I thought this was a top-notch green tea!

Dry leaf is tightly rolled and pleasingly aromatic, with a floral aroma suggesting orchid. Upon steeping, the leaf is slow to unfurl and slow to infuse, and the more familiar grassy aromas of green tea begin to slowly come out. The leaves are completely intact and unbroken: each pearl consists of two leaves and a bud, and the leaves are quite young and tender.

Produces a light colored cup with an incredibly sweet and smooth flavor. First infusion is sweet, honey like, and mild. Second infusion is still light and mild, but has a stronger grassy aroma, and slightly more body. There is less of the umami or savory quality than is typical for a tea of this quality, which I find creates a sort of simplicity, and makes this tea easier to drink.

Easily brews three infusions. I prefer to steep longer, though, 4+ minutes for the first cup and 5+ for the second cup, and make only two infusions. This tea is very smooth and does not get bitter or astringent if steeped longer. I also found I could up the water temperature on the last infusion to extract a bit more flavor. Simpson and Vail recommends to use hotter water (190F) than one normally would use with a green tea, and I found that this worked well, although it also produced good results when the water was cooler. Bottom line: this tea is easy to brew and came out very pleasantly no matter how I approached it.

I think this tea offers quite a bargain, given its quality, how easy to brew it is, and how well the flavor persists through multiple infusions. It's not cheap, but I've had considerably pricier green teas that were less smooth and nuanced than this one. I would strongly recommend this one for anyone who likes sweet, smooth green teas.

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