Recommendations for Non-Grassy Greens/Oolongs/Whites?
Hello all. I’m planning on a tea order in the next few weeks, and would like to add some non-grassy Chinese greens, oolongs, and/or whites to my cupboard, preferably non-flavored/non-blended (i.e. straight).
In the past, I’ve had Dragon Pearl Jasmine and Bai Mu Dan. The Dragon Pearl was from DavidsTEA and the Bai Mu Dan (back when it was still called that) was from Adagio. Typically, I order from Harney & Sons and I plan on ordering a Timolino from DavidsTEA but I’m open to other companies if they have good quality teas at reasonable prices, including shipping (I’m a student in the US).
I’m also open to non-Chinese tea. I just specified that above because I was led to understand that Chinese green tea is typically not grassy. I’m really not a fan of grassy and/or seaweed-y flavor profiles.
Any recommendations?
Longjing may be a good option for you as it’s a floral/perfumed tea above all else, at best it may have very minimal green or grassy tones.
Gunpowder Green is a strong and slightly spicy green, similar to an Oolong but lighter. No grassy tones but a peppery undertone.
As it’s Chinese teas you are after I highly recommend www.teavivre.com They are a Chinese based tea company and their teas are highly regarded here on Steepster. Plus shipping is cheap worldwide.
Teavivre also do taster packs if you want to explore a little more :)
Do you like flavored teas at all? I always had a problem with green tea tasting too grassy for my preference, but I really enjoy some of the flavored greens from Mahamosa. Those were the first greens I really enjoyed. Plum and pear green is probably my favorite, but I enjoyed a number of them.
I’ve never heard about Mahamosa before but thanks for the recommendation. I will definitely have to poke around their website.
I love flavored teas but I’ve noticed lately that I don’t have much experience at all with straight teas (especially greens), so this order is an attempt to remedy that. Plus, flavored teas constitute a lot of the teas in my cupboard right now so I was looking for a bit of variety with this order.
But definitely let me know your favorite flavored greens! Even if I don’t order it this time around, I’m sure I’ll make another order when I’m in need of flavored teas.
Have you tried roasted oolongs? Or rock teas? Dahongpao and Rougui are great in Autumn. Not grassy. Thick, rich, and mineral.
Rukeri OP green – it’s a green tea from Rwanda – nice and quite neutral in taste.
- also recommend green/white Ceylon teas. They are quite different from Chinese, and def. worth the try !
Peronal fave are: Huang Jin gui oolong (a fruity oolong with hints of mandarin/peach.)
Another personal fave is grand pouchong. (buttery with a hint of orchid… it’s yum! – )
there are flavoured greens that are less grassy, maybe you should try a few to see which you’d prefer.
:)- I love Japanese teas more than anything else, so no big help here. Good luck in finding your perfect tea(s)!
No, this is helpful! I didn’t even think about other sources of green teas besides China and Japan. I have a pretty rudimentary knowledge of green teas but I think one of the first things someone taught me was Chinese green tea – not grassy, Japanese green tea – grassy, so I’ve always stuck with that. Grand pouchong sounds lovely! And I’d like to try the others as well.
I looked up Grand Pouchong on Steepster and of the three results that came up, the most popular company seems to be Tavalon Tea. Is that where you’ve ordered from?
I buy mine from Simon & Levelt here in the NL. I don’t know where you are, but I am sure there are many tea companies around that have pouchong in their range! (- adiago tea (UK and US) have baozhong (grand pouchong) -)
Monsoon Hill Company (UK) is a great start to get superb green and/or white Ceylon tea. She has been mentioned on this board before and has great reviews.
http://www.teahills.co.uk/Green_and_White_Teas.html
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