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“well, this tea is certainly very interesting. It has a very beautiful long and slender leaf shape. Upon opening it I got a smoky smell like a lapsang souchong which was really surprising! I stepped...” Read full tasting note
“My lunchtime tea today. Awesome!! Full review to come later. Thank You Amy!! Have you ever lost contact with a friend and years later, you pick up right where you left off, the reconnection almost...” Read full tasting note
Flavor Profile:An herbaceous green tea with a clean, mineral quality and hints of cinnamon and warm almond milk in the aroma.
Ningde is nestled between the mountains and the ocean in the northeastern corner of China’s Fujian province. The region is also known as ‘Min Dong’ in reference to the ancient Min culture of southeastern China.
Ancient Traditions
Tea has been growing in Ningde for centuries. Traditional green and white tea making techniques continue to this day giving each tea from this region its own distinctive appearance and flavor.
Mei Li
Mei Li is Chinese for “beautiful” and is an apt description of this special green tea. Delicate and refined, Mei Li carries the taste and smells of the misty northern Fujian countryside where it is grown.
Beautiful Shape
Mei Li’s distinctive appearance comes from roasting the leaf in a special pan that is shaken from side to side, straightening and flattening the leaf as it cooks. This gives the leaf a bright, glossy appearance without damaging it or removing the Bai Hao ‘white down’ on the tip of the buds.
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well, this tea is certainly very interesting. It has a very beautiful long and slender leaf shape.
Upon opening it I got a smoky smell like a lapsang souchong which was really surprising!
I stepped this for about 90 seconds in cooler water (not sure of the exact temperature)
To me this tastes of pine, wood and ocean. I’m not sure I love it but it is very intriguing and complex… the website says it carries the taste and smells of the misty northern Fujian countryside where it is grown. I am definitely picking that up here, very cool.
My lunchtime tea today. Awesome!! Full review to come later. Thank You Amy!!
Have you ever lost contact with a friend and years later, you pick up right where you left off, the reconnection almost seemless. It has happened to me a few times. It’s funny because I’ve realized that even though people reconnect, they tend to be the same (in some ways), yet they are different, still a friend after all the years. Mei Li is one beatiful tea, that sent me down memory lane, reminding me of good friends, and of a tea I purchased from Upton Tea 6 years 11 months ago.
This tea was called Sword of the Emperor, a China Tea with tea leaves that were long and shaped like swords (of course)! Such a beautiful & delicious tea, I reordered it a couple more times. After it sold out, I came to the realization that I may never see this tea again {SIGHHH}.
Then I received this sample from Amy, and I gave it a try. When I opened the sample bag of Mei Li, I was literally transported back in time, upon smelling the tea leaves! Sword of the Emperor…….my dear friend. No, this was not SOTE, but Mei Li, perhaps a sister, as the characteristics of the teas are strikingly similar and familiar.
Heavenly fresh, with delightful smokey, woody notes fill the air as I inhale. Dry leaves are truly beautiful-swordlike and dark green, with white edges and tips. The wet leaves have a wonderful spinich/asparagus, smokey, woody nose (think grilled asparagus). All of those aromas come across in the cup, and on the palate and tongue, with a full mouth feel. The first two cups are most vegetal, while the last two are less so, exhibiting more of the smokey/woody notes. The fourth cup was still very good with fading flavors. The third & fourth cups were steeped at 2 and 4 minutes at higher temps with no bitterness. Truly a special tea for me, I will reorder this one without a doubt.
Like that special friend you reconnect with from your past, very familiar yet different. Glad to see you Sword….er…Mei Li. We’ll keep in touch! Thank you again Amy, mon ami. :))
Cupped: Thursday, December 1, 2011 Reviewed: 12-01 & 12-05-2011.
sounds better than a 76….
perhaps it will grow on me.
Looks like a stunningly scrumptous tea. I’d buy it, if i was ordering more teas from Tao.
Scott, let me know if you want a sample of it
ok, I’ll PM fora swap