2013 Pre-Qingming An Ji Bai Cha First Day Harvest

I’m sorry I didn’t have more of this tea. Pale in color, I’m basing this review off of a small amount I had left over from the initial sample I received and made no notes on. Yielding very small (for me) 3-4 oz cups with the 2 tsp of leaf I probably had remaining, I still got a satisfying cup. Light citrus notes with a mild tingling mouth feel. Did I leave the zipper from the packaging undone? Or did it just open easily when I went to smell the tea? I hope the latter. Wish I could double or even triple the amount of tea for this much water. This is an exercise in the subtle compared to the rich, thick Long Jing steepings I’ve grown accustomed to lately.

I go for a cooler water brew of about 1min, followed by braver extensions of time… 2, 3, 4 mins. At first I’d brewed using the cooled the water from preheating my infuser, then I skipped this step, letting the water having cooled in my kettle suffice.

I imagine some of my tea drinking friends might say this tastes like water, and with the aftertaste of grilled onions still on my palate from my dinner earlier, I’d tend to agree. But I know better, and allow my taste buds to listen, dialing me back in.

Most of my tea drinking for the last few months has been while very active at work. As such, though I try to prepare it somewhat carefully on the go, I think I’ve lost a bit of sensitivity. While preparing a tea like this is a meditation, a reminder.

I think next year I will invest, purchasing more, so that I can truly appreciate what this tea has to offer.