Sun Dried Jingshan Green

I have been saving this tea for a sunny day where I could sit quietly and enjoy this beautiful tea. I am glad I waited, and this morning brewed up a small pot to start my day. What a joy it was to sip and savor the complex, yet very subtle flavors. If you enjoy delicate white teas, or gentle greens, then this is one you have to try. I actually used a kyusu (Japanese tea pot) that holds about 6 ounces with about 1.5 teaspoons of dried tea leaves.

1st infusion: 2.5 minutes, at about 180F gives a very pale yellow green brew that smells and tastes of sunshine, sweet grass and maybe a touch of shiso ( a knid of Japanese basil/mint).
2nd infusion: 2 minutes, at about 180F yields a slightly more green brew with even more of the same flavors, just a bit more intense.
3rd infusion: 3 minutes, at about 195F brings out more vegetal tones, with maybe a bit of fresh hay smell in the aroma.

Yet another wonderful tea from Verdant Teas. A Yunnan green worth note! :)

Getting lots of lime citrus and floral notes with this today. I need to use cooler water (or maybe less leaf) if I’m brewing jingshan style though – by the time this was cool enough for me to drink it was quite thick and verging on oversteeped!

I’ve been drinking a lot of Laoshan and Dragonwell green lately, and this has a much fruitier, brighter taste in comparison. I will probably buy more once it’s available again in the spring!

I’ve been waiting for the right time to try this tea and this evening seems just right. I had a long day at work and I’m still breaking in my new work shoes so my feet are killing me. On the way home I noticed how the leaves on all the trees are starting to change colors. Every year I try to notice the exact day that the leaves start changing, but fall always creeps up on me. It seems like one day it’s summer then the next day all the leaves have already started changing. Does it happen overnight? It feels like it…

The one thing that always gets me about fall is the dampness in the air – even if it hasn’t rained it’s got a damp quality about it. It sort of smells like green tea outside – damp and grassy, leaves everywhere. Refreshing. I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but refreshing is what I need tonight.

This cup of tea smells perfectly refreshing. It smells like buttery string beans. Mmmm the vegetal notes are so amazing here – not at all bitter or overpowering. I’m really enjoying the buttery smoothness and the sweet aftertaste. It’s sweet in a way that is so right. Totally unwinding right now. I’m so happy that I was able to snatch some of this because it’s sold out now. I only wish I’d gotten more…

I was not planning on doing a review for this tea just yet, but I think I need to. I’m getting so much from this tea and it’s only my first cup. For that reason, genetics will have to wait a little bit longer as I have missed this so much.
1st: Very light, with a slight sparkle on the top of my tongue. Bursting with succulent guava and papaya flavours oddly enough. This is why I just had to write about it. It’s way too intense of flavours not to. There is a touch of smoke perhaps.. maybe just dry grass/ hay.
2nd: The wet leaves smells like green bean water. The taste is delightful. It reminds me of cucumber, with a creaminess to it. There is also a sweet melon taste.. honeydew like. Honeydew for sure. I also keep getting a spice I am not very familiar with. Perhaps saffron? cumin? I don’t know but it’s really needing me to identify it. And asparagus. Creamy creamy asparagus.
3rd: The leaves now smell like creamed asparagus and I am getting extremely sweet tingles in the back of my tongue. Sweet like honeysuckle. Oh my! Taste – hmmm. I feel like this cup is changing. Maybe the leaves are in transition of flavours. I get glimpses of creamed asparagus (or peas) on my tongue, which then disappear and I have a hard time finding again. Sneaky tea.

I need to get back to genetics now. Sadface. I wish I could just review teas all day. I will have to soon when some samples come in. =)

I was very impressed with this surprising new green offered by Verdant Tea when I had my initial chance to try it at Verdant’s last tasting. I’ve now brewed it at home twice. The first time was last Saturday night around 9:00pm when I needed a tea fix with special and very specific parameters: something light and enlivening, but also calming and cleansing.

I had slept for most of the day due to sleeplessness the previous night and a brief illness that washed over me in the late afternoon and broke in the evening. My body was feeling pretty good after I ate something and then arranged to attend a social dance, as my body was indicating a need to move. The Jing Shan struck me as the most suitable tea I had for the circumstances.

