Pi Lo Chun (Green Snail Spring) (ZG92)

Ahhhhh. This is much more in line with what I like in a green tea. Sweet and peachy without a single flavoring or additive. There is a slight vegetal undertone, but it’s very pleasant.

I’m on my second steep now :) Slightly sweeter. Very delightful. It’s funny how tea experiences differ – even within a single tea in a single tin. Although I did what I thought was the same exact thing, this second steep is much sweeter than it was the last time I had this tea. I think that’s one of the reasons I find tea so enjoyable – the unpredictability and the elusiveness. We can try to set the scene just right, but just like life – you never know exactly what is going to happen. Sometimes the same thing is more delightful than at other times. Sometimes you oversteep and it’s forgiving, sometimes a total disaster – cup down the drain. This may make people uncomfortable – I guess they are the soda drinkers, literally and figuratively!

I think I’ll make one more steep :)

Quite possibly my favorite green tea to date. I received this Green tea as part of a set from Upton Tea and almost exclusively drink it compared to the others (In regards to Greens). First infusion I’m certain I cooked the leaves with too hot of water revealing a very vegetal/smoky flavor, but it was still delicious. After having some time getting acquainted with this tea I found the flavor to be similar to sweet artichoke leaf dipped in butter with that smoky note!

Ok. I want to start this by saying I have never really been the fondest of straight green tea. However, I have been told by many these days that my experience is skewed because I am used to grocery store green tea. So I bought a bunch of green tea samples to try from across the board to see if what I am being told is right or not. This is one of my first (non-jasmine) attempts. Here goes.

Ok, right off the bat this isn’t starting out well. This tea tastes slightly smoked, which is definitely NOT my favorite flavor. The weird thing is I didn’t notice the smokey flavor till the bottom of cup one. Resteep is smokey right away though. Definitely getting those green tea flavor notes, but it isn’t overpowering. If I had to describe it I would say smoked spinach. There’s almost a meaty flavor to it as well, kinda like jerky. I don’t know if I didn’t prepare this right or what but I’m getting a different flavor profile than everyone else on here. It kinda tastes like… dinner. Like beef and potatoes and veggies dinner all mixed up in one. Not the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, but certainly not good either. I think I will have to pass on this one and try a different one next time. Oh well.

Backlog. Let’s call this Sipdown no. 1 of November 2019 (no. 106 of 2019 total, no. 594 grand total). Sample tin.

A nice, mild, green tea that has dry leaves enjoyable to look at. I shall miss it.

Tea #33 from Considering a new TTB
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would, it had a bit of a bite to it. Perhaps my water hadn’t cooled off as much as I thought it had, or maybe it’s just the tea itself. I enjoyed the second steep more, a subtle sweet note came out to play and it didn’t have the bitterness I noticed in the first steep.

I drink this tea every day. Personal favorite.

Resteep for a scant 3.5 min, 180F. What a difference 30 sec makes. No bitterness, a pale liquor and fresh, mild taste. Resolution to get it right on first steep next time. Would like to get a bit more flavor.

One of my personal favorites – very delicate, and slightly sweet. Almost straddles the gap (cup?) between budset white teas and greens. Upton often carries both this version, which is grown in the PRC, and also Taiwanese teas in the same style (which are cheaper, and typically good, if not quite as good by my standards).