This tea is absolutely gorgeous in its dry leaf appearance but decidedly less impressive as a drink.
First, the good things: if someone wants to enjoy all of the visual richness of different colors, shapes and textures that green tea can offer this tea would be an excellent choice. The other good thing is that this Mao Feng, unlike many other greens, is way less happy to smite you with vengeful bitterness for any deviation from the rigidly prescribed water temperature or steeping time. In short, it lets you to experiment.
Now about the taste. I have to wholeheartedly agree with eastkyteaguy’s review of the 2017 harvest: “This was one of those teas that seemed a lot simpler than it was. Had I not taken the time to carefully and patiently ponder each sniff and sip, I undoubtedly would have gotten a lot less out of it. I found that this tea required focus and dedication in order to fully appreciate it.” Unfortunately I tend to drink tea mostly for pleasure and when I pour myself a cup I really DO NOT mentally go “Bluegreen, now you need to muster all of your patience, focus and dedication!”
And to a casual sipper like me this tea tastes very light, full with grass, wild flowers, asparagus and a bit of umami. If you steep it hotter/longer it acquires a bit of equally pleasant vegetal bitterness. In short – a pleasant light tea that does not overtly impress you or shows a lot of personality. When you focus on every sip it does reveal a lot more but I strongly prefer teas that are way less guarded, those that want to be your friends from the very first sip.
Flavors: Asparagus, Flowers, Grass, Umami
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I finished 25 grams of this a few months ago but never took notes. Reading your review, I can look back and get most of what you’re describing. Definitely a beautiful and light tea. If you haven’t tried it, I’d suggest a cold brew. It becomes so pleasantly sweet and a light fruitiness really comes out to play with the grass and wildflowers.
If three people report similar experiences from a tea they must be onto something. Thank you for the cold brewing suggestion. I actually have never done for any tea. Do you mind sharing how did you coldbrew this Mao Feng? I might try.
Cold-brewed, the Mao Feng was a nice refreshment in the early am when the weather was warmer. 1 to 2 heaping tbsp leaf per liter of water depending upon how much flavor you want. Keep in the refrigerator overnight. Pretty easy. You can resteep the leaves, too.
derk, I prepared this tea via coldbrew as you suggested and liked it quite a bit. I think it is more interesting that way than in a conventional hot steeping. Thank you for the suggestion!
I finished 25 grams of this a few months ago but never took notes. Reading your review, I can look back and get most of what you’re describing. Definitely a beautiful and light tea. If you haven’t tried it, I’d suggest a cold brew. It becomes so pleasantly sweet and a light fruitiness really comes out to play with the grass and wildflowers.
If three people report similar experiences from a tea they must be onto something. Thank you for the cold brewing suggestion. I actually have never done for any tea. Do you mind sharing how did you coldbrew this Mao Feng? I might try.
Cold-brewed, the Mao Feng was a nice refreshment in the early am when the weather was warmer. 1 to 2 heaping tbsp leaf per liter of water depending upon how much flavor you want. Keep in the refrigerator overnight. Pretty easy. You can resteep the leaves, too.
derk, I prepared this tea via coldbrew as you suggested and liked it quite a bit. I think it is more interesting that way than in a conventional hot steeping. Thank you for the suggestion!