I brewed it in the traditional Jingshan style indicated by the steeping notes that came with my purchase. Heated water to 175F, poured 6-7oz into my small glass serving pitcher, and sprinkled just under 1 tablespoon of leaves on top. Really fun and beautiful to watch these leaves dance! Many of them float vertically. I waited a minute or so and took in the very fine fragrance of this tea. Then I started pouring off the tea by stages into one of my 2oz drinking cups, holding back the leaves with a spoon. First cup was very light, crisp, and refreshing. Where the first cup was a suggestion of what the flavor would become, the second cup was its perfect assertion. It called for my full attention without any sharpness, but rather with a certain equanimity that compels one to listen closely. Sinking into this flavor there’s a pleasant sensation that the tea is offering some kind of compliment you can’t help but smile at. The best comparison I can draw to it is eating a ripe sugarsnap pea pod that you’ve pulled fresh off the plant. There is also a subtle quality of the ocean in this, which strikes me as giving it more kinship to a good gyokuro than to other Chinese green teas. I took my sweet time enjoying those first two cups, and by the time I came to the dregs with my third cup the strength of the tea (about 2oz of water steeping a tablespoon of leaves for 5+ minutes) was nearing the edge of my preferred intensity. Still plenty good, but not the ideal of that second cup. The Jingshan style steeping would have you just drink the tea straight out of the glass that the leaves are in, letting it grow stronger as you drink it. For my part, I found that I would’ve rather liked this tea to maintain the state of that second cup from beginning to end.

Which leads me to describe the second brewing of Jing Shan I made this afternoon, and enjoyed moments ago. This time I decided to follow the Jingshan style steeping method to a point, but try to capture a full 8 ounces of the tea in the ideal state I described above. So I poured the hot water in a glass tumbler and added the outlined tablespoon of Jing Shan on top, timing it to steep for two minutes. Then I poured the tea through a strainer into my serving pitcher. The results were indeed excellent, and quite close to what I desired to achieve. In this brewing I tasted more clearly the note of asparagus mentioned by others, and found it delectable. I think for future brewing I will experiment with steep time until I land directly on the quality of that perfect cup I had in the first brewing, trying 1.5 and 2.5 minutes to gain some perspective. On another note, I steeped the leaves from this brewing a second time in the same way that I’ve just described, and am happy to report that the result remained very good. The flavor didn’t diminish much. I’m sure this tea could deliver a nice third steeping as well, but I’ve yet to try. At some point I will need to try preparing this tea Gongfu style through multiple infusions in a gaiwan, just to get a more comprehensive sense of it’s profile. Perhaps I will post results of these future experiments at a later time.

I’ve never had a green tea like this before! It really does seem to sparkle in the mouth.
First steep – So bright and clean. A sort of light green flavour. I can’t get over how clear and pristine this is.
2nd – Whoa. This one is stronger and I’m getting an almost citrusy taste. Nice! As it cools it turns more green bean-y.
3rd – I started eating dinner (maple salmon!) here, so I think my taste buds are a little preoccupied (I know, I thought the salmon would take longer to cook!). But this steep was very enjoyable. :)
4th – Okay, done with dinner! Although keep in mind that I did… just eat dinner. But this steep seems more buttery to me.
5th – Super sweet! I’m getting a definite cinnamon-y note.

Mmmm. Sorry this note is so scattered/bad lol. But this tea really is unlike any other green I’ve had. And it changed a lot from steep to steep! Definitely going to have this again, separate from dinner!!
(Also, I see that there is still Golden Fleece available… should I order some?? Hmmmm…)

What’s fun about this tea, like the others I’ve had from Verdant, particularly the Yunnan Gold and Yabao, is that it shares some kind of sweet-earthy character that must come as a result of being grown in Yunnan.

I’ve had this twice now, probably enough left for 1-2 more pots, at most. It came as one of two January teas-of-the-month. The first infusion or two have been slightly weak – I think less because this tea isn’t interesting, and more because I haven’t been completely cold-free since the beginning of the year.

That being said, this tea has a very determined sweetness, that continues to grow with further steeps. I made it to four (western style) steeps, and the last was the sweetest and left strongest aroma aftertaste by far. It was really nice! There was a bit of a tang present throughout, as well.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to get a bit more out of the first steep or two next time.
Anyway, I think this is an straightforward green tea that anyone would enjoy.

