Chun Mei Green Tea (Zhen Mei)

No one ever seems to talk about Chun Mei—Long Jing, Sencha, Mao Feng, Gunpowder, the list of famous green teas goes on and on, but poor little Chun Mei seems to get little respect. The only time I’ve ever seen it named as a China green tea is on the box of the Tazo filterbag Chun Mee. Lots of other filterbags appear to contain Chun Mei—or a blend one of the components of which is Chun Mei—but when it comes time to rave about loose leaf greens, the topic never seems to come up.

That’s why I decided to order a sample of this tea from Teavivre. I wanted to know what this tea looks and tastes like in loose leaf form. I agree with the description of the dried leaves as eyebrow-like. They are very cute. The dried form also looks a bit like something on the road to becoming Gunpowder.

The liquor is light golden brown and tastes rather robust and earthy. It’s actually quite good, with a stronger cooked flavor. This tea is hearty but not at all bitter. I’ll definitely be ordering a full supply, as I find Chun Mei to be tasty and think that it would pair well with spicy food. In fact, I enjoyed this tea right after a heavily spiced Thai meal.

I wonder whether the low price of Chun Mei is an indication that many green tea drinkers prefer less assertive flavors? No matter: I like it, I do.

(Blazing New Rating #60)

I think I over-leafed this one, as it is a little bitter and sour, but still pretty mild. I measured on my bamboo spoon and seemed like a good amount, but that left less than half of the sample packet left. It is still pretty decent, aside from that, and I am surprised that such a short steep brought out as much flavour as I got. The dry leaf of this one smells so fresh and green, but the brewed tea seems to be a little heartier. Almost roasted? To me, at least. I dunno. It could be me, or maybe the over-leafing.

I’d say that this tea, given the faults in my brewing, is still pretty nice. I am grateful that Angel at Teavivre sent me this one. I hope my follow up steep with the rest of the package will give me a slightly more moderate flavour profile. So far, I think I like Dragonwell greens the best from China. Especially really butter ones.