PETITE OURSE

Well, this is bizarre. A while back I saw a review of this here, probably the one by Mastress Alita, and thought it sounded delicious. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that I had tried it, possibly as a sample that came with an order.

Later I was going through my tins of The Odor looking for Perseus when I saw that I have a whole tin of this and it is nearly full, but it must be a few years old now.

Youngest thinks we had this together last March but I am not sure because when I came on here tonight, it still wasn’t even listed in my cupboard!

So here we go!

This is Chinese green tea with ginger and mandarin and you need it right now because it is delicious. I am not a fan of ginger. I use it sparingly in cooking and there a few dishes that I feel really really need it, but I don’t like it when hot ginger bites my tongue and makes my mouth burn. Ashman did ask me if there was mint in this so I guess he noticed the ginger tingle, but he didn’t seem bothered by it.

This is tingly but not hot, and overall it is just a perfectly balanced flavored green tea.

Served tonight with Asian buffet style mushrooms that were so good I am saving up for a ring so I can propose to myself.

My usual prep for big pots – steeped it twice and combined the two in a large tetsubin. All 36 ounces gone bu end of supper.

French Friday! From the depths of the sampler bag from Dustin… thank you, Dustin! Steeped 2.5g of leaf in 350ml 175F water for 2 minutes.

Dry leaf has a fresh and bright orange aroma. Steeped tea is a pretty marigold color and smells more akin to tangerines, particularly the pithy zest of the peel. The flavor, too, is making me think more of tangerine than orange; there is something very crisp, bright, pithy, and tangy about it, with a mild citrusy tartness. There is apparently ginger also in the profile, but it is extremely mild against the bright citrus flavor; there is a subtle warming quality to the flavor, but I don’t really get a distinct gingery taste and certainly no heat. I do feel like I taste a bit of lemon peel along with the citrusy elements, which may just be my brain’s association of pairing lemon with ginger. I don’t really taste the base against the flavoring, but it provides a light mouthfeel and there is a hint of a hot hay note waxing underneath. Mostly, it is a very bright and slightly tangy tangerine-flavored tea. There is a very refreshing quality about it, and I bet it would make a very nice cold brew.

Leaves smell of ginger and mandarin. Very citrus. It with an almost floral component. Almost overwhelming. I got this as a sample with my order. I love the mystery tea bags btw. And Theodor doesn’t skimp on the goodies when they ship.
Anyway. When steeped the mandarin is tamed..the ginger quite so. I used 8 oz water for this steep and feel I should have used 6 perhaps. While the aromatics are heavenly it’s a little weak in taste. I would have brewed it stronger. Preference I suppose. Those aromatics tho. So delicately blended. It’s elegant yet playful. Girly but not saccharine. Floral but in no way overwhelming. And the flavor (tho I may have gone stronger) are so balanced and beautifully done. Like sipping mandarin without the zing. Like a sweet orange flower. The ginger loses a lot of its kick and it mellows out to support the other flavors that meld so well here. No astringency. Quite lovely. Would probably be very refreshing over ice as well. No need to add anything to this tea. I would consider purchasing it in New York or someplace in states if I came across it but probably wouldn’t be too tempted to order from Paris