Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea

This sample was generously provided to me by Teavivre. Thank you Angel and the whole Teavivre Team.
Dry Leaf: Has a sweet grassy aroma.
Wet Leaf: Has a vegetal aroma with a slight nutty component maybe chestnut.
Liquor: Is a yellowish green color.
Taste: This tea is light and smooth with a vegetal flavor and there is a nuttiness flavor like chestnut or something. I was able to also detect a very slight bitterness at the beginning of my tongue.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 88. I usually don’t talk to much about the leaf of the tea unless I notice anything that looks different. Well, It maybe my sample but I have noticed what seemed to be an excessive amount of stems in the tea and a good about of broken pieces. Now, most people would associate stems with low quality tea since the stems don’t really do much for flavor. But, to be fair this tea still had a nice flavor so couldn’t fault it to bad.
I feel this tea will work good for people who like Long Jing, Tian Mu Qing Ding, and maybe Tai Ping Hou Kui green tea.
Vessel: SAMA DOYO Gongfu/Kungfu Teapot. 7grams of leaf to 220ml or approx. 7oz of water in the inner cup of pot.

This tea is fantastic! It finally came in the mail last night and I put it right into a teapot as fast as I could because I’ve been waiting a week for it to arrive :D

What’s funny about this tea is that it’s $18 for 3.5oz, and it tastes exactly the same as Teavana’s Gyokuro which is $20 for 2oz. Even better? It lasts for 3 steepings and it doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste! The only thing is that I have finally come to the realization that I’m more of an oolong guy than a green guy (greens aren’t strong enough for me, and blacks are too strong haha) so this isn’t going to stay in my cabinet after I finish it unfortunately. But if you are a fan of green teas, then this is perfect for you!

This was part of a free sample package from Teavivre, and was the first in the set I have opened. The only green teas I have tried so far are the Jasmine Dragon Pearls and although I like them very much, I enjoyed experiencing a vastly different tasting green tea.

The aroma was somewhat sweet and floral at first, but quickly vegetal notes, such as spinach and other dark greens took over. This was very similar to the taste- at first sip the tea has a slightly sweet characteristic but quickly turns into a very earthy vegetal brew. It was smooth and enjoyable and as I write this I am on my second steep with no change in characteristics that I have noticed. I steeped it longer the second time (3 min 15 seconds) which I found to bring out more of the dark green flavor without adding any real bitterness.

Overall, I am very impressed with the tea and surprised with how different it is from the jasmine pearls I am used to.

Light with a little bit of buttery sweetness. Has a vegetal taste of steamed spinach. Not too much character in this tea but it is not without its charms.

My order finally came in! I can’t wait to use this new gaiwan. Bought the organic tea sampler from Teavivre, as well as one from Tea Forte, all of which I am very eager to try. Next on my list is to buy an electric tea kettle to make it easier to monitor temperatures.

I can’t tell if I’ve ruined this brew, but the aroma was very intense. I don’t mean to offend, but the brewed tea smelled terrible, exactly like canned tuna. A little bit of a turn off, and my first sip was incredibly bitter. Though as I kept drinking, it became a very buttery, vegetal flavor. I’m sure with a proper rinsing, this would be a marvelous afternoon tea. Will definitely brew this again after work today.

I am a Tea Noob. Yes I admit it, I own no gaiwan, no fancy-pants Zingydoo-Ninja Tea Sets or anything better than a few teapots and some pyrex glassware. My only knowledge of Gung Fu etiquette involves Tai Chi, my main experience with Proper Tea has been a few sample bags, Bancha, and occasional sessions of Yum Cha, and my supply of Tea Superlatives is limited to say the least. So, bearing this in mind, this is a Tea Noob’s take on this fine tea from TeaVivre:

By the way, I also have to mention I’m not really a green tea fan. At least I wasn’t. My previous experiences have been negative ones (except for Bancha) and have left a bad taste in my mouth, so with many such “bitter” memories I haven’t really felt like trying more. I have to say my experience with this tea has changed my mind.

I recently and impulsively deviated from an Oolong hunting expedition on eBay, and bought a sampler (fresh from TeaVivre), in due time receiving a well packed box in the mail, inside which, nestling under the bubble packing, was a classy looking sealed silver bag. Sealed within this were 4 nice little mini silver baggies of leafy goodness – one immediately drew me by its intense and delicious aroma (and no it wasn’t the Dragon Pearl Jasmine) – it was this one (Tian Mu Mao Feng). Upon opening the bag I was seized with the need to repeatedly inhale deeply until I finally sneezed (tea leaf up nostril, oops) and was even tempted by thoughts to keep it as potpourri – an intense grassy warm aroma with lashings of honeysuckle flower scent… yummmmm! It even looks pretty enough to use as potpourri with its deep green leaves so dark they absorb the light and give off an almost blackish hue, might look very good in a blue and white bowl near my chinese painting, I thought.

Anyway, having got over that (somewhat impractical) idea, I decided to go for a chinese style brewing (or at least my uncultured approximated version of one). Heaping what I can only describe as “a good amount” into a tea cup (ok I didn’t measure it), I brewed it 3 times into other cups, straining it with a teapot lid (I am a Barbarian).

The first steeping I’d probably brew next time around for more than a minute (hadn’t read above review yet, tsk), as it was a little bit too weak for my taste at this stage, however some sweet light floral notes skipped daintily alongside a crisp yet mild grassy greenness, making it a pleasant cup. Quite nice, and not a hint of bitterness.

