon Well” green tea from Zhejiang , Taiwan with its iconic “Oriental Beauty” Oolong tea or even the Uji province in Japan and its magnificent Gyokuro “Dew Pearl” green tea.
Each region tries, more or less successfully, to highlight its specificities in the production of Grands Crus teas. This is in order to shine on the international scene and thus accentuate its premium image in this niche that is the manufacture of Grands Crus teas . It is a bit like our Champagne.
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Grand cru tea, at the heart of certain tea gardens.
The tea garden ... It is the equivalent of the château in our wine culture. It sheds more light on the identity that a Grand Cru tea can have. This is where the refined aspect of the terroir comes into play.
Often stronger than that of the region, the identity of a garden will leave a pronounced imprint on the character of a Grand Cru tea produced within it. Some Grand Cru tea connoisseurs refer almost blindly to certain gardens, as their manufacturing quality borders on excellence. Their reputations are well established.
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Choosing your Grand Cru tea based on its cultivar
Finally, the species or cultivar . Known as a grape variety in the world of wine, the cultivar is the exact equivalent in the world of tea. It is the variety that was selected before planting for tea cultivation. It largely determines the typicality of the tea. This can be an old, unmodified species or a blend, called a hybrid, obtained by cloning or cuttings. There are only a few species but hundreds or even thousands of varieties. Some are well known for their stability, such as Yabukita for Japanese green tea, others for their typical or atypical taste, such as AV2 for Darjeeling, and others finally for their rarity because they are very little used, such as Seimei for Japanese Gyokuro tea.
The multiple combinations of the numerous characteristics that form a Grand Cru tea thus offer a very wide variety of vintages as well as an almost infinite field of possibilities.
II- Grand Cru Teas, the fruit of the work of many players.
Far from the world of industrial tea bags that we casually infuse in a mug, without worrying about what might be inside or about a possible preparation method, a Grand Cru tea will take a completely different path to reach your cup.
For this, the terroir and the botany are important but insufficient without the work and expertise of the tea players.
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The careful harvest of Grands Crus Teas
To begin talking about Grands Crus teas , the first very important step is the harvest, called picking .
This is really the stage where the hands of the pickers come into action. Indeed, in many major tea-producing countries, such as China or India, only women who have undergone a long apprenticeship and whose experience and meticulousness of their gestures have been proven, will be authorized to harvest the finest tea leaves. And even more so if it is a harvest dedicated to the production of a Grand Cru tea. Men are often confined to more physical roles, such as porterage, weighing or logistics. They will only be allowed to practice picking on rare occasions, often due to labor shortages, and for productions of much more standard, even low-end, teas.
Generally, a very specific harvest, called " Imperial or Fine picking" is absolutely necessary for the production of a Grand Cru tea . Only the leaves most full of essential oils and with the highest aromatic potential will be picked.
These leaves will be handled with the utmost delicacy so as not to be damaged.
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Grand Cru Teas, a precision manufacture.
Once the tea has been picked, it's time for processing . This involves all the stages of processing the tea leaves to bring them to their final state, before they are infused.
This is the crucial step that will determine the type of Grand Cru tea that we wish to make (black tea, green tea, white tea, yellow tea, Oolong tea, Pu'er tea), but also the organoleptic character that we wish it to take on.
The manufacturing process is carried out by experienced people, under the supervision and supervision of the production manager, called the supervisor. He is generally the most important and experienced person in the factory (the manufacturing unit), and has the complete trust of the plantation owner, who often only manages the financial aspect. The supervisor is a bit like the Cellar Master in a wine château, therefore an essential link for the quality of the product.
It is only once the manufacturing process has been completed that the Grand Cru tea will appear.
It will be tested, appraised, evaluated in order to give it its rank and its final sale price.
III- Grand Cru Teas, rare tasting teas
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How much does a Grand Cru tea cost?
Once we know that a Grand cru tea is a rare, exceptional tea, with extraordinary aromas, a fascinating length in the mouth, and that it is extremely difficult to bring together all the necessary conditions to make it, we say to ourselves that there will inevitably be a price to pay. This is true. But on closer inspection, a quick comparison with a Grand cru wine quickly enlightens us on the fact that a Grand cru tea is not synonymous with inaccessibility. Indeed, the cost of a cup of a Grand cru tea is much less expensive than a glass of a Grand cru wine. There are of course in both categories prices that will never be explained, unless we see it as speculation. But in a common generality, a Grand cru tea can cost between €1.5 and €5 per cup while a Grand cru classé wine easily reaches €15 to €50 per glass. The luxury of putting a Grand Cru tea in your cup therefore remains relatively accessible, especially when it is sold in 50g bags, where a more standard tea will commonly be sold in 100g bags.
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Beware of “Grand Cru” marketing!
Before you indulge in hunting for your Grand Cru tea, it is also important to note that in the world of tea, the term " Grand Cru " is regularly misused, not to say usurped, by certain tea brands well known for their passion for well-targeted marketing. Indeed, it is not uncommon to see "Grand Cru" written on tea bags or boxes that are simply not Grand Cru. For example, when adding ingredients, even so-called "rare and luxurious" ones like gold flakes, it is clearly understood that these are in no way Grand Cru teas . A Grand Cru tea must only be composed of tea leaves of a quality and/or origin that respect the specifications we discussed in I and II. The rest will be classified as biased advertising with the aim of selling a fancy product under a more luxurious label. We will be far removed from the discovery of a vintage of an origin, a terroir, a character and a typicality.
The design and manufacture of a Grand Cru tea is very similar to that of goldsmithing. All the necessary conditions and the work of the people in charge of its production are undeniably also elements of great expertise.
IV- Preparation, the final step! How to prepare a Grand Cru tea?
Indeed, after having highlighted the difficult conditions and the work necessary to obtain a Grand Cru tea, it is good practice to apply a few golden rules for its preparation.
It is at this moment that we realize that we are the last link, after the long journey that the tea has taken to reach us, for the success of the tasting.
- The 4 golden rules for preparing tea: dosage, water quality, water temperature and infusion time.
It is only when all these conditions are combined that they will bring out all that nature has given to the tea leaves, what the tea professionals have put into their work as passion and know-how, what we have modestly accomplished in sourcing this tea and what pleasure you yourself will have in tasting a true Grand Cru tea.
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Some Grands Crus teas are "teas for laying down"
These teas, unlike other teas, can age for several decades, even hundreds of years, depending on the different production methods. Depending on the conditions in which these teas are stored, aging will improve the tea. It can then become a Grands Crus, with the associated speculation.
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Some primeur teas are Grands Crus
Early spring teas are generally very popular. The relatively short harvest season, coupled with high demand, causes prices to soar each year.
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Grand Cru teas to pair like wines
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