I thought this an outstanding tea. Many of my favorite Chinese green teas originate in Zhejiang province, and I was eager to try this one. I found it very pleasing!

The dry leaf consists of long, extremely straight, narrow leaves, and is intensely aromatic. The aroma is among the most complex of any dry tea I've ever encountered: suggestive of sweetness, grassy, toasty, with strong nutty undertones, and a hint of smokiness. Reminiscent of dragon well, but also reminiscent of other high-quality Zhejiang teas.

TeaVivre's brewing instructions give a temperature that seemed on the high end for green tea: 194F. I found I preferred 180F. They recommended a 1-2 minute steeping and I found I preferred 3. I found very little leaf was necessary to produce a flavorful cup.

The brewed cup is extremely clear in color and pale, but retains a complex aroma. Some skunky tones emerge, which were absent in the dry leaf. Aroma is herbaceous. Finish is slightly smoky. Thinner-bodied, but with a very pleasant bitterness...almost metallic, but not in a bad way. A faint astringency in the finish, which I find pleasing.

Very refreshing, cooling.

I tried brewing at a higher temperature, like recommended (not quite boiling but closer), and I found that the aroma was the same but the metallic flavor or sensation in the cup was somewhat magnified, and the cup was more sour as well, a quality I dislike, so I preferred a lower temperature.

Easily brews a second infusion, but the second infusion has a less complex aroma. I brewed longer to extract more flavor. It was still very pleasant, but not quite as mind-blowing as the first cup.

I found I was able to make multiple infusions if I kept the first infusion very brief. I found this brought out delicate orchid tones in the aroma, but the overall character of the cup was less exciting.

This tea is priced in a medium range, neither cheap nor expensive. But I think it is quite a deal, given how flavorful the leaf is. Definitely my favorite tea from TeaVivre yet, and among my favorite green teas ever sampled.

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Comments:

spaflam wrote: on May 16th, 2013

I want to try this one!!!

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