Next one I brewed for 1 min 15 s, and the second cup really did it for me, a buttery, sweet full mouthed flavor burst that left me wanting more. I’m not sure if this is what they meant by “chestnut” flavor (on their website), as I didn’t get any “nuttiness” as I imagine it but it was a little reminiscent of notes of chinese water chestnut (the fresh not the canned variety, and this is not a /nut/, its a /corm/ :p (ok, semantics)).

The third cup (brewed about 1 min 30 s) was a slightly woodier (but not bitter) flavor and errrmm I’m running out of descriptors here, so I’ll just say it wasn’t as full, sweet or “interesting” as the second but still pleasant.

I don’t think I’d go for a 4th brewing myself but thats because the possiblity of something bitter puts me off the idea thus far, but I may become more adventurous as the journey goes on.

Oh I definitely could vouch for the “spinach” description of the flavor of the leaves as in the above review, at least the leaf I accidentally ate in one cup was very “spinachy” (crisp and not too chewy either, add to stir fry after steeping perhaps? ;) ). I didn’t seem to get much in the way of twigs in mine though, and my leaves were mostly intact – different harvest or random chance? Not sure.

I wrote this down shortly after drinking the last cup as to retain the full memory of the experience. I think my tea-describing superlatives could use some work (I’m better at describing wine I think). Looking forward to trying the next 3 samples (I’ll not be so spontaneous and read the reviews first for handy hints this time) but I’ll leave that until tomorrow as its near bedtime, and aside from too much caffiene making me go “Whee!”, green tea has certain physiological effects on me that may be indelicate to mention, at least 3 cups does :-)

P.S. My thanks go out to all the “pro” types who review on this site, such as the above (probably more helpful) one, its great to get tips from the more experienced “teaphiles” (is there a proper word for this that isn’t Chinese?). Cheers!

Sipdown! (25 | 155)

It’s been a while since I’ve steeped up one of these baby Teavivre green tea samples! Poor neglected dears… So I picked one at random and here we are!

This is light and lovely. It’s almost approaching sencha territory with its creamy, spinachy vegetal notes. Obviously it’s lacking the intensity and umami presence of a sencha though. Instead it has a wonderful buttery quality and silky round mouthfeel. There is a hint of floral here that’s reminding me of sakura? I wonder if that’s just an association I have with spinach notes now, ha ha…

It’s slightly sweet, buttery, creamy like biting into a lima bean or edamame. A bit of fresh pea as well. Very light and relaxing for the evening!

This probably isn’t one I would specifically order just because it lacks a certain character? It’s a sort of in-between in terms of buttery/nutty vs. vegetal green teas. But still very enjoyable!

Okay, here’s the last review of the day. I promise. I must say that getting back into this has been both much easier and more fun than I thought it would be. This was another of my recent sipdowns. I finished what I had of this tea Thursday night. Overall, I found it to be a very respectable Zhejiang green tea that was incredibly easy to drink.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a brief rinse, I steeped 7 grams of loose tea leaves and buds in 5 ounces of 176 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 14 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry leaf and bud blend emitted aromas of cream, honey, peas, sugarcane, and sweet corn. After the rinse, I noted new aromas of grass, hay, green beans, and chestnut. The first infusion introduced subtle squash blossom and asparagus aromas. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered honey, pea, sweet corn, sugarcane, chestnut, hay, cream, and grass notes that were chased by hints of malt, asparagus, spinach, and green beans. The subsequent infusions introduced stronger asparagus and squash blossom scents to go along with new aromas of spinach, green olive, and seaweed. Stronger asparagus, malt, spinach, and green bean notes emerged in the mouth alongside belatedly emerging squash blossom impressions. New notes of minerals, umami, green olive, butter, and seaweed showed up as well. The final few infusions offered lingering mineral, malt, cream, hay, grass, and green bean notes that were underscored by hints of chestnut, sweet corn, spinach, and green olive.

I am more used to the Yunnan Mao Feng green teas that seem to permeate the Western tea market these days, but I must say again that I found this to be a very likable and pleasant green tea. I imagine that it would make a fantastic daily drinker for fans of softer, sweeter green teas that retain considerably complex vegetal and savory characteristics. Definitely consider giving it a shot if you are planning to explore some of Teavivre’s green tea offerings.

The subtleness of the flavors in this tea is quite unexpected. It starts out slightly bitter and grassy but then you get hit with vegetal notes and then it kinda disappears after it’s swallowed. I had to use two tsp for this brew as my first one turned out too light in taste.

Happy Lunar New Year! I’m celebrating by drinking only Chinese teas today. This sample from Teavivre is first on deck.
The dry leaf is seaweed green, long and wiry. One thing I give Teavivre credit for is that the pictures on their website are consistently a fair and accurate representation of how the leaf actually looks. The dry leaf smells of fresh cut grass and honey.
Steep 1: 185f, 30 seconds. The wet leaf looks like steamed spinach and smells like… kale? asparagus? The brew is a green-tinted gold and smells like fresh peas. The mouthfeel is medium-thick and slightly dry. The flavor is light, sweet, and vegetal. It’s basically springtime in a cup, which seems apropos for the Spring Festival!
Steep 2: 185f, 40 seconds. This steep smells more cooked, like steamed spinach (although that might be the visual influence of how the leaves look). It’s still a green-tinted gold, darker this time. The flavor is vegetal with a bitter note. Kale maybe?
Steep 3: 190f, 40 seconds. Basically the same as steep 2.
Steep 4: 185f, 65 seconds. There’s a faint hint of roastiness in the flavor this time. Like roasted greens or maybe grilled asparagus.
Steep 5: 185f, 2 minutes. I think this is the end of what this leaf has to give. The bitter note is stronger, making the brew taste like kale. Incidentally, I don’t like kale. Teavivre says this leaf gong fus for three steeps. I maybe did not need to get more ambitious than that. :-)