Category: Green Tea

May/June, 2020; var. Huangshan Da Ye Zhong （黄山大叶种); Qimen, Huangshan, Anhui; buds only, fixation→rolling→drying; 600m;
#TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.
Infusion: 4g in 200ml for 10-20 sec.@90-95deg. C

Dry Leaf Aroma: nutty, bready, connamon;
Wet Leaf Aroma: vegetal, cooked broad beans, hint of tobacco;
Liquor: pale green colour, with berry faint fruity/floral aroma;
Mouthfeel: thick, viscous, creamy, a touch of minerals on the tongue tip, mild astringency, mouthwatering, with a peppery finish;
Taste: floral, orchid, mildly bready, with a soft sweet finish.

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Spring, 2021, pre-Ming; var. Dāng Shuǐ Green; Baijiang Union Village, Tonglu County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang; bud only, hand processed; 75-150 meters. #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

Infusion: 4g in 150 ml for 20 sec.@90 deg. C

Dry leaf aroma: hints of melon, and stone fruit – white peach;
Wet leaf aroma: vegetal, green peas, baby corn, and a hint of apricot when cool;
Liquor: pale yellow colour, with faint, barely discernible sweet, fruity aroma;
Mouthfeel: thick, viscous, oily, with lingering fresh, spicy, tingling, astringency;
Taste: florist-shop vegetal taste with a mild sweet fruitiness, a mouthwatering bittersweet finish.

Opinion: This tea is all tips, very small and fine buds. Its taste is refreshing and light, which lingers delightfully long on the tongue. This tea is worth savoring, drinking slowly, to enjoy the full experience of it. Highly enjoyable.

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Lóng Jǐng Lǜ Chá, 龙井绿茶, Dragon Well Green Tea; Spring, 2020; var. #43; Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province; one bud and leaf, green tea process; 200-300m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

Infusion: 6g tea, 50ml hot water flashed, topped up with 550ml chilled, #NongfuSpring water and steeped overnight in the refrigerator, then carbonated with a #sodastream device;

Dry Leaf Aroma: aromatic, fragrant, cotton candy, eggy;
Wet Leaf Aroma: vegetal, grassy, buttery;
Liquor: pale yellow colour with mildly spicy, peppery and floral aroma;
Mouthfeel: light, thin texture, mildly carbonated, mouthwatering
Taste: light, refreshing, pleasant.

Opinion: Summer is here and I’m looking for something different. I’m looking to see how brewing method changes the character of a tea, its flavour and body. I’m also looking to see how carbonation impacts taste and mouthfeel. This tea is floral on the nose with every sip, but carbonation seems to overly thin the texture.

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Spring, Mingqing, 2020; var: Ya’an Lao Chuan Tea; Mending Shan, Sichuan; one bud & 1-2 leaves, semi-manual green tea process; 1000m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

Infusion: 3g in 150ml for 10-30sec@90deg. C

Dry Leaf Aroma: spiced egg biscuit;
Wet Leaf Aroma: spicy, peppery;
Liquor: pale yellow-green liquor with a buttery, bready, mildly cinnamon spiced aroma;
Mouthfeel: moderately viscous, creamy, smooth, stimulating, mouthwatering, with a metallic, sweet finish;
Taste: bready, malty, light, peppery, mildly astringent, with a sweet, lingering lemon-citrus aftertaste;

Opinion: The lingering fresh aftertaste of this tea is highly enjoyable. My initial response was, “Wow! Lemon Biscuits…”

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Pre-Qingming, Spring, 2021; var. Xiaoye Zhong Lao Chuan Cha; Mendingshan, Sichuan; bud only/mainly, 3x frying & rubbing green tea method: Tea Master, Liu Wang Cheng; 1000-1450m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

Infusion: 3.3g (1 sachet) in 150ml for 1-2min. @80-90deg. C

Dry Leaf Aroma: bready, biscuity, buttery, nutty;
Wet Leaf Aroma: slightly sweet, vegetal, cooked peas & lentils;
Liquor: pale yellow straw colour, with a sweet and slightly floral aroma;
Mouthfeel: moderately viscous, syrupy, mild spicy tingling and freshness, with a sweet finish;
Taste: mildly nutty, buttery, slightly vegetal, with retronasal orange/tangerine floral finish;

Opinion: Sweet or Honey “Dew,” “Manna,” or “Tea of the Immortal” (吴理真Wú Lǐ Zhēn,) is one of the oldest and revered green teas in China with almost 2000 years of continuous production history.

This is an overall pleasant tea but is susceptible to over brewing, which results in an orange pith-like bitterness. Whilst not entirely unpleasant, is not desirable either. When brewed correctly, this is a very pleasant drink.

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Early Spring, 2021; var. Camilia sinensis; Jiangnan Tea Market, Nanjing, Jiangsu; bud and leaf, traditional hand-made tea, pine needle shaping; 20-50m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

Infusion: 3g in 200ml for 30-40sec.@85 deg. C

Dry Leaf Aroma: short bread biscuits or Danish cookies with a pronounced, buttery greenness;
Wet Leaf Aroma: watermelon rind, with a hint of Clementine segments, pasionfruit, and Monstera deliciosa;
Liquor: pale yellow-green liquor with light, sweet, fruity scent;
Mouthfeel: thick, viscous, creamy, mildly stimulating and fresh, with a sweet finish, followed by a lingering, gentle, minerality;
Taste: bready, biscuity, buttery, fruity, sweet;

Opinion: This tea… this tea has me chasing down the rabbit hole of a faint and ancient childhood memory. My mum had a Monstera deliciosa which fruited once. She told us kids it was a Fruit Salad Plant. Eventually it ripened and she picked it. Tropical fruit salad, pineapple, banana, mango, mildly sweet smelling, and surprising taste.

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