ZG96: Pre-Chingming Jade Buds 2011

A big thank you to ScottTeaMan for sending me this one to try!

When I first opened the envelope I was surprised at how much this looks like a yellow tea I tried from Upton a while back. The leaves are certainly not as green as they are in the photo.

I tried to follow the steeping parameters accurately – 1 1/2 tsp @ 3 minutes in infuser mug.

It was kind of fun to watch a few of my leaves open up. This is a very light infusion for a green tea and definitely more on the delicate side with a nice sweetness in the finish. I’m getting a bit of a corn husk flavor. This is enjoyable and very nice for the afternoon although my personal preference is for a green tea with a lot more heft and body. I don’t think I would buy it for myself after trying it, but it’s good!

This was fun to try and I will definitely save the rest of it for another quiet moment in the afternoon where it seems very appropriate. Very relaxing for a green tea.

It’s rather late tonight, but I really wanted to log this tea. The leaf is truly beautiful-flat, sort of like a miniature pea pod. The leaf looks closer to an olive green, with white tips surrounding the leaf edge. There is also a light sweetness to the dry leaf.

I used close to 1 1/2 tsp for my 8 oz cup. The steeping leaf initially smelled lightly of corn. The leaves were floating on top of the water, with a few being daring and taking a verticle dive for deeper waters. The wet leaves smelled of fresh cut grass. Not like right there next to me, but like when I’m taking a walk or a bike ride, and the fresh air carries the aroma to me from a distance.

The cup is a light yellow, with a faint aroma. The flavor is very light, with similar green flavor. I feel like I need to use more leaf, so I will add more leaf to the already steeped leaves! I’m not giving up on this one, and I figure by the time I get this right the tea may be nearly gone. :-// Stay tuned…….

Cupped & Reviewed: Friday, May 11, 2012.

I decided to do a second tasting adding 1.5-2 tsps. of fresh tea to the previous steeped leaves. A slightly deeper corn aroma (although still on the mellow side), was evident as the leaves steeped. A 3.5-4 minute steep at around 180 degrees was used. A slightly deeper, grass in the air aroma from the wet leaves teased my nose. The cup was a slightly darker yellow color, and a sweeter, mellow corn aroma was present in the cup. The flavor on my palate was clean, fresh, and bright. There is quite a bit more of a nice, smooth green tea flavor, and no bitterness-despite the longer steep.

Pre-Chingming teas are harvested in early Spring, on or before April 5th, so the leaves are tender, and the aromas and flavors are more gentle on the nose and palate. That’s just the way it is. Overall, this tea is very beautiful, and the aromas and flavors are very enjoyable, gentle, smooth, and sometimes elusive.

I’m sure there are better teas if you want a tea with more flavor, and consider that more important. For me, this tea is worth it once a year. It is a very pleasing tea, with unique qualities not found in most Chinese green teas.

Cupped & Reviewed: Saturday, May 12, 2012.