Very unlike any other green tea I have tried. A delicate, soft blend which reminds me of meadows, clover and hay. Very soft finish and sweet aroma. I will need to be trying some of this cold brewed as well. Very happy with this purchase!

The dry leaves of this tea look beautiful, and smell delicious. Looking at my notes here (I took notes!), I remember the leaves smelled like lime, basil and sweet grass. Once steeped, you get more of a barley or corn pancake aroma. The tea itself (at least on the first steeping), smells clean, bright and decidedly vegetal.

If you’ve tried Verdant Tea’s other green offerings, you’ll know right off the bat that this is a very different kind of green tea experience. While Lao Shan greens tend to be hearty, beany, warm and robust, this Jing Shan offers the lighter and more delicate side of Chinese greens. This side is just as legitimate, and helps remind me how gentle and powerfully quiet greens can be.

Once steeped, I got three good steepings out of the buddy leaves, and I kept going for five or so (lost count, and didn’t write that down in my notes). Basically, steeped until I was quite satisfied and sated; unlike some lighter greens, this didn’t tempt and inspire me, only to run off at the second steeping and leave me feeling like I’ve been abandoned at the altar.. The taste is sparkling, bright, and almost fruity (I can’t put my finger on what that fruit could be). The sweetness reminds me of steamed buns, and while drinking, I’m reminded of greens dusted with sweet matcha powder. There is a pleasant tangy aftertaste, and as I continue with later steepings, there is the very light taste of sweet asparagus. Underneath is a pleasant mineral-ly base.

All in all, the tea feels like a cleansing sigh of relief. Yum!

I suspect I will always have a preference for the LaoShan-esque green teas, but this is a wonderful and delicious reminder for me to keep trying Chinese greens. I look forward to drinking this in the morning, especially as summer starts to cool down. I am also really looking forward to a drizzley morning, so that I can open the windows and try steeping this “Jing Shan style” (pour water into a glass, then sprinkle in the leaves… drink when they’ve floated to the bottom). When I do, I’ll let you know how that way of steeping is different from my normal pouring-between-two-glass-pitchers.

just finished a tasting of all of Verdant’s newest teas, so expect a lot more notes over the next few days. Hooray for new teas and remembering to take notes!

I finally caved and got some tea from Verdant after seeing all the great reviews of the tea and of the company. The package arrived today and I immediately grabbed for this tea, this is the one I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. So, I opened the pack and the tea looks lovely, light green and white twisted, curled leaves with a subtle fresh vegetal scent with floral notes. The wet tea leaves smells like asparagus and the liquor is very light with hints of chestnut. It tastes very good, I get so much out of this one from the asparagus notes, floral notes, corn notes, and sweetness. It reminds me of back home, walking through the farm fields in spring time where mostly corn and soy is grown with lots of forest edges with birds singing and everything is starting to grow back and bloom after a nice rain and the sun is coming back out. Excellent tea, I’m very glad I tried this one.

I never thought I’d find a green tea that would shake my obsession with senchas at large. What. A. Tea. Bravo, Verdant!

I had this tea tonight on a whim. The sample was sitting in my tea box, waiting to be tried, but I was pretty sure I was going to end up making another batch of my much-beloved SA matcha before bed. For whatever reason, I decided to dig through the tea box instead. This was the first little bag I pulled out after a blind rummage.

On opening the bag, I took a deep whiff and instantly picked out the citrus the description talks about. Wet, they smell distinctly green. A bit toasty, maybe? Or at least what I tend to attribute to senchas as toasty.

It brews up light, definitely, but not as light as the yabao. A clear, light yellow-green. Very pretty to watch the colour seep out from the Breville basket. (Don’t judge! I’m waiting on some new tea ware I just ordered! Including a gaiwan that will get some HEAVY use, I promise.) The liquor itself is indeed vegetal in scent, reminiscent, again, of sencha. At any rate, the scent seems intensely interesting to my pet rats, who keep trying to shove their heads into the mug whenever I put it down.

Hot, it tastes beautifully vegetal, but sweet. At the same time, there’s a distinct note of effervescence that only grows as the tea cools. And then, after you sip, the notes turn into a beautiful citrus flavour that lingers pretty much indefinitely.

