77

This is an interesting Chinese green tea. I haven’t had this style before. Dry leaves are twisted and curled, taking up a lot of volume for their weight (so don’t be afraid to use a lot when you brew). They have a nice range of colors from a pine needle green to frosted and slightly fuzzy tips.

I used 4.5 g in a 100 mL gaiwan. I heated my water to 180 F.

First steep—15 sec.
The liquor was pale yellow with light green tint.
Taste is complex without overwhelming you. A nice middle ground between subtle and intense. One of the first things you notice is the texture, which has a creamy, brothy body that reminds me of something like Tom Yum soup. The flavor has many components, overall is mild, sweet, and comforting. Not grassy at all. I get summer squash sauteed in butter, especially as it cools down a bit. A hint of a bitter note like dark chocolate. A slight minty coolness. Somewhere in there, fruity sweetness.
Second steep—about 30 seconds
Less sweetness and overall less flavor, and this steep brought out some tannins and more of that minty cooling/numbing sensation. I’m wondering if 180 was too hot for this.
Later steeps with cooler water dialed down the astringency, but a lot of the flavor had been squeezed out by that point. Will try cooler, shorter steeps next time to see if I can get more rounds out of it. Still, that first steep was good! And at this price, it’s a bargain!

Flavors: Broth, Butter, Butternut Squash, Chocolate, Fruity, Menthol

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 0 min, 30 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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Bio

I’m not a tea expert by any means. I still have so much to learn and experience about the amazing and enormous world of tea!

I tend to prefer my tea unsweetened, with no added flavors. On the other hand, sometimes nothing will do but Earl Grey with lots of milk and sugar, spicy Chai, or taro milk tea. I usually take it hot, but will definitely enjoy an iced tea, or even a matcha smoothie, in the summertime.

Favorites:
Pu-erh
Darjeeling
Japanese green
Oolong (I’m still figures out which styles are my favorite)
Ginger

Key to my reviews:
95-100: Amazing, mind-blowing tea (I’ve never given this rating yet)
90-95: An exceptional tea, truly excellent. A work of art.
80-89: A very good tea, strongly recommended. Not just high quality, but something special that puts it ahead of the pack.
70-79: A good tea, a solid recommendation. Made with care and quality. Nothing obviously “wrong” with it, but may not have that extra special “something.”
60-68: A pretty good tea. One you could drink daily without disappointment. May have one or two negative qualities, but more good than bad.
50-59: The lowest level of tea I’d consider worth drinking more than once. Usually will only choose it if it’s the only thing I have around.
49 and below: Bad teas, from just “meh” to “spit it out and run for the Listerine.” I probably won’t bother reviewing many in this category.

Location

New England, USA

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