Pi Lo Chun

Seems most people hate this tea, but I prefer this over gunpowder. Two reasons, one I’m sick of drinking gunpowder. Two, it’s not smokey compared to gunpowder. I couldn’t figure out what this tea tasted like and then it came to me seaweed! It’s grassy, definitely is. It’s also a lot lighter than gunpowder. I’m a fan of light tea, so this one is amazing, might not be for everyone. I was really surprised as to how light this tea was so I made two cups. I added more leaves in the second cup and it came out just as light.

Dry tea is a fine, light tumble of thin curls with white tips – a promising sight. Use more than a teaspoon per cup. A pleasant green sweetness rises from the liquor as an aroma, and the taste follows suit. Not bitter or astringent. A buttery, salty sea-scent and flavor runs along underneath. Second steep just as good. I like it.

After enjoying some more exotic green teas from the Adagio green tea sampler I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by the taste of this Pi Lo Chun. With a wonderfully smooth and mild body this tea offers a fantastic substitution for those of us looking to broaden our green tea palette. Nuances are the key to good taste and this tea isn’t lacking in exploration. A hint of saltiness compliments the classic green tea grassiness, a near perfect compliment. This tea’s character is one of full flavor that tappers off to a soft aftertaste that isn’t found in other delicate greens. Enjoy! Try a second steep for sure

Smells a bit rice-cakey. The coloring is somewhere between a white and green tea color. After steeping the rice-cakey smell turns into a slight – that’s a VERY slight – smoky scent. The taste seems a little reminiscent of green tea meets plain-NO-buttered popcorn. The aftertaste is a bit grassy. Not bad. But so far not in my fave TOP 30 Adagio’s. Will try again, however.

A really nice, light, green tea. It has a very slight smoky note, but the dominant taste is that of mild, sweet vegetal flavor. Unfortunately, the aroma only lingers for an instant after swallowing.

Well…
A good, smooth brew, yes. Water has a nice color, much more brown than most greens, and the flavor is a bit roasty. A nice tea to suit a taste that you might have, so a good tea to keep around. Hardly vegetal tasting, and the flavor isn’t too bold or mild.

Now for the kicker:
I compared this to a Bilouchun I bought at Mountain View Tea Village, a Bay Area store that I’m pretty sure is independently-owned by a Taiwanese family. The tea I got there was competition grade – I believe it placed first.

So how does it match up?
When compared, there’s a notable lack of nuance and delicacy. The Adagio tea seems to have a bolder leaf, keeping a good flavor in a broader temperature range. The competition-grade leaf, however, has a much narrower range of acceptable temperature – but, with that narrowness comes quality.
The flavor, truly, is rather different. They’re in the same realm of course, and a less discriminate tongue could probably find them pretty identical. The differences are really in line with the general comparisons that can be made between mediocre and quality tea. As I’ve mentioned, the delicacy, nuance, character, etc.

When it comes to the leaves, there’s an immediate visual difference. The Adagio leaves are a much lighter green before and after brewing, and I noticed there’s a lot of broken leaf, as well as a few stems. The comp. grade leaves have a much deeper hue, and are composed only of while leaf and there are no stems. As for smell… no comparison. the competition tea is very fragrant, rich and characteristic, while I find the adagio to be a bit light and generic-smelling.

This has been a bit of a beat-up on Adagio’s Pi Lo Chun, but keep in mind the scales were immediately tipped against it. As a basic tea, I enjoyed it, really. I’d say, though, if you really enjoy this tea, and you have the money, give the quality stuff a shot – you’ll be pleased by this tea at its finest.

This tea a finicky to say the least, but worth the hassle. I first tried this type of tea in a tea shop downtown. I loved the subtle fruity note. So I had to buy some of my own, but at a more reasonable price. It took a lot of time playing around with the temperature and time to find what worked for me. But once I did, I was sold. It is also good for multiple infusions, and grandpa style if you prefer. If it tastes rubbery, try again. It takes patience to find that sweet spot.

This tea left me with a very dry aftertaste on my tongue. Sort of reminds me of how a hoppy beer will dry out my palate. Couldn’t finish my cup…

Distinctly non distinct. I definitely can tell it is a higher grade green than in the grocery store, but it wasn’t something that called out to me.
Nice and mild, I felt it had kind of a peppery component to it, and the characteristic green tea taste.
Next time I will remember to avoid cleaning with the potent smelling chemicals I have right before I try to examine a tea. And to not use my bright orange tea cup so I can see what color it is.

Unspectacular. Mild, grassy, a tiny bit smoky. OK when I want a green, but would choose other greens before this one.

Steeped for 2.5 minutes and drank it this afternoon. A nice, smooth, mild green tea.

Simple, sweet flavor. A good green tea.

My favorite green tea.