Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: sage green, very small, mostly buds
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 175 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: very pale, greenish
The name of this tea comes from the Dongting mountain where it is grown and it is one of China’s top ten famous teas. I could not believe how positively tiny the leaves of this tea were. It consisted almost entirely of buds and many of them were covered in silver hairs. They felt almost soft to the touch. It was delicate and sweetly vegetal with mild fruity and floral notes. There was just a touch of astringency but only enough to leave a clean, somewhat dry finish. I found the taste a bit hard to describe, maybe edamame without the salt? I did three consecutive rounds in the gaiwan but I probably could have squeezed out a few more. I highly suggest brewing it in a glass vessel because the agony of the leaves is truly beautiful to watch. Derek Chew of Peony Tea S. wrote an excellent article on the origins of this tea that I definitely recommend checking out. I don’t often have the time to play around with taking pictures and whatnot while I’m reviewing but I did with this one so I’m including them below.
Stay tuned to the blog tomorrow. I’ll have something really exciting to share!