Last week, she let me know the tea was ready, and several days later I received two 25 gram bags of fresh Hawaiian green tea!
The bag:
The packaging impressed me because it was heat sealed and it had a batch date on it. These are two special touches that I would certainly expect from a $453/lb tea. Also, the the logo was both beautifully endearing and very D.I.Y.
So with great anticipation I opened one bag. The smell that greeted me was a pure tropical mountain smell. My wife took a big whiff and sighed. "It smells like Hawaii!" she exclaimed with a smile. Several times throughout the evening I caught her sneaking more smells. The dry leaves looked great too. They were long, twisted, and completely intact.
So with great anticipation I opened one bag. The smell that greeted me was a pure tropical mountain smell. My wife took a big whiff and sighed. "It smells like Hawaii!" she exclaimed with a smile. Several times throughout the evening I caught her sneaking more smells. The dry leaves looked great too. They were long, twisted, and completely intact.
The dry leaves:
This morning I had my first pot but it was very hard to decide how to brew it. I decided on a small teapot named Vortex (425 ml) and 8 grams of tea. I used water at 170 degrees and steeped the tea 2 minutes. The liquor was light and smelled very nice, but it was a little too light, so I steeped it 30 more seconds. I used the same temperature of water for 5 excellent infusions but the steep for #2 and #3 was three minutes. Steeps #4 and #5 were 5 minutes.
The liquor:
The flavor of this green tea is remarkably Hawaiian. Power of suggestion is very real but I don't think this is just in my head. I drink a lot of Chinese tea and I trust my palate. This tea presented me with flavors I've never experienced and a few familiar ones too. All of the infusions were very clean, delicate and nuanced, but infusion #1 started with a sulfur and mineral note that had fruity peaks on the middle of my tongue. Infusion #2 had the creamiest body, with a green banana note that worked its way up into my nose. Infusion #3 was pure Hawaii with earthy minerals and sand with a breezy flowery smell. Infusion #4 took a radical turn, this cup had a hint of sweet smoke and peppery soil. It reminded me of a lovely Yunnan green that I used to buy from Tribute Teas over five years ago. Infusion #5 was similar to #4 but it had a little watery taste indicating that it was done. Next time I'll try a gaiwan packed with leaf and go for a totally different experience.
The beautiful spent leaves:
In the end, I was satisfied by this delicious, rare, and truly Hawaiian tea. Aloha.
Taken from http://www.blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment