Snow Dragon

I haven’t had this in a while but for the past few days hubby and I have been making a large tetsubin of tea and doing yoga together by candlelight with Pandora playing before bed. I am trying to spring back from this blasted upper respiratory thing and get back in decent shape. I picked this one tonight. We typically have green, white, or oolong together, rarely black tea.

This still has a delicate creaminess, but I tasted something tonight I don’t remember picking up before. In previous notes I said it had a light nutty flavor, perhaps walnuts, but tonight I am definitely getting a fruity note. The last tea in the tetsubin was a plain Bai Mu Dan but I did actually make the tea in a smaller pot and resteep the leaves to combine the two steeps in the tetsubin. The last tea in that small pot was Palace of Roses, but I rinsed it before making this. I wonder if it still could have added flavor to the tea? If it did, it was a brilliant accident because this is amazing. I see another note that mentions this tea tasting floral. I feel like I am getting a light fruity note for sure. I will have to try this again and see if I get the same thing.

Backlogged from this morning.

I really enjoy the way this smells dry, very fresh and crisp. Wet it smells more like cooked greens. Taste is superb, very fresh and crisp with slight cooked greens and the aftertaste has an almost minty quality to it. It reminds me of an early morning in spring with dew on the grass and the earth is slightly damp from the night before. Bumping the rating up a little.

The leaves are long and rather aesthetically interesting – a mixture of frosted green with lighter down-covered leaves populate the tin. As far as aroma of dry teas go, this is a clear favorite, it is simply delicious to smell. The leaves brighten as they brew, to a lively green-yellow that is slightly brighter than tea, which makes for an attractive setup. The aroma in the cup is rather pleasant as well. I find this tea to be very elegant, not at all buttery and just mildly earthy. The brewed color is a light pale translucent green – but be on guard, it steeps quickly and does not get darker. The body has the feel of a medium tea in the mouth, and is rather crisp and more mellow than some of the Japanese greens. This tea is a unique green and one I intend to have in constant supply.

I bought this more on a whim to qualify for free shipping than because I was really interested in it. Wow! I used to think I didn’t like floral anything teas, but the floral scent/taste is lovely. I find it light in the mouth & the floral taste to me isn’t overpowering (husband thought it was much stronger). Very pleasantly surprised.