3 FLOWER BURST

Yunnan, the southernmost province in the People's Republic of China, is also the country's largest producer of flowers. And like everything produced in China, when we say large, we mean large on a scale the likes of which you've never seen before.

In 2003, the province - which covers roughly 394 000 square kms or 4.1% of China's landmass - grew more than 3 billion flowers commercially! 3 billion! That's the equivalent of 3 stems for each of China's 1 billion citizens. Now that's a lot of flowers.

The high production numbers have secured Yunnan's position as China's top flower producing region for more than 10 years straight. During those years, the province's Carnations, Forget-Me-Nots, Lilies, Osmanthus, and Jasmine flowers have accounted for 45% of China's total annual floral exports. So what makes the conditions in Yunnan so ideal for growing flowers? The answer lies in its geographical location. Yunnan sits directly below the Tropic of Cancer, the farthest northern latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead - an event that occurs once a year on the 21st of June. In short Yunnan gets a lot of direct sunlight. And as every good schoolchild knows flowers love the sun and lots of it. Couple that with an average rainfall of between 1 000 to 1 9000 mm annually, and you've got ideal conditions.

As every good tea-drinker knows, Yunnan is also famous for growing tea. So it seems only natural that given the prominence of the local floral industry, tea artisans would create a tea in its honour - 3 Flower Burst. The idea behind the tea is that as it brews, it unfolds and mimics the way the lush Yunnan countryside bursts open with colour in the springtime. The tea is produced by tying Lily, Osmanthus, and Jasmine blooms together with steamed full leaves of Yunnan green tea. As the tea dries, the flowers are held inside the way seeds are concealed in the damp earth. Drop the tea into a glass pitcher, infuse it, and watch the miraculous bloom unfold. The cup, like springtime in Yunnan, is bright with a very full green taste, layered with overtones of cut peach and undertones of jasmine and lily perfume. Makes a perfect gift for Mother's Day - an absolutely wonderful tea.