Imperial Tea Court

This is a beautiful tea made for visual effect as the flower “blooms” in the water, hence you should make it in a glass pot. It took a long time steeping though for the flavor to become apparent. The flavor is mild, though, and even leaving the flower/leaves in the pot for 20 minutes it never turned bitter. The lychee aspect is mild and the green tea like a gentle artichoke/vegetal taste. Very very mild. I photographed the whole process of the flower opening if you want to see how long it took for the tea to brew: http://teawritings.com/?p=120

This was the first selection of the tea of the month club from Imperial tea Court. It just arrived a few days ago. I’m quite pleased with it. The company description seems good. I like the mouth feel, and I seem to pick up a mild nutty flavor.

Monkey-Picked Tie Guan Yin has been Imperial Tea Court’s signature tea ever since we opened our doors 16 years ago. The tea that grew wild in the Wuyi Mountains was once so rare and difficult to harvest that it was said only monkeys could gather leaves from such inaccessible mountainsides. Therefore, South China tea merchants traditionally called their best tea “monkey-picked” to signify its rarity. A proprietor’s monkey-picked tea is like his calling card, representing his tea philosophy. No traditional tea merchant calls a tea monkey-picked lightly! Our Monkey-Picked Tie Guan Yin is nothing less than exceptional. Processed with traditional techniques, this tie guan yin was oxidized “three hong (red) to seven lu (green),” in other words, until 30% of the leaf is reddish brown and 70% remains green. We perform the final firing here in the US to ensure maximum aromatics and flavor. Fans of this great tea will be delighted with this year’s improved version, which features larger leaves packed with flavor, rich viscosity, a great balance of florals and firing, glossy bao guang (“treasured luster” – a sign of high leaf quality) and a rare and highly desireable reddish-orange liquor

To put it simply: I hated this tea. One of the few cups I didn’t finish. I think I toasted it at 190, and need to give it another go. I will, and will report back, but in the meantime, YUCK!

As always with the delicate greens I try at work, this may be a touch too hot, but hey, what can you do? It still came out tasty, so I think it is OK.

The dry leaves smell deeply vegetal, like fresh cut grass. I want to eat them straight! There are a few stems. Wet, they unfold flat and loose some of that grass smell, instead sending out subtle edamame or asparagus scents. The liquor is a light yellow-green, leaning towards golden-yellow, and the cup send out just the barest hint of the asparagus scent.

The taste is strong considering the subtlety of the aromas. The thick, grassy flavors kick in early, giving way in the mid-tones to a more vegetal flavor. I can’t pinpoint what exactly, but suffice to say it is undoubtedly green. No bitterness, no acidity, but neither is it sweet. The aftertaste is somewhat edamame-ish, and very rich. It is a satisfying, savory treat. I would recommend this tea for all ranges of tea lovers, but especially those new to green tea.

This tea is surprisingly light flavored, in my book. I’ve brewed it over a range of suggested times, amounts, and temperatures now and have generally produced very ethereal and flighty tea. It’s got some extremely delicate juicy notes, but never gets particularly rich. The buds look intensely fresh, green and high quality. Bud-only teas from Imperial Court appear to be of the highest quality and freshness. I just wished they’d throw off a slightly more flavorful tea. This tea also seems to give out a touch early. Light on the aroma.

This has got to be the lightest tea I’ve ever drunk. The first time I brewed it, following the guidelines for the tea, I could hardly believe I was drinking tea. I get very little floral quality and just a nip of pungent grassy character. Turning up the heat and increasing the time added depth, but it also added astringency. I’m not sure I’ll be pursuing too many more yellow teas. The post-steeping buds were very beautiful and fresh-looking.

Not bad, a bit musty. I like Imperial Tea Court’s Imperial and Special Reserve puerhs better, in the loose-leaf puerh category