I opened the package and was blown away by how good the dry leaf smelled. It’s deep, vegetal and a little smoky. I added a little sugar to my mug, because I wasn’t entirely ready to give myself over to the vegetal taste, which I was afraid was going to be really dominant. There’s a little bitterness, but for the most part, the sugar cuts it out. There’s a little bit of vegetation, too, but it’s more part of the tea. If you’re in the mood for it, it’s quite good. And the leaves expand so much on the second steep; it’s kind of amazing.
Chunmee
Chunmee loose leaf green tea. This “eyebrow-shaped” pan-fired tea from Jiangxi has hard, shiny, grey-green leaves with a “smoky or dusty” appearance, an assertive, astringent yellowish liquor with a spicy, smokey flavor reminiscent of leather.
