Chun Mei Green Tea (Zhen Mei)

This is my first Chun Mei, at least as far as I know!

The aroma and look of the leaves was completely different from the green tea I drank yesterday. This was not as brightly green, and had a completely different aroma. No wet cooked turnip or mustard greens here!

I accidentally used too much leaf. The first sip was astringent and a little sour, my fault. I had already resteeped the leaves so I did what I had read in an article on serving tea in Britain through the years. I read that sometimes tea was made extra strong and the hot water pot was used for people to adjust the tea to their liking. I picked up the kettle and added water until I had the right amount for the amount of leaf I used. All better!

This is still a drying tea, as it is supposed to be. It is neither bitter nor sour. It makes me think of sunshine on dry hay. I made four steeps and combined them all into one pot after tasting a sip from both the first and second steep unmixed. There is plenty of flavor left. I shall enjoy having this as my morning green!

Thank you, Angel and Teavivre!

I’ve had a few smokey green tea before but this one is unique. It has a cool tingly sweet aftertaste that reminds me of orchid and ginseng oolongs. It didn’t come out till the second steep and is most strong in the third. I hadn’t experienced it in a green before neat! It is a bit bitter at the front and charcoaly, but the lingering taste on my tongue and in my throat are worth it. Thanks Michelle for sharing this one!

Here is another sample from the lovely cornucopia sent to me from Teavivre. This reminds me of the Yunnan Emerald buds that I sampled from Teavana. Definitely different leaves from the the Dragon Well. The dry leaves are tightly rolled and have a slightly smoky aroma like charcoal. First steep a pale yellow liquor. Slightly smokey and slightly bitter. The wet leaf kinda reminds me of cooked greens and one of my favorite Christmas songs from Run DMC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR07r0ZMFb8 The second steep is where it gets interesting. The the liquor this time is a bright orange hue. Definitely smokier and more bitter. Reminds me a lot of green pu-erh. I have not been a fan of green pu-erh so far but this is not as bad as my previous experience with the green pu-erh. Decent cup though.

I was looking through my sample box, looking for a green tea this morning, and I stumbled across this one. I can’t believe I forgot I had it!

The dry leaf is a dark-scented, almost like a light Darjeeling. The pieces are small and fairly broken, and although I’m drinking it out of my TARDIS mug (I can’t get over it. It’s fantastic.) it’s a mid-range light yellow.

It tastes the way it smells, sort of a darker green with hints of pepper and cucumber. It’s a bit bitter, but as my tea kettle only does 180 and 212 with accuracy, I had to guess for the 195. It’s good, though. It’s a hearty green.

Ooh, here we go. This is what I like in a green tea. I know it seems weird, but I didn’t know what I was “tasting for” in them before. I had experienced so few that I didn’t know what characteristics I liked and wanted to pursue.

The smokiness pleases the black tea lover in me. It’s more in the scent than the taste; subtle. I don’t exactly taste the plum that Teavivre describes, but I sense some sort of creaminess that I’m also liking. There are no strong vegetable or seaweed tastes to it, which I’m still adjusting to. Maybe a little nuttiness. Anyway, this is really good. I’m going to have to explore Chun Mei, I think.

Another free sample generously provided to me by TeaVivre!

Dry leaf: Small and dark green leaves that smelled of spinach. They were whole, but the leaves were so small that they resembled a BOP grade, almost. I understand the reasoning behind the short steep time when looking at the leaves.

Steeped leaf: Once steeped, the liquor is a light brown – the fact it is so dark is surprising given I’ve steeped some greens for 2 minutes and only gotten a pale green. The smell is quite brothy and savory, and as it cools, almost…floral, strangely enough.

The taste is…strong. And very different. It’s drying like a white wine on the tongue, but not thin or watery. It seems kind of bitter, but that plum aftertaste was there – it seemed a bit metallic, though. It is definitely memorable and different than any other green tea I’ve tried. As it cools most of the dryness and the sharpness in the aftertaste fades away. It leaves more of a sour nuttiness in its stead.

