Bi Luo Chun Green Tea (Pi Lo Chun)

Many thanks to Angel and Teavivre for this generous sample!

I was really apprehensive about this sample because I am not the biggest fan of greens, especially straight greens, but this was really good! Colour me shocked.

The dry leaf is curly, soft, and downy. It smells really vegetal which has me worried.

Taste: delicious, slightly vegetal, slightly sweet and kind of nutty. I get the “savory” flavour almost like salted butter. It is a little drying on the mouth.

2nd steep: 80degrees, 1.5minutes, a little more vegetal, but still nutty

3rd steep: 85degrees, 2.5minutes, less vegetal with some sweetness remaining.

I think I liked this so much because it just tastes so fresh. I always get excellent quality from Teavivre’s teas and so many of them have surprised me. I didn’t think that I would ever enjoy straight tea so much!

Backlogging from last month.

I’ve been a little slow to updating my notes. This was a sample I had received from Teavivre, thank you. Now, I’ve only had one other Pi Lo Chun before and I didn’t care for it so I decided to try another from a better vendor, so here we are.

The dry leaves are a curled mix of darker green leaves and fuzzy white ones and smell vaguely of the sea. When brewed up the wet leaves have a sweet, smokey vegetal scent to them. The infusion was light and had a hint of smoke to it.

Upon tasting the first infusion I got notes of sweetness, smoke, salt, and vegetal. Kind of reminded me of a savory miso soup, fascinating. As it started to cool a little I started to get roasted/grilled corn notes. As the infusions went on, I got to 5, the corn notes came out a little more but it didn’t really change, but I wasn’t expecting it to either.

This is a decent green tea, unfortunately I don’t care for smokey teas…I’m a wimp when it comes to that and I’m sure Bonnie is going to say something! I’m glad I got to try this and broaden my horizons a bit, but I’m going to refrain from rating this one because of my dislike of smokey teas. Thank you Teavivre for letting me try this!

Tea of late yesterday morning…….

This one I have had to think on a bit. The leaves are very interesting looking with the green that you would expect from a green tea, and a little bit of white fluffiness thrown in that makes it very pretty to look at. I brewed it up at about 175 for just a minute, even though I usually steep greens for at least two. I must have been worried about this one being a little strong. One should not worry so much, as the tea was light and refreshing. It brewed up a lightly vegetal green, but there were definitely floral notes. It is lighter than an oolong like tie gwan yin, but kind of along those lines. It also is not near the amount of floral you would get in something with a jasmine scent, but it is definitely there.

I am not usually a drinker of green beyond Dragonwell or flavored senchas. However, this was good. I definitely see some in my future at some point, as I am really trying to explore green things in my life, even beyond tea. Thank you to TeaVivre for this sample, and again, opening my eyes to how wonderful green tea can be!

I thought I was doing bad as far as getting around to trying my samples from Teavivre, but it turns out there are only two I hadn’t tried, and this is one of them. This was yet another green tea that I requested for furthering my tea education since I know next to nothing about different types of green teas.

The dry leaf is full of fluffy, squiggly leaves. The aroma of it is a little offputting, at least for what I look for in a tea, because it’s very savory and brothy. It really reminds me of miso broth you might get at a sushi restaurant. Steeped, it’s still a bit brothy but more vegetal, and some distinct nutty tones have come out as well. It smells a little less like a bowl of soup, which is good (in my mind at least!). The flavor is definitely light, and I feel like I’m “tasting” the aroma more than the tea itself. It’s got that grainy/miso-y flavor to it, followed by a vegetal note that ends up being a touch sharp toward the end. A very interesting tea, but not one of my favorite greens from the box. Thank you again to Angel Chen and Teavivre for giving me the chance to sample it!

I’m doing such a bad job at reviewing my samples from Teavivre. I’m sorry! I just wanted to try them when I stopped craving flavored stuff. Well, today I had a very clear craving for unadulterated green tea, so here we are. I actually fantasized about japanese green tea on the train home, but I don’t have any on stock, so Chinese green it is! The two are very different, as I"m sure you all know.

This one has adorable little fuzzy leaves. They looked so soft and downy, I just wanted to pet them instead of drink them. It’s evident how young these little leaves are. Even after brewing, they remain itty bitty. Quite possibly the cutest tea I’ve ever had.

As with the other green teas, I’ve tried from Teavivre, this one is very umami. It’s less toasty and more grainy. The mouthfeel smooth and a bit creamy, despite the drying effect. This brewed up very light colored for me, but the flavor is perfect. Not too strong or too weak. This tea also has a caffeine kick to it. I have half a cup remaining and I’m wondering if I’ll get to sleep tonight. I should have known this would happen when I saw how little the leaves were, but I really craved a good green tea. ah well. It’s worth it. Sleep is for the weak!

Overall, yummy tea! I’ll just file this one away with the “morning only” teas. :)

Now that we are afraid to go to our Chinese buffet because they started using MSG and gave hubby a horrible migraine, I decided to try to make some of our favorite things at home. Tonight I made Chinese green beans with ginger and garlic, and faux lomein. Don’t ask. Okay, it was Ramen noodles but I made my own sauce and added lots of water chestnuts because I LOVE them.

I wanted a good, authentic green tea for after my meal, and as I went through my box of samples from Teavivre I found this! Ad I am so glad I did!

The dry leaves were soft and fluffy like Zhen Qu Super China Black, an excellent tea. I didn’t read the directions and steeped for three minutes since I was not brewing gong fu style. It is very good.
Even exceeding the recommended limit as much as I did, this was smooth and there was no bitterness.

I am astounded at K S’ description of Cheerios on the front of the sip. Absolutely! Nail on the head! And so forth. :) A lovely grain flavor at the beginning, and instead of picking up floral, I am getting light buttery taste. Another great tea from Teavivre. Thank you, Angel and Teavivre!

Another tea from my second round of samples provided by Teavivre. This is my first time trying a bi luo chun and the reason I chose it was honestly just that I thought the leaves looked cool, hehe. It’s definitely a beautiful looking tea. I wasn’t a HUGE fan of the taste, but that’s not to say that it’s not a good tea, I’m more casual with my reviews and usually rate based on whether or not I personally liked it. This tea was just a little flat tasting for me.

I definitely agree with what Ian said about the “saltiness”. There’s a definite alkaline taste to it, and other than that all I’m getting is your typical vegetal green flavor. All in all, I’ll happily drink it every now and then…it just didn’t captivate me in any way. Still a big fan of Teavivre, many thanks to them for the samples.

I’m actually sort of angry at Teavivre right now. Why does every single one of their teas have to be so amazing? Why can’t some of them just be mediocre? Then maybe I wouldn’t want to just give them my credit card and be like, “Send me one of everything!”

I ordered some of the premium dragon well to split with my fellow tea snob BFF, because, like everything from Teavivre, it was amazing. And with that order came four samples of this tea, which is also amazing. Maybe even more amazing. And I only get two of them, and I just restocked my tea cupboard and need to drink some of that before I can justify another order.

And now I can’t even be properly annoyed because this tea is so, so good. The flavor is strong enough to cover up the fact that I was too lazy to filter my water, but it still tastes light HOW DO THEY EVEN DO THAT??? It’s really sweet, almost floral, but somehow I am getting some really yummy oceany flavors and even though I can’t taste any mint, it leaves that same fresh feeling in the back of my throat. Such a complex, incredible flavor.

This tea is MAGIC somehow, there’s no other explanation. I AM CAPSLOCKING OVER IT.

Also the leaves are really pretty, all curly and green and white and I know this is a ridiculous thing to focus on but if I try to analyze how great this tastes anymore my head might explode.

Okay, obviously I can rhapsodize about this one forever, but I’m going to wrap it up, give this tea 100 points because that’s as far as the slider will go so I can’t give it 110, and go make another cup.

Sample provided by TeaVivre – thank you Angel and company

The fuzziness of the curled dried leaves is quite interesting. This looks to me like a green Golden Spring Yunnan-like tea. Oh, it tastes like a black tea too…

This one took me by surprise because of the miso-taste. It reminded me of golden fuzzy yunnan buds from Adagio I tried in one of my first tea adventures. I could not pinpoint any flavours that reminded me of chinese green tea: no nuttyness, no vegetable notes, no buttery flavour. I got a smoky, miso-soup type flavour, and folks, I really don’t enjoy those things in my green tea. The polarity of this tea compared to my expectations did make me appreciate the vast differences in green tea. I love that this was not what I expected, and over the next few cups I hope my taste buds learn to appreciate a smokey green tea like this one.

Backlogging. This was yesterday’s cup. The dry leaf is very different on this one. It is kind of black (dark grayish green) and white. A bit fuzzy. For some odd reason it reminded me of old time upholstery stuffing. The dry leaf smells of hay and grain. Brewed a healthy spoonful of leaf at a cool 176 F for 1 short minute. I would definitely have over steeped if Teavivre hadn’t provided clear instructions on the package.

