Tea: Chun Mee Dao Ming

A Chun Mee from Upton Tea Imports - O Organic

This tea has been retired/discontinued.

Picture of Chun Mee Dao Ming
Brand:Upton Tea Imports
Style:Chun Mee
Region:China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Loose?Loose
# Ratings:1 View All

Review of Chun Mee Dao Ming

AromaFlavorValueTotal
9 of 104 of 55 of 588 of 100
SuperbGoodOutstanding

I was really sad to see this one go; it was my favorite example of a chun mee. Although Upton's Chun Mee moon palace was close, I preferred this one.

This is an outstanding green tea at a very reasonable price, and it's organic to boot! It is unusually strong, bitter, and complex for a chun mee tea, and my favorite tea of this style.

The tea is a rich golden color. The aroma is complex, both strong and subtle, and has some grassy tones, nutty tones, a tiny hint of smokiness, some of the floral qualities I normally only encounter in high-end black teas, and some other aspects that defy words. The tea is quite bitter, but in a pleasant way. At the same time there are some mellow qualities that balance the bitterness.

This is one tea I can drink every day without getting tired of. It holds up well to being brewed at different strengths. Using fewer leaves results in less bitterness but there is still a lot of subtlety and it is never bland. Using more leaves, it's more bitter but never overpowering.

Make sure to brew it at a lower temperature though: Upton recommends 180 degrees. This tea scalds easily if the water is too hot, and the result is sour and astringent and absolutely undrinkable. Lastly, I want to note that these leaves hold up very well to multiple infusions.

This is a must-buy for any green-tea enthusiast looking for something different and reasonably-priced.

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