Ag

Wild-Picked Yunnan Jin Jun Mei from Verdant Tea

Ag drank Wild-Picked Yunnan Jin Jun Mei by Verdant Tea

I’m getting mildly irritated at all of the papers that I’ve been writing/need to write, so I’m taking a short (well, maybe long-ish) tea break as I take notes on this and watch a bit of Mad Men. I got a sample of this in my first order from Verdant, tried it once Western-style, but didn’t really enjoy it. This time, I’m trying this out Gongfu style.

Dry leaf aroma: Sweet, almost chocolate-y. It reminds me of some sweet snack or dessert I had at some point in my life, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

First infusion: Tea liquor has a golden hue. Light, slightly sweet, wheaty flavour. Creamy?

Second infusion: Maltier than the first infusion, and I’m definitely beginning to taste something honeylike. At one point I thought I could taste a spice that has a light ‘bite’ to it— cinnamon? Pepper?

Third infusion: Still wheaty, as if I had taken a bite out of fresh wheat bread. Ah, there it is. A little peppery. The creaminess/butteriness is fading.

Fourth infusion: Steeped this a bit longer than I intended to, whoops. Still quite malty, but the honey isn’t as prominent as it was in previous steeps. The creaminess is now mostly gone and has been replaced with a (slightly tingly?) peppery taste. And on that pleasant note, I think I’m going to head back to writing.

2012-04-23 21:46:04 -0400

200 °F / 93 °C

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College student. Anthropology and evolutionary biology major with various interests ranging from theatre to medicine to programming.

Relatively new to loose-leaf teas. So far, I seem to be enjoying black teas, pu’er, and oolongs. I’ve had limited experiences with green, white, mate, honeybush, matcha, and rooibos teas/tisanes.

I’m still trying to figure out a rating system to go along with my developing tea tasting skills, so pardon any inconsistencies in my numerical ratings. At the moment, my rating system is as follows:

96-100: This tea is a must-have (or at least, a must-try).
90-95: This tea is amazing. I love it!
80-89: I really like this tea, and I may be inclined to get more of it once I run out.
60-79: While I like this tea, I don’t plan on having it in constant supply in my tea stash.
50-59: I dislike this tea. It’s tolerable enough for me to finish the cup, but I don’t think I’ll be trying it again any time soon.
Below 50: I don’t like it at all. (Ranging from “I avoid it” to “You couldn’t get me to drink it if you paid me”)