The wet leaf on the first steep is dark green with a bit of tan. It hasn’t completely unfurled but appears to be small leaves and pieces. The smell reminds me of Cheerios. Maybe I should have had breakfast. The liquor is pale greenish and actually darker than I expected with such a short steep.

First sip, ooh I like this. It has enough bite to be interesting without being bitter. Tastes of grain at the front of the sip and spice at the back. There are some floral notes that remind me of a Ti Kuan Yin. The main thing I like about this is the green is not too green. I know a lot of people want their green to be really bright and grassy. I can appreciate a tea like that but I prefer a subtler cup like this one. It has a touch of grassiness without being overwhelmingly so. This is how I want a green to taste. I had three steeps out of it before stopping. I believe it would have gone more.

Another sample that was generously provided by the Teavivre team! Thanks!

I’ll be honest – I have not had good luck with Chinese green teas. However, I wanted to give them another try so I requested this tea in my last box of samples. The dry tea is so pretty with little curly pieces of light and dark green and there was a very clean smell. I brewed this tea up for about a minute and was greeted with a very pale (almost clear) yet shimmery liquid that smelled very sweet. Wow, this is actually good. It reminds me a bit of Silver Needles, but a bit of a greener taste. There is a bit of a fruity aftertaste that lasts long after the sip. I’m looking forward to several infusions of this beauty.

I guess it skipped straight to summer here, second night in a row with a storm. This one is way worse though, for a while I was worried my power was going to have to go out with how often there was lightning. So I had to make tea before it was too late!

I forgot I had two samples from Teavivre I had yet to try, and I am feeling like a green so I grabbed this one. The leaf is so pretty, it’s very fluffy and a bit curly, but I am mostly entranced by the fluffiness.

This is really light, I used about 1 1/2 tsp for my cup, and it brews up lightly colored. It’s a bit fruity but mostly it tastes light and savory. I definitely see where people who compare it to broth are coming from.

It’s good, but not really something that piques my interest. I like the other more savory greens I’ve tried, but this one just is a bit too light for me.

Like others have remarked before me, I really enjoyed the beauty of these curled and slighty fuzzy leaves. The leaf in the bag smells very fresh and vegetal.

I decided to steep this for over 2 minutes, which may have been too much but Chinese green teas can be very light in flavor and I wanted to get more. I think the flavor this reminds me the most of is artichoke. It’s kind of vegetal, a bit nutty and also savory. Someone else remarked on it being like miso soup and it does smell a bit miso like in my opinion. I liked this fairly well, even a bit more than the dragonwell.

I’m having this after lunch and that seems like a good time to drink it. It’s got a very mild astringency that is refreshing to my mouth. Also resteeps fairly nicely.

Many thanks to TeaVivre, my samples arrived today!

I was at a lost for which to try first so I flash-quized my dad and he chose this one. As many have raved before me, the packaging is genius-TWO DIFFERENT BAGS! Ingenious! I’ve made a mental note that if I ever start my own tea company, that’s how I’ll package everything.

The dry leaves are a mint-green color. They smell very savory, kind of like seaweed.

First steep- ~175 degrees (Fahrenheit) for 1 minute and 15 seconds. It’s VERY light, and when it’s in direct sunlight, it almost looks clear. The brewed tea smells the same as the leaves but not as strong. It’s very light, and has a savory taste. It has a slightly salty taste, and it’s very vegetal. Not really what I look for in a tea, but good for what it is. I’m not going to resteep these, but I will enjoy drinking this cup while it lasts.

I’m not too too big on savory teas, but I did enjoy the vegetal saltiness of this one, and I thank TeaVivre again for graciously sending me some samples! I’m excited to try the rest!

_{Tea sample provided by Teavivre for review}

Decided to make this a green tea morning by trying my next Teavivire sample: Bi Luo Chun.

The dry leaf scent is nice, but I can’t quite describe it. There is nothing else I can think of that fits the profile. It’s a very nice smell and not what I expected.

Moving on to drinking the liquor. The first steep tasted sweet, a bit smoky, with spice notes, overall very interesting flavours to experience. The tea body has a nice deep flavour, not too vegetal. And I felt a warm fuzzy peach texture in my mouth

Second steep was still nice but a bit weaker. I agree with some of the people on here that this tastes much like a white tea, and I’m getting more of that “tea” flavour I experience with white tea.

Third steep felt soft, sweet, warm, and fuzzy. Still tasting a bit of the spice notes, but the tea body is weakening.

