Mao Feng

This is the sort of tea that makes me wonder if my taste buds broke. Because I can barely taste it, I have little to say about it – but you’re a fan of the most delicate teas, you should give this one a try!

Couldn’t ask for a better tea to have post-surgery. So mellow and easy-going, gentle and nourishing. Thanks, Mandala :)

Received this as a free sample. The dried leaves smelled vegetal. The light green wet leaves also had a pleasant vegetal aroma. The liquor is a pale yellow. According to their site, one can brew it strong and you’ll get a bold and nutty tea or can brew it light and get a crisp and light tea. I made it my typical gongfu style which is 6g in 110 ml in a gaiwan, starting with a 25s infusion after a rinse, adding 10s each new infusion. It has a distinctive flavor. I liked it. Vegetal, grass, stonefruits, umami, marine plants, nuts. I did get a slightly nutty flavor but I also got the crisp and refreshing part so maybe I brewed it in the middle of what they recommended hehe. Good taste profile, and a good balance regarding bitterness and astringency.

7 grams @ 160F for 1:00
lid aroma: vague sweetness with something slightly roasty
wet leaves smell of apricot, very fragrant
liquor is fairly insipid.
aftertaste: apricot

@165F for 2:00
lid aroma: hint of cocoa
wet leaves: slight stone fruit and stewed vegetables
liquor remains relatively flavor-free…
aftertaste: celery, apricot

@170F for 3:00
lid aroma: more cocoa
wet leaves: strong apricots and stewed vegetables
liquor: not much more than astringency

The wet leaves throughout smelled truly lovely, and it’s a pity none of that translated to flavor in the liquor. Had to crank it hard to get anything out of it, and still it was much more about aromas than flavor. Which reminds me, the brewing method suggested on the label is absurd and will produce only hot water.

All in all, seems like it would be fine for someone who loves a delicate tea, but I wouldn’t buy this again.

2015 batch was my preference over 2014. Depth to the green tea. I love brewing in my 14 oz cast iron tea pot and sipping for hours.

Gongfu Cha 15, 25, 35..
Slight cocoa note at first, which turned to ripe stone fruit in subsequent brewings. Also, some lemon rind and apricot. Lots of apricot and Santa Rosa plum or pluot on the palate with a nice firm texture.

Yesterday was Chinese green tea day :P

I had this last night and it’s a new tea for me. The instructions say to use 1 tbsp per 8oz of water, so I ended up using about 3 tbsp for 32 oz, just in case it was going to be strong. The taste is very vegetal on the first steep (30sec) – almost too vegetal for me. The second steep (1min) was more mellow and slightly sweet. I enjoyed the second steep a whole lot more. I probably could have gone with more steeps, but it was already really late when I was drinking this last night.