Nepal 1st Flush Spring Buds

So, I chose this for my dinner tonight (a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich). The package says “zesty cucumber” on it. I couldn’t have imagined what a “strong” cucumber smell was like before, but the wet leaves had this smell – very earthy and green. It was a little bit off-putting, to be honest. But the brewed tea was fabulous. It’s super-light and subtle and smooth. You do get a little bit of zest in the aroma, but there is no bitterness from tannins. (Somehow I expect zesty nose in the tea to correspond with the bitter flavor of actual citrus zest.) What a nice comforting tea for a chilly evening at home!

ETA: I almost didn’t receive this tea, because someone is stealing mail out of the mailboxes on my street again. Charming. (I would have thought this was so punk back in the day – think Dead Kennedys song.) Anyhow, apparently the thieves weren’t interested in tea and dumped this package on the side of the road somewhere. Thanks, USPS, for finding it and getting it to me!

The dry tea is a mixture of green leaves and fuzzy silver buds. It smells a little bit sweet. It brews up to a light golden liquor, with a scent that’s very fresh and reminds me of a spring breeze. The flavour is sweet and vegetal, like fresh spring peas or new green grass. The mouthfeel is very smooth with just a hint of astringency in my mouth as I approach the bottom of the cup. This is like spring in a cup. :)

The first steep of this was light and vegetal, lettuce & cucumber. The second steep was extremely floral.

This was the second tea we sampled at my party today.

Afternoon Steepster Dudes and Dudettes! I finally tore myself away from purple teas from What-Cha today as I am seriously in the mood for a subtle white tea. This is a 1st flush from Nepal. Every white tea I have had previously I believe to be of Chinese origin, so I am excited to try this one. The leaf is wonderfully scented of grass and melon. It looks like White Peony with its silver haired buds and big green leaf. I decided to use my 90 ml gaiwan for the first few steeps. 3 g, 175 F, and 15 seconds. The liquor is only the faintest yellow tint. It tastes savory and of cucumber and melon. Second steep was equally excellent. For the third go, I switched to the press so I could steep per What-Cha’s recommended 3 minute steep. As the cup is cooling to drink my wife decides to show me material samples for her latest sewing project. When we are done discussing it, the tea is cold and tastes kind of woodsy and nutty. Fourth cup, has a definite fruity apricot scent. The melon/cucumber notes are lighter but present. This now has a slight mineral note and a cooling sensation. The inside of my cheeks are tingling long after the tea is gone and my breath still feels cool. This stands up to White Peony extremely well.