Baokang Green is one of those teas that come as a suprise, out of the infinite universe of China's regional varieties. Me and Mengying discovered it once on a visit to the sleepy city of Xiangyang, in northwestern Hubei Province. A local street tea seller gave us some of this tea to try and then the next day we went to Baokang County, one hour west, to visit some of the local organic cooperatives which produce this tea. This is a steamed tea with a history dating from the Qing dynasty, but Baokang tea could never become as popular as Enshi Yulu or Xinyang Maojian, as it was and is still limited to its neighboring region. It is a strong green tea, with intense and energizing flavor, tasting of ripe melon, dense tropical air, burning grass and cashew nuts. We like it for its character, force and indomitable spirit of the forest and we would like to share it with you with pleasure.