The dry tea has a vegetal, mineral scent. The leaves are tightly rolled, uniform in size, and they are cute little twisty eyebrow shapes.
Brewed, the scent is very vegetal, like fresh steamed asparagus. The color is a more brown color like clear vegetable broth. This tastes like the tea that I get at my favorite Chinese restaurant.
As the tea cools a little, I can taste the qualities of a green Gyokuro type tea and can taste that it stepped into the oven for such a short time giving it a hint of baked potato skin flavor.
This is a very Earthy tea, not bitter, so it is easy on the caffeine & stomach. I love that I get to drink the same tea that the monks in the local temple drink every day. It is so special to me.
After tasting, I paired the tea with rice and fresh sliced tomatoes that I had for lunch. I thought of the monks and what they might have to eat or when they might drink the tea. I love this green tea.
6/13/14
Had a pot this afternoon and decided to take the temp down to 175 for 1 minute. The instructions say to brew at 190 for 1 minute. I used a heaping teaspoon for 2 cups of water. I like it better at the lower temperature. It still has the mineral flavor but it is more subtle and refined.
Flavors: Mineral
