Silver Sprout Organic (ZG49)

Upton does a great job of explaining their teas without degrading into pseudo poetry or lengthy theatrical tomes. I got a sample of this to try but kind of wishing I had gotten more (but no, I don’t need any more tins of green tea! Bad Amy!).

The aroma of the wet leaf is very fresh and almost floral tasting. I am finding this to be very soft on the palate and am not finding the astringency they speak of. It is lightly vegetal like roasted corn and with a hint of smoke but also a fruit like sweetness (perhaps lychee).

This is an excellent selection for the price – $5.80/125 grams as I write this. It also resteeps very well.

So I finally ordered from Upton Tea Imports, mostly a batch of samples priced from $1 to $1.50. Their shipping is very inexpensive, and Alex Z at RateTea.net has given good marks for many of their teas. This one intrigued me, and is the first I tried.

The aroma of both the dry and wet leaves is amazingly more like a very green oolong. The flavor is also like a fall oolong, with hints of smoke, sweet grass, and a light fruity aftertaste. Yet this is a green, and carries a bit of astringency and freshness as well. A very pleasant tea, and one I look forward to spending more time sipping.