A fascinating green tea completely unlike anything I've ever sampled before, although admittedly, it's my first tea from Hunan province so that may explain the novelty for me. The tightly-rolled tea looks almost oolong-like, rather unlike Bi-luo chun or gunpowder green tea, but upon brewing, it unfurls to look more like other tippy spring-harvest Chinese green teas.

Aroma is complex and has strong melon tones and a hint of camphor in the finish, like some Yunnan teas, but without any of the edginess of these teas. Melon character is a little like honeydew but more vegetal, perhaps tending towards cucumber. The vegetal character of this tea reminds me more than a bit of Darjeeling green teas and Darjeeling oolong. This tea is almost like a white tea but with greater depth and body. The aroma is surprisingly delicate though relative to the dark color of the cup.

Flavor is mild but with a somewhat tangy quality that comes through. This tea is almost completely devoid of bitterness and astringency, even when brewed with water just a notch above 180F (although hotter temperatures bring out more of a cooked vegetable quality that I am less a fan of).

The leaves are slow to infuse. I found the first cup, when making a 3 minute infusion, had little grassiness, but this quality came out more in the second cup, which was a bit more typical for a Chinese green tea.

This tea makes me wish I hadn't broken my only gaiwan recently. I think this would be a great tea for people interested in something truly different, especially people who like teas with melon tones. Very good price too for a tea of this quality., especially when buying in bulk.

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