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“Can be brewed with a variety of parameters to produce such varied experiences, from sweet and light yet rich, to something substantially driven by an umami with a deeper, grassy vibe. Somewhere...” Read full tasting note
“April Sipdown Prompt – a grassy tea This is another gift from derk! Thank you! The company offers a really long description on this tea – all about the tea garden and their methods and worth a read...” Read full tasting note
Notes of marigold, pineapple, and fresh peppercorn.
Green tea from Fujian, China・April 2022・黃牡丹・Organic
Huang Mudan is a return to our roots, and a reminder of what drives us to continue sourcing tea year after year.
The Huang Mudan or Yellow Peony cultivar was developed and released by the Wuyi Tea Research Institute just over a decade ago. On average, a new planting takes a minimum of 4-5 years before the tea leaves mature enough to be picked. 2013 marked not only our first collection at Song, but coincided with the first year of full commercial production in this tea garden.
From our 2013 description of this tea, “It takes a visionary producer to build a wholly organic tea garden around a new cultivar, and to continue investing in that garden through the five years it takes for the tea plant to mature. We like working with visionaries.” Little has changed.
In April, the tea fields where this tea is grown is washed in beautiful shades of gold and green. During harvesting, the hand-picked chartreuse colored leaf buds were spread on woven bamboo mats to wither in the shade. After withering, the leaf buds were pan-roasted: briefly at a high temperature to arrest enzymatic breakdown and set the green, and then a longer lower temperature roasting to shape and dry the leaves.
The finished tea buds have the appearance of golden spears. Rehydrated, these spears unfurl into strikingly beautiful tender leaf buds with a tea liquor the color of pale corn silk. The mouth feel is clean, but there is complexity in its simplicity and the length of its finish.
Located an hour’s drive south of Fuding, this remote garden grows from mineral rich soil, and its proximity to the coast ensured a high degree of moisture. While the elevation, at 600-700 meters above sea level is not high for a tea garden, the climate in the area mimics the cooler, higher elevation areas around Fuding County.
This is one of the most experimental gardens we’ve visited in Fujian in terms of new cultivars and organic stewardship methods. The garden uses a mix of mechanical, and electronic methods for pest control – although the most important, and one that Huang Mudan benefits from the most – is early leaf bud harvesting.
Brew: 4 grams・150 ml・180° F・1 min
Huang Mudan does allow for range in brewing. A short brew produces sweet clean flavors, but we suggest a longer brew of a minute and a half, which produces a richness and complexity. Alternatively, brew in a pre-warmed glass with a small amount of leaves. For this method, reduce the dose to 3 grams of tea leaves per 180ml of 180F water. Allow the leaves to slowly settle as they rehydrate and simply sip directly from the cup.
Company description not available.
Can be brewed with a variety of parameters to produce such varied experiences, from sweet and light yet rich, to something substantially driven by an umami with a deeper, grassy vibe. Somewhere along that continuum, you can strike pure gold. Interesting ‘fatty’ feel that’s not quite like the usual butteriness of green teas but something more like pure animal fat, though it doesn’t taste or smell anything like that feeling. Glassy, viscous liquor; little hairs catch the sun like flecks of glitter. It’s so crystal clear.
I didn’t give this stunning tea the attention it deserves. Fancy stuff. Recommended for experimenters with a love for the finer things.
Flavors: Brisk, Broth, Buffalo Grass, Burlap, Caramelized Sugar, Ginger, Herbaceous, Marigold, Mineral, Pineapple, Rice, Rich, Spicy, Sweet, Umami, Viscous, White Pepper
April Sipdown Prompt – a grassy tea
This is another gift from derk! Thank you!
The company offers a really long description on this tea – all about the tea garden and their methods and worth a read if you like that sort of thing.
I steeped this in my smallest porcelain pot and the little spears went ping like pellets of TGY do as they fell in. So cute! I picked them up and dropped them in again just for fun.
The dry leaves smelled like warm peas in buttery juice. This was not at all like the description. I searched for the scent of marigold which is quite distinctive but I didn’t find it. Steeped, the aroma changes completely. I went with their longer style recommendation. Now the broth is savory, like a light Japanese soup broth, as well as sharp grassy. Although I do not smell marigold, I do get that this mouthfeel which is very brisk could remind me of such. The savoriness brings in the pepper note, but not like the heat of peppercorns in chai.
Those hard little spears are now soft and cuddly in texture and color. Second steep went the shorter way, just one minute. Now we have more of the buttered peas aroma and less of the savory soup aroma, but surprisingly this is still quite brisk.
I think lovers of Japanese green teas would like this one. Thanks for the opportunity to try something new out on the patio on a crisp spring morning, derk!
Got a freebie with my last order so tried it out a few times grandpa style in a mason jar. Bright and sharp with a light broccoli? character. Not quite a green tea taste which makes sense given the stunning golden color of the wet leaf. Better in ceramic than in glass. Much preferred steeped in a basket infuser.