Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: compressed, dark with greens and silvery buds throughout
Steep time: 10 seconds
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: deep gold
It has been a few years since I reviewed tea Crimson Lotus Tea. Glen generously shared some samples over the summer, including Jade Rabbit. Due to the overwhelming size of my backlog, my reviews are just starting to get published now.
I LOVE their teas but I think I love the packaging even more. Each sample comes in a beautiful paper wrapper as well as a plastic sleeve. I was very grateful for that since my mailman shoved the box into my very leaky mailbox during a storm.
Jade Rabbit is a multiyear, multi mountain blend. Their attention to detail, including having the factory hand-blend each cake, is something that I really appreciate. This is a tea that they won’t be able to recreate so I am grateful for the chance to give it a try. Stems are unavoidable but there were very few
Leaf
The 20g chunk that I received was fairly loosely compressed and in good condition. You could definitely tell that it is a blend because of the mixed appearance of the leaves. They were mostly dark in color but there was plenty of greener leaves and silvery buds throughout. The difference was still noticeable once they unfurled, including some impressively thick and juicy stems.
Liquor
The first thing I noticed about Jade Rabbit was the thick, juicy mouthfeel. The first few infusions were energetic with an upfront bitterness that rewarded me with an equally strong sweetness. Early infusions were floral with an almost minty camphor finish. That transitioned to fruity hints of apricot that lingered after each sip.
Although this is a punchy tea I think it is a good choice for those that aren’t as fond of young sheng. The blend is very thoughtful and balanced which gives it a lot of complexity. The endurance was pretty impressive as well. I only casually count infusions but I got at least fifteen out of this tea.
If you enjoyed this review, you’ll definitely want to check out The Oolong Drunk and Oolong Owl’s thoughts as well as the Inbetweenisode of TeaDB featuring this tea.
Jade Rabbit sample provided by Crimson Lotus Tea.
