In the ancient Buddhist cosmology, the universe is divided into six realms. The human sits in the middle, they experience both happiness and suffering in some measures.

The gods and demigods occupy the two higher realms. They live for millions of years, and enjoy all things they desire with ease and abundance - until their fall from grace.

If the Jipin grade is the existence of a dignified human being, then the King grades are the god realm. Can you imagine yourself breathing in the heavenly aroma? Compared to the Jipin grade, the King Grades do give you a real step change in quality.

Another amazing thing about the King grades is that every year's different. This is oolong tea at its cutting edge. Shen and his tea makers innovate rapidly to cater for the rapidly changing taste of the Chinese consumers.

You can expect the same high quality year after year, with subtle changes in nuances.

For the 2011 autumn harvests, my favorites are King Grade 1 and 2. Instead of getting them individually, a good way to sample them is to get the King 5-in-1 Sampler.

The deserved successor to the King Grade 1 of 2009 (who was the Gold medal winner of the Shenyang Tea Exposition Fair of October 2008), King Grade 1 has an exquisite osmanthus perfume.

One rule of thumb of tea-tasting is that you leave the best to the last, as they require more experience to appreciate. In particular, there are four elements of the tea journey:

• Mouth-feel
• Nose-feel
• After-taste
• After-feeling

While after-feeling is the most neglected of the tea journey, the Chinese expert regards it as the most important determinant of quality. A high quality tea should make a difference to your day, making you feel refreshed and alert!

King 1 has the best after-feeling of all the King Grades. The aftertaste is very long. My palate stays sweet for as long as 4 hours after tasting! However, the nose perfume is slow, arising only after the 2nd infusion.

This style of tea is also known as Zhengwei, which means Middle Taste. The emphasis is on the after-feeling rather than strong mouthfeel.

Successor to the King Grade 2 of 2009 (who was the Silver medal winner of the Shenyang Tea Exposition Fair of October 2008)，King Grade 2 is similar to 1, but more oxidized. The perfume is orchid.

Being more oxidized gives her a stronger aroma and taste, yet retaining an elegance that makes her very well rounded and harmonious.

You may also be surprised to find her aroma peaks later, after 3 infusions.

King Grade 3 is also similar to 1 and 2, with lighter taste and orchid aroma.

She is notable for her wet leaves, which are extremely attractive.

King Grade 4 is also orchid with lighter taste and aroma.

She is notable for her attractive wet leaves and exquisitely sweet taste!

King 5 is also orchid.

She is notable for her heavier mouthfeel and long stamina. You can infuse her for many times, and yet the flavors will stay and not diminish!

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