Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: flat, sage green
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 20 seconds
Water Temperature: 175 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: very pale

Following the steeping directions on Teavivre’s site, I brewed this tea in my trusty gaiwan using progressively longer steeps. It was delicate and vegetal with just a touch of brisk astringency. There was a subtle sweetness that lingered long after each sip. I’m a big fan of playing with your leaves and these were extra fun. There were so many complete bud sets and teeny tiny sprouts. There is nothing I love more than a really good Long Jing and that is exactly what this was. I wasn’t familiar with the term nonpareil in a tea name before sampling this tea. Stella from Teavivre was kind enough to explain that because this tea is Te Gong (tè gòng) grade, which means the tea’s grade is nonpareil. Also in ancient China, if a tea is Te Gong grade, then it means the tea was used to be paid as tribute to the emperor. I absolutely love that you can view the actual USDA organic certification on Teavivre’s website. That’s something I’ve seen other companies do but it’s definitely something that I’d like to see more of.

You can find out more about this tea here.