Jade Cloud

So I decided to sign up for an account after being appalled by the low rating of “74” this tea has gotten. This tea is simply brilliant. It is sensitive, yes, and I have found if it is brewed longer than two minutes on the first brew at above a temperature of 80celcius it can get bitter. However, if brewed properly it is absolutely divine. It clears the mind wonderfully, and I feel it has really high levels of theanine (which is what I look for in a tea). It has a very clean, fresh, feeling- much like the early days of spring. Of course I have had higher quality green teas before, but with rating a tea I take in account the price. At $49 a pound, it is quite the bargain and that is why I give this tea a solid 90. I highly respect Rishi tea company and I trust them very much. I have never had a tea from them that tasted “dirty”. Again, just be careful not to over brew this tea and you’ll be soaring high on Jade Cloud 9!!

Yay! Found a pure green tea I like!

While this has a typical green flavour, it is also a bit sweet. Lots of tannins without being astringent or bitter at all (if only steeped for a moment, in cool water), and not too stemy in flavour.

Tried this at a local coffee shop today. It was a nice basic green tea with a strong green bean flavor and a bit of astringency. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t a standout for me.

Did not enjoy. Flat and old tasting. Bitter despite lower temperatures and brew times.

Second steep was much less bitter. However, but still flat and very old tasting. Third steep had no bitterness, but started having hints of mildew.

My first tea of the day and the first green tea I have had in a long time, I cannot believe I waited this long to try this one. I really need to start drinking more green teas. I used to love them when I was younger.

In the glass, this tea shows a pale green. Aromas of bamboo, freshly cut grass, honey, green beans, squash blossom, soybean, garden peas, and perhaps a bit of honeydew melon are detectable on the nose. This tea smells light and fresh. In the mouth, vegetal and grassy notes are immediately evident, but are quickly evened out by traces of honey, honeydew, and a slight floral, nectar-like note. No matter how hard I try, I’m not picking up on the blueberry, chestnut, or mint flavors that sometimes get mentioned in tasting notes for this tea. The finish is longer than expected, featuring a pleasant mixture of honey, grass, and vegetables.

All in all, this is not the most complex green tea that I have ever had, but I really like it. It tastes light and fresh, but with enough complexity to warrant revisiting regularly. I particularly enjoyed the undertones of fresh fruit and honey that came out after I really started trying to identify individual flavors.

Cold brewed 4.5 g in 16 oz of water for 24 hours. Always impressed with cold brewing. Cold brew extracted more delicate notes and more accentuated flavors as compared to hot brewing. Still a basic green tea lacking complexity other than vegetal notes. Cold brew yields creamier mouthfeel as well. Tannins extracted well giving it some astringency. I thought cold brewing doesn’t extract tannins like hot brewing, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue here.

I tend to let my tea bag just stay in the cup till I finish it and then add more hot water. I’ve been trying to drink more green tea and this one becomes more bitter the longer it sits. On the second cup is a lot more mild and enjoyable. I didn’t add anything to this one.

Thank you Rishi for the sample. I had this in a tea bag that was a free sample from Midwest Tea Fest. I won’t give a proper full review with elaborate Gongfu tasting notes (since it’s in a tea bag), but I think that when you’re looking at bagged green teas, this is a great one. The leaves are whole and the flavor is that of authentic Chinese green tea. It’s very vegetal and green tasting with some classic hints of green bean that you’ll sense in a lot of Chinese greens. I don’t typically buy bagged teas, so it’s not one I’d buy again, but It was nice and light, fresh tasting. I’d say this one veers more toward grassy and leafy than toward nutty or earthy, on the green tea flavor spectrum. It’s a good product for a person who likes tea bags… and it came in the nice pyramid shaped mesh tea bag to really give the leaves room to open and expand, which is helpful to the overall flavor. Thanks for the sample, Rishi Tea!

This sample was included as part of my March 2015 Steepster Select box, celebrating a variety of teas from China. I was happy to see this sample among the others as it is a bit like seeing an old friend whom you enjoy the company of, and can’t remember why you have been out of touch.

Steeped in accordance with the instructions on the packet (1 tsp/4 g per 8 oz, 185 F), in a small glass teapot so that I could watch the leaves dance over the 2.5 minute brewing time. Aroma is delicate and refreshing, Sweet Grass and Sunshine with a hint of nuttiness. The taste is wonderfully much the same. A very beautiful example of the green tea of the Hubei Province. Much tamer and more sophisticated than Yunnan greens, and no astringency like you find in many Japanese greens. A truly wonderful cup of tea.

Drank this tea at 1:30AM since I couldn’t sleep last night.. My tastebuds may not have been awake, but here goes.
I brewed this at 175 degrees for 2 minutes. It comes out as a very light greenish-yellow color and smells very vegetal. The taste is only slightly vegetal, but has a lot of nutty flavors. I don’t generally like nuts, but this tastes like water chestnuts. I thought it kinda tasted like unsalted pistachios at first, but I think it’s more like those canned water chestnuts that people eat for some reason..
Anyway, I’ll steep this one again tonight if I can stay awake long enough. Overall, a good tea, but not my cup of tea due to the overly nutty flavor.

The second steep of this (2.5 min) was much more smooth and didn’t have the powerful nut notes. I enjoyed the second steep a whole lot more :)