Overall: I’m glad I got to try it but I don’t know that it’s a tea I want to keep on hand. It could be the fact that it shares so many qualities with wine or sake – I don’t drink alcohol because I can’t stand the taste and so this is has unpleasant associations to me. Maybe later steeps will be more to my liking?

Mmmm…nummy. THis is perfect for when you’re in a mood for savory flavors. At first, the scent of the leaves confused me. Then I realized I was smelling nori. I love nori. This tea totally reminds me of a chinese pantry. Dried shrimp, dried shitakes, fermented soy products… all those things used in chinese cooking to add a punch of umami. Is umami even possible in tea leaves? Delicious. Slightly brothy and a hint of dryness on the tongue. Am I having soup?

Ok, let’s back pedal a bit and talk about the leaves and the steeping parameters. I was tickled to see how mini the little leaf pellets were in the pouch. Adorable! I was also surprised by the steeping instructions. Less than 30 seconds in 90 C? I’ve never seen a green calling for such a short steep. And the temp is a bit high for my usual greens, but since the directions were so specific, I figured they were worth following. I can’t imagine going for more than 30 seconds with this tea. The flavor is perfect at 29 seconds. I imagine it would get astringent if left longer, judging by the dryness already present. I love the care Teavivre shows toward their teas. Every variety is treated with respect.

I bet this could go a few more steeps too. I’m off for steep 2. :)

This tea tastes for all the world to me like someone made tea out of nori (the stuff sushi is wrapped in)- it’s kind of vegetal and kind of oceanic in a way that manages not to turn me off despite my loathing of all things seafood. In some ways it’s a really typical green tea, and the most reminiscent of Japanese greens among the Teavivre varieties that I’ve tried.

There is no doubt about it. I have become a Teavivre groupie. Not only do all of their teas have delicious and outstanding flavors, but they are also fascinating and fun. Some come in little tea cakes that incredibly expand while steeping, others have unusual flat leaves, some are hand rolled into little pellets that unfurl during brewing, and still others appear as flowers that “bloom” during the brewing process. Teavivre also does an expert job with packaging to ensure that your tea arrives from China undamaged and fresh.

The Chun Mei Green Tea carries on this tradition by requiring the shortest brewing time that I’ve experienced so far – less than 30 seconds! If you think that half a minute can’t be enough time to coax satisfactory flavor from this tea, you are as wrong as I was.

This is another splendid green tea. The flavor is somewhat grassy with sweet undertones. The color is a surprisingly vibrant orange-yellow. The taste is extremely steady and full. There is no weakness or bitterness to it. A very pleasant sweet aftertaste remained on my palate after each sip.

A long time ago, whenever a new record album by The Beatles was released, I would just buy it without listening to it, because I knew it would be great. This is now how I feel about Teavivre teas. Any tea that Teavivre wants to throw at me, I will be willing and ANXIOUS to try. I am confident that, just like The Beatles, Teavivre won’t let me down. I love you Teavivre, oh yes I do (yeah, yeah, yeah)!

Pure tea buds and new leaves. The inside of the sample bag is covered in a fine powdery dust. The dry leaf is shiny, grayish looking (very dark green and white mix). Smells of hay and fresh tobacco. Used one spoonful at approx 194 F for 30 seconds per instructions.

The wet leaf smells a bit like toast with a non-threatening hint of smoke. The leaf expands into a big loose clump in the bottom of the press reminiscent of a Twinings loose tea. The liquor in the press appears light yellow/green in the low light level of my office. Appears much darker in my cup.

The sip is a balance of light grassiness and smoke. There is also a creaminess to the cup. Sometimes smoke frightens me. Here it really does compliment the green’s flavor. Once again I find I am really liking this offering by Teavivre. As the cup reaches room temperature, I am reminded of the base that Ahmad uses in their Earl Green. I use to love that tea, so it is no wonder this one immediately appeals to me.

Apparently I like this a lot more than the others who rated it.

