Before I review this tea, take a good look at the picture of the tea itself. Yes, it is hand rolled and twisted…and the leaves are whole and full of buds. This tea is from Sri Lanka, and Fair Trade…glad to say!
I wondered if my tea friends at Happy Lucky’s Tea House had ever seen tea like this one. I decided to get spiffed up and went on a short trip to Old Town. The first comment when the guys saw the tea was “Which end do you light” …ha..ha…and then “I’ve never seen a tea like that”…followed quickly by a ching of a Gaiwan getting ready for brewing of my offered Blue Nettle Tea.
Only 2 (creatures…sticks…cigars?) of tea are needed for 8oz. / 180F for 3min.
This Green Tea was floral but delicate and the leaves had a scent that was not orchid or any flower we could discribe. We agreed there was a clean sugar taste but not rock sugar. No artichoke or seaweed taste was detected. There was a bit of tannin on when the liquid cooled and a smooth buttery mouthfeel.
What a puzzle this tea was. I gave each of the 3 gents and the owner a sample of my tea. There needs to be more time and discovery but a lot of interest was generated among the group that did the tasting. We all agreed that this tea was something special!
Leave it to Butiki to bring along a new tea adventure!
I would suggest serving this tea in a glass gaiwan or small glass teapot. It is fun to watch.
We commented on how much it looked like a sea creature, a long worm ready to become a butterfly. I can’t wait to take time alone to taste this tea again!
