I rarely buy Long Jing these days, but I received a free sample of this one.
It has a dry leaf smell of grass flowers, baked goods and peanuts. Overall, it’s a relatively sweet aroma.
For the first, long, steep I used lower temp around 70 degrees. The tea turned out with full body and elegant and refined taste. It has the grassy sweetness, but the nutty notes are weak. I love its creamy mouthfeel and a bright, sour and savoury taste on top of the strong florals. I can taste butter and squash too.
Second infusion at 80 degrees was also pretty long at two minutes or so, but the tea hold up extremely well. There is no abrasive astringency and now we also get a lovely bitterness. The tea has a grainy taste like oats. It is still very bright and easy to drink though, despite the thick liquor. The aftertaste is not too sweet, mouth-watering and refreshing.
The cha qi is fairly unique, deconstructing reality and pulling my attention in to the experience. For the price it sells, this would be a great green tea to in the spring.
Flavors: Bitter, Butter, Creamy, Dry Grass, Floral, Flowers, Grass, Sour, Squash, Sweet
