| Photo: Wild Tea Qi |
Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: somewhat dark with scattered silvery tips, twisted
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 180 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: gold
This tea starts out with strong floral notes and a pleasant toastiness that led into a lingering sweet finish. It was vaguely vegetal, reminiscent of asparagus. There was a bright astringency that left a refreshing cooling affect. In the book Wild Tea Hunter the founder of Wild Tea Qi, Jay T. Hunter, writes about the differences between wild grown teas and those that are commercially farmed. It seems a bit too much to believe until you taste a tea like this. There was a palpable energy in every sip. I’ve reviewed two other Bi Luo Chuns this year and none of them affected me in the same way. I was really impressed with the staying power of this tea. Its strength never wavered across many infusions (I did at least four, if not more than that). This is a green tea that you could easily drink throughout the day. I couldn’t believe how inexpensive this tea is. I love that their website breaks each package size down by the number of cups. $10.18 for 420 cups beats Starbucks any day in my book!
You can find out more about this tea here.