Sadly, this is my last new sample by Teavivre. Thank you Angel for allowing me to review your company’s products. I am impressed. The good news is I still have partially filled sample bags so I get to enjoy each one of these at least one more time, while I try to whittle down the must have list to a manageable level. Since I rated most of these teas at 90+ that will be difficult.

Oh this is so good. I thought by steeping it for such a short time it wouldn’t taste like anything. But it’s so flavorful! It’s savory, sort of nutty, and then it’s definitely sweet, and I love the dryness of it. It’s definitely got a bold flavor. On the second steeping, there is a toasty flavor going on.

I think I have one of those problems where I’m like “this is my favorite!” and it turns out everything is my favorite.

This is where Chinese green teas start to lose me, I think, and all begin to taste basically the same. But the problem, of course, is me, not the tea.

I’m into my second steep of this, now, and after my enjoyment of the dragon well in recent weeks I had high hopes.

There is a steady transition here as you sip, savor and swallow. Up front you get a strong roasted note and a tiny bite of vegetal bitterness, but then the cup opens up into bright, fresh green sweetness. But, that’s what happens with all the good, green, Chinese teas I’ve had. I just don’t have the palate development yet (for these teas) to discuss the subtle distinctions between a Chun Mei, a Xin Yang Mao Jian, a Taimu Maojin and a Bi Luo Chun.

Hopefully this week’s series of samplings will school me.

I haven’t quite yet figured out how to steep Chun Mei in a way that I really like. Haven’t figured out yet if it’s that I am not a Chun Mei fan or if I just haven’t found the right steeping parameters. For a Chun Mei this is good, it just keeps coming out a bit too dull and bitter for me. I’ve reached the end of my sample so it might be a while before I figure this one out.

Mmm, this tea reminds me of a gunpowder with some floral notes to it.

This morning I am enjoying this Precious Eyebrow. This is my first time with this tea so I followed the instructions of a 30 second steep. The first steeping yielded a mild cup with a light aroma. The second steeping has picked up in intensity. I am getting the smoky, chestnut flavors others have spoke of. As always, more experimenting is required for teas that I am not accustomed to. Overall from my first experience it’s a very good tea….

(This sample was generously provide to me by Teavivre. Thank you Angel and the whole Teavivre Team.)
Dry Leaf: Has a vegetal aroma slight sweetness to it with a slight smokey aroma.
Wet Leaf:Has a vegetal aroma think maybe boiled spinach.
Liquor: Has a yellowish green broth.
Taste: I get a vegetal flavor with a plum after taste but can even see someone saying smokey. A very slight bitter touch that does leave a slight dryness in the mouth. The broth feels rich or thick in the mouth not watery.
Overall Opinion: I give this a 86. You will have to play with amount of tea and water and time of steeping. I feel this tea gets quit bitter after 30seconds so be careful. This tea would be good on a hot day because it is refreshing. It has a smoothness to it. I would recommend this tea to Gunpowder Green Tea fans in my humble opinion.

_{Updated on 1/4/2012}

Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online—

Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011. Received fall 2011, brewed up days later.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: similar in appearance and smell to other Chun Mee teas I have had before: small chopped and tightly curled leaves, with a grassy and somewhat smoky aroma.

Brewing guidelines: Based on two different steeping sessions; I used a little hotter temperatures than the standard parameters for my green teas call for due to Teavivres web directions. Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added.
2 tsp, 2 cups of water (4 tsp, 4.5 cups)
……….1st: 180, 1’ (187; 1’)
……….2nd: 180. 1.5 (178 trying it cooler; 1.5’)
……….3rd: 185, 2’ (185; 2’)

Color and aroma of tea liquor: cloudy, light honey color, mild vegetal aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor: standard vegetal green tea flavor; minor astringency on the second steeping.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Looks and smells fresh.

Value: Roughly a $1/ounce, and you can’t really beat that for fresh green tea anywhere.

Overall: My wife and I changed our mind on this one after the second session: the flavor is not as good as the flavor during the first session. I am not very taken by the flavor (too astringent, or something). It did hold up with the flavor it had through three steepings. Nothing else really notable about it other than that it is fresh and inexpensive.