I had a hard time placing the citrus. The description says lime, but that’s not quite it to me. Lemon isn’t it either, as the note isn’t quite as sharp as all that. I kept thinking of having breakfast on weekends when I was growing up, and I could not figure why. Then I remembered our grapefruit tree. It wasn’t much, but the grapefruits had a distinct sweetness and character that I have yet to find in any commercial offering. Sweet, but not overpoweringly. Tart and sour, but only perfectly so. THAT is what the tea’s aftertaste is to me – grapefruits from my youth. I miss that little tree – it was battered by hurricane Georges and finally succumbed in the ensuing tornados it caused.

As the tea cools, the grapefruit note starts to make itself known DURING the sip. It’s even more sparkly, just gorgeous. I could drink this forever. I’m getting more after my sample runs out.

So this was my sample from Verdant. I was a little surprised by it since I ordered a black, 2 oolongs, and one purer. It was a pleasant surprised though. I opened the bag and it did not have the grassiness that I’m used to from a green which was another plus. I waited till I drank my other purchases before I drank this one. I read the story by David on how he came in contact with the tea and it made me want to drink it tonight.
I drank it the “preferred” way the Jingshan way. I watched the beautiful leaves unfold and began to sip. It was a little strange looking into the glass cup and trying to avoid the leaves while drinking the tea. It started off light and floral then it transformed to more of a vegetal oolong. Loved it! I was afraid of overstepping it since I did not want it to be bitter. It was far from it….nice!
The Jingshan way is the way to go with this tea.

Loose
Appearance: grey, green color, med curl to leaf
Aroma when Dry: citrus, powdery
After water is first poured: pungent grapefruit, floral,
At end of first steep: bitter, grassy, floral fruity
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: clear
Staple? unsure
Time of day preferred: any
Taste:
At first: chewy, floral, slight creaminess, brothy a bit flat
As it cools? notes open, citrus notes lessen layer a bit, tea gets deeper and meatier
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Slightly, hints of grass through a creaminess

Second steep (8 min)
Tea liquor: clear
Aroma: very light citrus vegital
Taste: hints of floral, vegetal notes
As it cools: mellows into a creamy green texture

Sometimes I forget I have this tea… and when I drink it I’m reminded of what I’m missing. This tea… I lose the words. I’ve made it a few times, but it’d been a while and I’d forgotten David’s story of his first meeting. How when he was introduced it was served in a short glass first filled with water. The tea followed, allowing it to “dance,” sinking from the surface. This time, in my haste I prepared it western style in my Finum. I thought as I poured the water directly over the leaves, how disrespectful this approach was. Part of me must’ve remembered that this tea was better served gradually introduced to the water. But still, she was tolerant, though the 30 sec steeping time almost sent her over the edge.

Amber is the color that came to mind at first steep, though milky with tiny hairs, translucent particles suspended in the liquid. Dry, as others have mention, but pointed and sweet. The astringent notes I’ll blame on my brewing technique, as I don’t recall them from previous encounters. Lovely and vegetal, different, though friendly towards Laoshan teas.

A 2nd 20-30 sec steep and I watch as the now wet leaves release into the clear water like heat waves dancing over blistering landscape, a momentary golden swirl become uniform. This time I’ve taken more care, introducing the tea basket into the slightly cooler water. I’m rewarded. I shut up and drink. There are no words for the simple pleasure of enjoying this tea. I’m sure there are… but I just want to get out of my own way and experience it, the hint of smokiness.

That dryness just begs that I not stop drinking and plow through to a 3rd steep. Still true to color, the liquor is now clearer. Lovely still the tea remains fresh and alive. The mouthfeel is clean and light and I’m ready to start slowing down and savor this tea, reveling in the wonderful taste that remains after each swallow.

The wet leaves in the basket, waiting for the next steep? Aroma of cat pee. Not something I’d want to share with my guests. I’ll keep those off to the side if I intend to serve this to friends, thank you. But it’s not about the wet leaves it’s the resulting elixir that I care about.

