Backlog from last night because I deleted the wrong tasting note, dammit!
Drank this for the second time while watching Les Miserables. Had it once before and forgot what I thought of it. I had written a tasting note under the wrong item, so here’s the copy and paste from the first note:
“This is my first tie guan yin, so clearly I have no idea what to expect or what to look for. I like the leaves; they’re a really pretty dark green and rolled, very easy to handle. There’s a deep, slightly spicy aroma if I remember correctly. Which I don’t think I do. Ah well. The liquour itself has a green aroma with a sliver of a subtle, dark sweetness. Like honeysuckle or bai mu dan.
“The first thing that hits the tongue is fresh grass. It’s that bright green flavor that I have to be in the right mood for (read: wanting something “clean” or a tummy that feels a little stale.) I’m not tasting the “creamy” that’s in the item description. Or the mango. Fresh parsley maybe. Right before I swallow, though, there is that little note of sweet, kind of honey-ish but more like honeysuckle.
“Tea tasting is the only time in my life I regret not being a foodie. If I were a foodie, or at least ate a semi-diverse range of foods like normal people do, I would be able to pick out a bunch of little flavors and tell you about them. As it is, all I can say is that, on the first go-round, this reminds me a lot of Arbor Teas’s bai mu dan, except much heavier on the grassy side than the sweet side. The next time I make this, I’m going to have to take the temp and steep time down a notch; I detect a hint of overdone. Not enough to make it unpalatable, just enough that I want to try it differently next time.”
Got mostly the same effect the second time around, except this time I had a vague idea of what I was getting into. I forgot I’d oversteeped it that first time; I didn’t have that problem this time, so I can diagnose that as operator error and not a problem with the quality of the tea. Everybody seems to really like this tea; I can certainly vouch for the quality, but I think I’m falling out of love with green teas a bit. I prefer ones with a little bit more sweet and a little bit less vegetal. Still, certainly a good “relax and freshen up” tea.
