Mao Feng Green Tea

Was cleaning out my cubby at work and found this stashed at the back! Def forgot that I brought some teabags with me to work. I also found a small bag od David’s Silk Dragon Jasmine in the bottom of my drawer hahaha

This tea tastes like a traditional straight green tea. Actually pretty good, it isn’t overwhelmingly grassy, but still has a great green tea flavor to it!

Sidenote: I cleaned out my desk, cubby, drawers, and past my keys to my backfill. I’ve been at the Grand for the past 3.5 years and now it’s off to go to the Boardwalk! I start at my new location tomorrow… excited, but nervous. I literally don’t know anyone over there so it’ll be nice to start fresh.

An above average green tea. Definitely better than any green tea I’ve had while being out for lunch or supper (I’m looking at you Bigelow and Higgins & Burke!) For a grocery store tea, it’s pretty good! Tastes like what I imagine a green tea should taste like, strong on the plant-like flavour which I enjoy. What lost points on this one for me was the tea bag itself. I hate these plastic-y tea bags. I just don’t imagine them to be healthy or eco-friendly. The other thing I didn’t like was the metallic after-taste at the end of every sip. If it wasn’t for that, I would have given it an even higher rating. I like it but I don’t love it.

My first tea from the GCTTB ! :) Although this is a bagged tea it is full leaf and it’s in a cute, see through, pyramid shaped bag. Nice :)

I’ve had at least one other Mao Feng Green before and it’s usually more vegetal/buttery. This one, however was very floral (but without bitterness). Nonetheless, it was quite enjoyable and convenient to have today as I have 3 appointments and many chores to do (there goes my day off lol). I Loved watching the leaves unravel in the pyramid too :).

Not your typical green tea at all. Beautiful light gold color, fresh grassy yet spicy nose. I was pleasantly surprised by the minimal astringency and the bright, fruity taste of peaches and apples. There is a light body but a lingering finish that reveals its green tea flavor. Overall a surprisingly delightful blend that will surely be a regular in my cupboard!

Finally got a chance to do another tea and music pairing as suggested by Roswell Strange.

Today’s song pairing is Vance Joy’s Riptide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ_1HMAGb4k . This is one I have heard before because it was played quite a bit through the summer. This definitely has the fun and upbeat summer vibe. It’s definitely a ukulele-type song that someone could play while doing outdoorsy summer activities. To me this vibe is reflected in the almost peachy element of the tea.

There is also a mellowness to the whole thing due to the singer’s smooth voice. Smooth and buttery. This is reflected in the vegetal base that has notes of buttery artichoke.

And yet, if you watch the video or listen to the words, there is something just slightly off about the song. At points its a little more intense and there is a bit of worry/talk of being taken to the dark side throughout. That to me is the whisp of smoke lingering on the top of every sip. It works in the mix and makes for something beautiful but also doesn’t entirely fit/blend and that’s what keeps things interesting.

Thank you Roswell Strange for the tea and yet another fun pairing.

Sipdown (133)!

Hmm, I could maybe see myself buying this again…

Finished it off last night while I was bingeing some Netflix – they just put all of season two of How To Get Away With Murder on Netflix so of course I watched all fifteen episodes in one day. Honestly, once I started I just could NOT stop watching. Many cups of tea were enjoyed in between and during episodes.

This was good; vegetal with specifically buttered artichoke tasting notes and then a light peachy fruity undertone and whisps of smoke. If nothing else, it makes me more interested in trying a higher quality Mao Feng now that I’m done with this one.

I really didn’t enjoy this tea unfortunately. I didn’t like the taste or aroma which was somewhat fishy. Further, I steeped for only 2 minutes and it became really bitter. I prefer my green tea smooth.

Very enjoyable - fresh flavor and delightful aroma. I took a tip from some website or other about pressing the hot water out of the leaves, and was able to get three or four good steeps per teabag. I poured the hot water into my mug, then added the teabag once the water was at 176 deg. F (measured with a candy thermometer).

Edit Just noticed I reviewed this before - I think they may have changed the formulation or directions somewhat. I did notice the sachet was somewhat cramped after the second steep, but it did OK without switching to a basket.

Drinking this one at work. Really pleased with the hearty vegetal body and slightly tangy aftertaste. Strong and plain green teas are one of my favourite types! Smells lovely and grassy while brewing, I would say like dry mowed grass on a hot summer day. Light greenish yellow when brewed. Very delightful.

Wasn’t a huge fan. It left a slight ‘fishy’ or ‘grassy’ aftertaste and becomes really bitter really fast if the teabag is left in a little too long. Of course, this could be personal preference. I often prefer a milder green tea.