Steep 4 continues to reward. I notice as I attempt to find the words the tingling all across my palate, the kind of evergreen aura that permeates. Each sip is like watching a lovely sunset recede, becoming increasingly interesting as it slips away. I reboil my water (I know… sacrilege), as it’s probably gotten down to below 150°F. I introduce it to my cup in a long thin poor, and let it sit for a minute to bring it down to temp. I sink the basket in slowly and boom! I can see the tea come back to life. All kinds of citrus aroma. I’m going to have to give this a bit more time to cool. The color is still there, but pale now. This is the tail end I think— Had I taken more care on the 1st steep, I could be lining up for a 5th steep. I think I’ve pulled what I can out of this tea. That astringency though, no mistake. It’s certainly part of the character here.

What a pleasant experience. As I leaned into this tea from the start, impatient and impulsive, it responded by pulling me in and taking me off balance. Tripping over myself in an attempt to grasp what it was offering, I reached out to it again. It uprighted me and led me along, measured and nurturing, yet strict and inciting respect.

A 5th Steep and I’ve come full circle, pouring my water directly over the leaves again. This time I do so gently, coaxing out any more wisdom there is to be offered. I let it sit and extract what it can, longer now, a little over a full minute, maybe even two. Sweet notes, the dry mouthfeel remain as I wait and watch to see if the liquid will yield more color. I lift and dunk the basket a few times and am surprised by how much color remains. And still this tea gives… This late in the game it’s gone ever so slightly bitter. I could have avoided this. Still it reminds me, this tea is not for playing.

A 6th steep, still giving… sweet, lingering, looking back to me as she leaves. And I thought I was just going to have a cup of tea.

I’ve owned this tea for awhile and haven’t known what to make of it. After much experimenting and finding the “perfect” water temperature I finally “get” this tea. The description is right on when it describes the lime and basil flavors. If Thai food could be a green tea, this would be it. Its light and refreshing and the basil flavor rests on the tip of your tongue. It is quite a temperamental tea if water temperature or steeping time is off, but the payoff is worth it. As usual I’m never disappointed with Verdant tea.

Tastes like Yunnan.

Slightly twisted, long, slender olive and silver dry leaves. Very fresh and vegetal in the bag, like a really good dragonwell.
The steeped tea deepens to richer, sweetgrass and fruit notes with a hint of creamy nuttiness. The liquor is a lovely green-gold.
Being a big Dragonwell fan, this tea is bold and bright enough to hold its own against it. (Although quieter in its assertiveness, still very distinct from other greens.)
Not floral, but decidedly sweet. Green, but not as strongly so as Dragonwell. If you’re looking for an alternative green which isn’t overly flora, nor overly green or grassy, this one’s for you.

Steeped per the brewing instructions provided by Verdant Tea. 4g of leaf in 4oz of water. Boiled then cooled to 170F. The aroma of the leaves is intoxicating in the bag and only becomes more so after a wake up rinse, steep, and decant (I’m using a gaiwan). With a 5 second steep (second infusion) the liquor decants a very pale straw yellow, very clear. I get a lot of sweet green pea in the nose, some other young green vegetables, and a zingy aroma that reminds me of the smell of raw sugar. The flavor seems quite delicate; some slight sugar sweetness, faint young green vegetables. The body is more substantial then I would have thought. This tea coats the mouth, and only dries out a tiny bit on the finish. Very refreshing.

Update: 9 infusions and it’s still tasty

I finally got my hands on my new order from Verdant! And it turns out that all three of the teas I ordered are from Yunnan. Ah well, at least I know what I like. And I get to try a white, a green, and a black from the same region.

So, I think this is the first un-flavored green tea I’ve ever tried. (Other than matcha, but that’s a whole different game.) I brewed this western style, steeping it for minutes, which is longer than I meant to, but I had to stop and find a clean mug.

The aroma of this is very nice, with the roasted pumpkin seeds smell I associate with green tea, and a floral aroma, and maybe something similar to white wine? (Although the whites I drink are very floral, so.)

The taste is very mild, with a floral note my head keeps insisting is jasmine, even though I know this isn’t a jasmine, and a slightly astringent texture. And again, there’s that nice roasted note.

All in all, very good, but not likely to convert me from my black tea drinking ways.

Wonderful tea, very light and delicate. It has a very clean and refreshing feel to it. Notes of honey and citrus as well. I prefer to steep for 3 min as I like a stronger flavor. Another great tea from Verdant Tea!