Another sample from Life in Teacup, this is my kind of tea: a classic Chinese pan-fired green tea wild a bold flavor. This tea looks typical at first, but as I started experimenting with brewing it, I found it had a lot of personality.

After a few trials, I found that I achieved the best results for my tastes by using a little more than a teaspoon of leaves and making three infusions. Life in Teacup's note that the leaves go farther than you would expect is key: the leaves look tiny, light, and wiry, but they expand and have a very strong flavor, so keep that in mind.

For the first, 1 minute, the aroma is fruity and grassy. Flavor is sweet.

Second, two and a half minutes, aroma is less fruity and more grassy. Flavor is more bitter and astringent, and less sweet.

Third, which I found needed 10 or so minutes to bring out the full flavor, was herbaceous, with tones of vanilla, and a peppery quality in the aftertaste. This infusion was very interesting, and was what made this tea stand out--few teas have so many new qualities come out so boldly in a third infusion, which were not at all present in earlier ones, even when I use a dramatically longer steeping time like I did here. This was all I was able to get out of the tea.

When I used less leaf and made only two infusions, the results were good, but not as interesting: the tea tasted like a typical Chinese green tea, with perhaps some deeper skunky tones. Less interesting when brewed this way.

Bottom line? Classic flavor for a Chinese green tea. Very reasonably priced. Very good for multiple infusions, and diverse from one infusion to the next. I think this is the sort of tea I would be able to drink every day without getting tired of.

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