Biluochun — the curled green tea
with a fragrance that startles

Biluochun is picked very early and only once a year, from mid-March to early April. The tea picked before the Qingming Festival — Mingqian (明前) — is the top grade: youngest leaves, most down, freshest aroma. The Mingqian window lasts only about 7–10 days, which is why it is so scarce and so dear. Visit Suzhou in that window and you can drink the freshest new tea of the year.

Real Biluochun grows on the eastern and western Dongting hills (东山/西山) by Lake Taihu, southwest of Suzhou. What makes it special is that the tea gardens are planted in among fruit orchards — loquat, plum, citrus — so the leaves take on a floral, fruity note. Tea grown outside Dongting may look similar, but it doesn't carry the same aroma.

Biluochun is very delicate, so use water at only about 75–80°C — too hot and it turns bitter and the aroma burns off. It is usually brewed in a clear glass so you can watch the leaves open, using the "leaves after water" method (上投法): pour the water in first, then scatter the leaves on top. The downy leaves slowly sink and unfurl. Steep for 2–3 minutes; drink it plain, no sugar or milk.

Because Biluochun is so popular, fakes are everywhere. The big problem is lower-grade or out-of-region tea — often from Sichuan, where it's cheaper to grow — sold under the Dongting name. The safest move is to buy from a shop that lets you taste before you buy and can state the grade and origin clearly. Be suspicious of anything cheap that claims to be Mingqian Dongting, since the genuine top grade is always pricey. Better still, go up to the tea villages on the Dongting hills and buy direct from the gardens.

The number-one drink to try — real Dongting Biluochun, served in a clear glass, the tiny downy spirals slowly sinking and unfurling. The liquor is a pale, clear green; the taste fresh, with a lingering sweetness and a fruit-and-flower aroma. Drink it plain. You'll get it freshest at an old-town teahouse or up in the hill tea villages, and best of all in new-tea season.

Plenty of Suzhou's newer cafés borrow the city's Biluochun into a drink — a Biluochun latte is espresso with milk and green tea, the nutty-fruity note of the tea cutting against the depth of the coffee. It's a handshake between the city's tea heritage and a coffee scene on the rise. If you see it on a menu, try a cup — drinking a Biluochun latte in the city where the tea was born means something a little different.

Osmanthus (桂花) is Suzhou's autumn scent, and teahouses and cafés alike turn it into drinks — from osmanthus tea to a cold brew or latte scented with the flower, sweet and fragrant on its own without much added sugar. Come in September–November when the flowers are out and this is the seasonal flavour to try.

Sipping tea in Suzhou usually comes with small local snacks — soft Suzhou-style rice cakes, mung-bean cakes, osmanthus sweets, and melon or pumpkin seeds to nibble while you top up the pot. Most teahouses set out a few with the tea already, but if you want more, order some local sweets alongside — their gentle sweetness plays nicely against the fresh green tea. To go deeper, see our Suzhou mooncakes and pastries guide.