Solstice Moon | High Grade Green Tea | Loose Leaf

SOLSTICE MOON

Chinese Pi Lo Chun Green Tea · Loose Leaf

A delicate Chinese green tea with a smooth, buttery character, mild sweetness, and a pale golden infusion, ready to reward a little attention without demanding a grand ceremony.

Origin: China, Fujian Province
Tea classification: Pi Lo Chun green tea
Leaf form: Tightly rolled, snail-shaped loose leaves
Ingredients: Green tea
Caffeine Index: Contains caffeine

◄ THE SPECIMEN’S CHARACTER ►

The leaves arrive curled into little snail-like shapes. I approve of a specimen that travels compactly, although I have yet to persuade my expedition wardrobe to follow its example.

In the pale golden cup, I look for a light, smooth, buttery character, with gentle sweetness and clean vegetal notes. Delicate florals and hints of hay lend the quieter details their interest, while savory umami and a lightly astringent finish give the infusion definition.

A trace of smoke or a mineral nuance may appear, but neither is obliged to attend every cup. I recommend recording what you actually find rather than bullying the tea into agreement with a tasting note.

Prepared with care, this specimen offers a gentle alternative to harsh bitterness or pronounced grassiness. The leaves also welcome another infusion, which is fortunate: I dislike closing an investigation merely because the first cup is empty.

◄ FROM MY DIMENSIONAL FIELD NOTES ►

The Legend of the Solstice Harvest

Celestial Botanical Specimen · Solstice Moon

I first encountered this specimen while studying temporal phenomena along the Firmament Margins of the World Tree. It was precisely the sort of expedition for which I had packed sufficient notebooks and insufficient warm clothing.

Among the tea masters’ records I have catalogued in the Archive, I found accounts of a brief window during the solstice when the sun’s final rays and the moon’s first light meet upon the leaves. The masters described a harvest touched by both illuminations, bright and shadowed in the same breath.

I approached these claims with appropriate scholarly caution. Then I brewed the first cup at midnight and became inconveniently sympathetic to the poets.

The pale gold in my cup seemed to hold the last warmth of daylight. Beyond the vessel lay the immense, silvery quiet of the Margins. I recorded both impressions, along with a reminder that a botanist ought not confuse a moving experience with a completed investigation.

I have kept the name Solstice Moon ever since. I have also improved my expedition coat.

◄ THE EVERYDAY CUP ►

Supplier’s brewing guidance

“The conventional guidance follows. It will tell you when to pour. It cannot tell you when to put down your correspondence and notice what you are drinking. I leave that small administrative improvement to you.”

Use 1–2 teaspoons of leaves with water at 180°F / approximately 82°C. Steep for 2–3 minutes, then strain completely.

Keep the leaves for further infusions, adjusting the timing to their developing character. Allow each infusion to drain completely rather than leaving the leaves standing in water.

◄ ELDRIN’S WAY ►

From my workbench to your cup.

For this specimen: Because these leaves are rolled into tight, delicate spirals, I favor the Top-Drop Method: water first, leaves second. I fill a glass vessel with soft, warm water, then gently drop the coiled leaves onto the surface. Watching them slowly sink and uncoil like emerald tendrils in moonlight is half the ritual.

My measures: I use 4.0 g of leaf with 120 mL (approximately 4.1 US fl oz) of fresh spring water at 70°C / 158°F.

My method:

• Top-Drop preparation: I fill my gaiwan or glass brewing vessel with the measured warm water first, then gently drop the leaves onto its surface, allowing them to absorb the warmth and slowly sink.
• First infusion: I steep for 120 seconds, watching the spirals begin to unfurl, then strain completely into a separate cup, retaining the leaves for the next round.
• Subsequent infusions: I add another 120 mL of fresh water at 70°C / 158°F to the same leaves and steep for 20–40 seconds, draining completely each time. I continue for 3–4 further rounds, exploring the developing floral sweetness.

A note in the margin: “The leaves are permitted a graceful entrance. Dropping a kettleful of water upon their heads rather defeats the arrangement.”

◄ CHOOSE YOUR EXPERIENCE ►

“For your cupboard, your cabinet of curiosities, or someone you deem worthy of receiving the good tea.”

Choose your preferred 2.5 oz or 4 oz size and presentation.

Refill Bag: Loose-leaf tea in a bag, for refills or a first introduction.

Decorative Jar: A labeled jar with decorative leather and charms, available in both sizes.

Themed Gift Box: Your selected tea size presented with a written letter from Professor Eldrin Nightshade, wood-shaving packing material, and a surprise mystery gift, all in an old-world Seventh Atelier cardboard gift box printed to resemble an expedition crate.

The mystery gift varies and might be a sticker, a tea sample, or another small surprise. Particular mystery items are not guaranteed.

“I consider a letter essential expedition equipment. Someone must explain the contents before an enthusiastic recipient attempts to plant them.”

Yours in moonlit investigations and closely observed cups,
Professor Eldrin Nightshade
Alchemist of the Seventh Atelier

My dimensional field notes belong to the Atelier’s fictional world; the tea itself offers no literal magical effects.