As ever, I’m well behind with my reviews, because the selection of green teas I’m about to start are from the Spring 2015 harvest. I first tried this one in 2014, and at the time I thought it was vegetal, with notes of green bean and asparagus, and perhaps a touch of grass towards the end of the sip. I said it was clean-tasting and smooth, maybe a little reiniscent of Bi Luo Chun (which is one of my all-time favourite green teas…) It’ll be interesting to see how the following year’s harvest compares!
To begin with, the leaf is similar – quite long and thin, predominantly dark green in colour but with downy creamy-white tips. The scent is mildly vegetal. Definitely green beans! I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 2.5 minutes in water cooled to 180 degrees.
Once brewed, the leaves fade to a more olive green. The flavour is mild, although with a vegetal edge. I don’t think I’d say green bean so much this time – perhaps freshly shelled garden pea. It’s a sweeter, softer flavour than I remember. The end of the sip has an edge of almost-sharpness that’s making me think of lemon squeezed into water. It’s an interesting contrast with the sweet opening notes.
I’m enjoying this one. It’s clean and refreshing, and I like the sweet/sharp interplay. A great spring cup! My rating is unchanged from my previous (2014) tasting.
