Part 3 of 3 of my Teavivre 2013 Long Jing Smackdown. Spring samples courtesy of the generous Angel over at Teavivire. I cross reference the 3 types of Long Jing teas I received in their respective tasting notes, so if you’re really curious you might want to check them out for a more full account.
Part 1 – “Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea”
Part 2 – “Premium Dragon Well Green Tea”
Both can be found in my Tea Log — http://steepster.com/markballou
Here, with this Organic Long Jing (my previous goto Long Jing for 2012), it got more interesting for me. Again as I’ve mentioned in my Ming Qian tasting note, I didn’t find these teas significantly different. I really wrung my hands over the samples. At one point I had to bust out some competitor’s Long Jing for a kind of baseline. But what finally stood out the most, and what separated this Organic Long Jing from the two others I’d sampled from Teavivre, was an overall bolder smell and taste. OK, that’s pretty base… I tried to put my finger on it when I did my side by side comparison. I’d come to the conclusion these 3 teas were so closely matched that I had to brew them all in one sitting to really feel them out.
Here’s what I can say about this organic version. Have you ever tasted the difference between organic poultry or meat? In my experience I find the flavor to be a bit gamier. Funny enough that’s the best way I can describe this tea. Not that it was literally gamy, but its profile was bolder and broader, more pronounced and very specifically it yielded later infusions that were stronger and more flavorful. Do I like that? Yes, I do. Do I like that enough to pay the extra and forgo the Premium? That’s a good question.
I think, though I find the Organic more complex, the way I tend to drink Long Jing (on the go), some of the benefits might be lost to me. If I were going to save this for sitting, sharing and really experiencing, I’d say it’s worth it. With that said, I may just buy a bit to keep on the side for friends, while sticking with the Premium as my primary bread and butter. Of course, since I was sent the samples, Teavivre is now offering a basic 2013 non-organic Dragon Well Long Jing. So, it’s possible that might be a good solution for an everyday Long Jing… I hadn’t particularly cared for it in 2012, but 2013 is turning out to be a good year across the board.
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Nice set of reviews Mark. I like to try to compare similar teas, & often I can taste/feel a difference, but I can’t always define it or put it in words. Being a carnivore with a freezer full of locally raised meat, I definitely got the ‘gaminess’ idea, that was clever. :)
Thanks. It’s the only way I could think to describe it. And literally having 3 glasses side by side (along with a glass of water on the side to clear my palate between sips) this is what stood out.
Nice set of reviews Mark. I like to try to compare similar teas, & often I can taste/feel a difference, but I can’t always define it or put it in words. Being a carnivore with a freezer full of locally raised meat, I definitely got the ‘gaminess’ idea, that was clever. :)
Thanks. It’s the only way I could think to describe it. And literally having 3 glasses side by side (along with a glass of water on the side to clear my palate between sips) this is what stood out.