Lu Shan Yun Wu Green Tea

This is an assertive green tea with a strong vegetal flavor and aroma. Notes I could detect included green bean, cooked spinach, toasted rice, and stewed vegetables. A chestnut or peanut like flavor is present too – especially if more leaf is used – along with a tiny bitterness at the end. This isn’t my favorite, but may be interesting to those who want a green tea that’s robust and less subtle.

Small, wiry, dark green leaves. Primarily vegetal with spinach and green bean notes, but also nutty and roasty with a peach-like fruit sweetness. Not my favorite green tea from Teavivre, but nice nonetheless. I think this would be a good tea to drink with a meal.

An OMGsrsly sample.

This one is a pleasure to drink, with a decent second steep. It’s a nice accompaniment to my nothing day. I also lately discovered that Radiohead released a new album. It pairs well too. All I have to do is open this Haruki Murakami book (After Dark) sitting here and the day is set for disconnectedness. Wow.

This tea is nutty, vegetal, and then tangy-sweet, kind of like an unripe apricot or some lemon juice. I’m now going to move onto something more lively.

I requested that this tea be swapped for another that I already owned when I was first offered the sample flight, all for which I’m grateful. Thank you, Angel!

Taken grandpa-style in a glass.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFwh2QWQNqv/

This tea fits the tone of mid/late-spring. I like the appearance of the dry leaf: short, dark green curls. The aroma of the dry leaf is buttery and savory, like a deeply steamed sencha. Of the wet leaf and the liquor, there are sweet notes of sugar snap peas and beans. The liquor is clear, pale green with a creamy texture. Flavorful, tastes briskly fresh, has sweetly vegetal notes, notably beany. Heavy feeling for a green tea.

This is the first time I’ve had a Lu Shan Yun Wu and it’s a good first experience. The heavy/buttery quality in green teas isn’t to my liking, but it’s not exactly repulsive. This is of good quality, one to enjoy every day.

The 2014 harvest of this tea was MIND BLOWING – fantastic! I have been drinking from a half gallon to a gallon of green tea a day, every day, for the past six years and this was one of my all time favorites. It was a lovely, intense green with a rich, almost meaty complexity, with an amazing aroma – smooth and sweet.

That said, the 2015 and 2016 harvests have been disappointing. The Lu Shan Yun Wu from these last two harvests lacks depth and complexity of the former years, the color is not very green, and the only flavor I really get now is smoke. Kind of tastes like a Gunpowder tea in that regard.

Sadly, I cannot recommend the 2015/2016 versions of this tea. I am now going to Amazing Green Tea to get it, but it costs so much more there I cannot get very much.

Another free sample from the ever generous Angel and teavivre. Spinach, green beans…..a little bitterness but a really nice cup.

Thank you for the samples!

an ok tea.

little pitcher method (grandpa style):

when I smell the leaves dry, they smell like veggies and pepper.

when I smell the leaves wet, the smell is intensified.

when I smell the brewed tea, it smells sweet and like veggies.

when I taste the brewed tea, it tastes sweet and like veggies.

the reason I give it a 50, is because it tastes too much like veggies and gets bitter fast.

I shall share the 2nd pack with a friend

many thanks to angel teavivre for this free sample :)

What a beautiful green tea…. Such pretty leaves to look at! I may have accidentally slightly oversteeped this as it was a tad bitter, but that’s on me. I will try again because even slightly bitter this was so fresh and clean tasting….I don’t even know.

And the smell. Yum. Teavivre spoils me with their green teas!

Thank you for the sample!

Additional notes: I wanted to try this one again with two teaspoons (the last steep session used one teaspoon and it was a little light – I knew the flavors would be better closer to Teavivre’s parameters.) So with almost the same temperature and steep time that I used last, there is an improvement. This is the BEST green tea!! This is the green tea for me, that is for sure. Two teaspoons is the sweet spot for a 11-12 ounce mug. The flavor is stronger and nuttier and sweet and unique without being astringent or bitter. Basically the same as with one teaspoon but bursting with flavor. The best green tea flavor! I’d definitely use two teaspoons in the future. It’s perfect. I really wish Teavivre would sell more of their teas in 50 gram amounts (or even 25 grams) because I could stock up on ALL of their awesome green teas, but I’d rather keep stocking up on them with fresh 25-50 gram pouches!
Steep #1 // 2 tsps. // 32 minutes after boiling // 55 second steep
Steep #2 // 28 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep

I have one tiny little packet of this left, so I opened it this morning.

Green, nutty, vegetal, a little sharp and astringent, but otherwise not too demanding. This is a decent green, and I might as well drink down some more greens before it gets too cold to enjoy them!