ZG50: Jade Cloud Mist

This weekend has been a green tea weekend for me. Yesterday, I drank older China greens from my stash. When it gets hot like this (sunny & mid 80’s), I usually reach for white and green teas.

Did anyone else watch the Preakness Stakes yesterday? Man, what a great race. After watching the KY Derby, I honestly thought, ‘Wow!! I’LL HAVE ANOTHER is a strong closer…….he has a good chance to win the Triple Crown’. Well, I didn’t bet anything so just for fun I picked my top horses. I almost always pick #7 (which happened to be Bodemeister) to win, place or show. Then, I’LL HAVE ANOTHER (could win) was #9. I thought #6 CREATIVE CAUSE would place or show, and I picked a longshot-#2 TEETH OF THE DOG. Had I been betting, I would have thrown out my longshot, even though I like dogs. :)) My final decision was 7-9-2-6. I can’t wait for the Belmont in two weeks…….and to finally review this tea!

This China green is a really nice tea at $4.29/oz., and I used 1+ tsp per the instructions, and an 8 oz cup. In the bag it smelled sweet and creamy, and the leaf is very nice with some white tippy leaves. When steeping it smelled vegetal, and somewhat reminiscent of a Sencha. The steaming hot leaves had a mild smokey, creamy aroma, that cooled to a mild vegetal/grassy nose-once again reminding me of a Sencha.

The cup was a mellow yellow, and I waited for the cup to cool to sniff out the aromas. The sweet, mildly vegetal aroma brought back thoughts of a Sencha. The flavor is clean, smooth and mildly like a Sencha. Smooth on my palate and mildly grassy, without astringency or bitterness. Have I said SENCHA enough yet? :)) A very calming, delicious cup of tea! I’m off to have another…….

After adding roughly 1 tsp (3 minutes at 195) to the previously steeped leaves, I was smelling slightly stronger vegetal notes. The wet leaves smelled a tad more smokey, and a deeper more buttery aroma emerged, cooling to a fresh broccoli aroma. Cup color was slightly darker, with a stronger veggie quality. The warmer cup unveiled warm, creamy, vegetable goodness. As the cup cooled, I was finally picking up on some astringency noted in Upton’s description. This was a good green tea astringency that was not offensive, and stayed on my palate for quite some time. :))

This is a tasty green tea for the money. What I like about Jade Cloud Mist is the change in character and taste in the first and second cups. While I do love Senchas alot, this tea gives you a bit of that Sencha character. The first cup is more smooth with mild Sencha-like aspects, while the second cup gives you more vegetal astringency, without having to worry about oversteeping the tea quite as much as you do with Senchas. :)) This truly is the kind of tea that makes this Tea-aholic say, “I’LL HAVE ANOTHER!!!”.

Cupped & Reviewed: Sunday, May 20, 2012.