Loose. Appearance: leaves are small, gently rolled slate gray-green. They do look like greenish eyebrows (the name). They become much greener after steeping but lose their shape. Liquor: yellow with green tints. It is a warmer yellow on second infusion. Smell: smoky, earthy, but still green tea. I think it smells like a lot of other Chinese greens. (On just smell alone, I usually prefer the overt vegetal notes of a Japanese green.) Taste: The taste is nice and mellow, with only some bitterness. It is less sweet than other teas, and the smoky notes of the smell come through – and become stronger as it cools. When it very first hits the palate there is a vegetal (dark leafy green) taste, but that tends to fade into a lingering astringency and smoky aftertaste. The second infusion is even smoother and smokier. (Some chun mee teas are said to have a plum flavor and I don’t get that at all). It’s not my favorite green tea but this is pleasant enough. 6/10
175 °F / 79 °C
2 min, 0 sec