I ended on the fourth cup, which while weak was still pleasant and satisfying.

I’ve never tried this type of tea before but I like Teavivre’s offering. Out of the other green tea samples from this company, I prefer the Premium Dragon Well (which I have purchased) but Bi Luo Chun would have to be my second favourite. This was my second time brewing it (first time reviewing), so I still have plenty of leaf to experiment with and find an ideal steeping method.

235ml water in a glass mug, 1 tsp, 4 steeps (1min, +30s resteeps)

Free sample generously provided to me by Teavivre. Thanks so much!

Preparation notes: 3 heaping tsp. leaf to 500 ml. water in Breville. No additives.

Dry leaf: Dark dullish green, gnarled and twisted, fluffy looking (kind of reminded me of a white tea. Scents of grain/bread, but also a musty note that I found kind of off putting.

Steeped tea: The liquor appears faintly yellow/green tinged. Very light, but not surprising given a short steeping time.

Still a musty smell, though fainter, and less offensive to my nose – it has become a grassier mustiness. I agree with the Cheerios description – think Cheerios infused green tea. It has a slight musty taste that fades as the tea cools.

This is not a particularly vegetal green tea, in fact it seems to me to almost be a hybrid between white and green teas. It has that wonderful grainy mouthfeel and yet a grassy taste. I like greens in general, and this one in particular speaks to how versatile they can be.

I’m playing Skyrim today, which means I’ve forgotten to eat or drink anything. I had a light lunch, so now it’s time for some tea!

I’m very excited to try this one! I was digging through my tea stash trying to figure out what I wanted. As I reached for the Teavivre boxes, I could have sworn that I had another plain green tea and here it is! The aroma of the dry leaves is heavenly. I know I’m going to love this one. Just sniffing the leaves is the confirmation that green tea was what I was craving.

The leaves are very interesting. Green curly little things with white tips. As others have mentioned, this tea reminds me of silver needle as well. There’s just a hint of dry hay and sunshine in the aroma that lingers like white tea.

I followed the steeping instructions on the package. The aroma of the brewed tea is…strange. It’s a subtle aroma, but it reminds me of something. Squash maybe? Or perhaps zucchini. Not what I was expecting from the dry leaf smell. EDIT: After 6 months more experience tasting teas, it turns out that subtle aroma is smoke! I usually detest smokey teas, but this one is subtle enough that it doesn’t bother me.

Mmmm, the taste is really good! It does taste remarkably similar to a white tea. In fact, I’m hard pressed to find much of a difference. I’m not detecting any green grassiness. That strange quality in the aroma (i.e. the smoke) has made its way into the taste. But it’s not off-putting, just unexpected. This is a complex cup of tea with layered, subtle flavors.

Long after the sip, there’s a hint of green tea grassiness. But not much, only a hint to remind me that this is a green tea and not a white. How interesting! This tea is just full of surprises. I highly recommend.

This is a nice, light, refreshing tea. It’s unfair that I am drinking this after the Mao Feng from earlier. On its own this one carrys its weight. I think for my next tasting I will add more leaf and a longer than 1 minute steep. It does seem to pack some energy I might add. I can only wonder what a stronger brew would yield. Is this one grown among the peach trees? The flavor is very subtle. The energy is not.

The texture for this tea’s dry leaf is so interesting. As far as greens go, it’s dark and chunky. The leaves are rolled up in a way that reminds me of oolong, but not done as tightly. And there are also lots of light colored, fluffy new leaves mixed in, too. The smell is very strong and a little intimidating to a green tea newbie.

Anyway, this is a smooth and nutty green. It’s satisfying in a way I’m beginning to appreciate, finally. Something also reminds me of sweet wheat bread, but it’s also fresh and veggie-like. And as usual, something like hay or dried grass. It smells much more pungent than it actually is, especially if you sniff the leaves themselves after steeping. And by pungent, I mean strongly of seaweed and the ocean.

Another offering from Angel at Teavivre. A start to a short week so that already makes for happiness. I’m finding it true in what Jim Marks said in another review that there is a point where it gets tough to differentiate between Chinese greens. However there is a large difference in the actual dry leaf. This one’s fuzzy. Reminds me a bit of the Monkey Picked White that I have sampled from Dr. Tea. Brewed there’s not a whole lot of difference either. Very light and pale liquor. Vegetal and slightly nutty. It’s held up to 3 good steeps. It even reminds me a bit of a yellow tea like a Hou Shan Huang.