Twisted Green Tea

Sipdown (117)!

Thank you for the sample TheLastDodo! This is so something I wouldn’t have picked for myself but when I was cooking supper tonight I suddenly found myself with such a craving for green tea. How odd for me! But, this was the perfect thing to satisfy that craving.

The dark twisty leaves are beautiful, first off. Dry I didn’t get much of a smell – it kinda smelled, to me, like most straight greens do – a little grassy. That is, if they don’t remind me of seaweed – which this one didn’t. I made very sure to steep it at the correct temperature, though my steep time was dreadfully inaccurate. I was aiming for two minutes – but I got distracted chopping up peppers, and I think what I ended up with was closer to a five minute steep?

Still came out spectacularly though – not even a little bit bitter or astringent which, to me, was shocking given that I personally have the most trouble brewing greens and am usually very receptive of bitterness when it comes to them.

Most notably, this was a very, very creamy and buttery green tea. It reminded me strongly of buttered green beans – sweet, creamy and so smooth going down. Something I used to eat all the time at my Grandma’s house during the summer. And following the same sort of mindset, when you got past the rich flavour there was a gentle earthiness underneath and extending a little into the aftertaste – like beans straight from the garden which haven’t been washed yet. Fresh, raw, and natural. For me, this is something you’d drink in the early afternoon outdoors right when spring is on the cusp of becoming summer.

And I loved it. I really, really did!

So far it’s the only tea I’ve had today – yesterday I got more dental work done (only nine fillings left to go – yay?) and afterwards could really only stand cold things, so I just had my daily cold brew. Good news is that today my mouth feels perfectly fine! Usually I’m in pain for the next couple of days following getting work done, so it’s a welcomed change.

Today, I had to spend a few hours running around getting stuff done like getting my new work pants hemmed – ‘cause they were like a foot longer than my legs. Major tripping hazard! I also didn’t sleep a wink last night, so I spent a LARGE portion of today taking long naps. Not much has been accomplished; oh well…

Although the infused leaves smell heavenly, the infused liquor leaves much to be desired. Too thin, and lacking in flavour, for my taste. This is a nice tea, but nothing special.

First infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz water, 70 deg., 1:30 min.

Second infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 70 deg., 5:00 min.

Third infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 70 deg., 10:00+ min.

I’ve been avoiding green tea for awhile, only because it’s not something I really crave in the winter. But I have been dying to try this tea and I figured, “Oh what the hell. Why not?”
I am glad I decided to try something different than what I have been drinking lately. This was like the complete opposite of Christmas in July. July in Christmas? Nope. Not the same ring to it. Drinking this just transported me to a breezy summer afternoon. It’s carefree and fresh af. I loved how it smelled, especially. There is nothing I love more than the fresh, vegetal smell of dry green tea. I think I may like it more than the actual brew. The bright, deep green of the dry leaves got brighter and brighter green as I steeped these leaves. They were especially friendly, I was able to get 5 long steeps in my large (150ml) gaiwan. I got a light and bright infusion of lima beans, vegetable broth and lemongrass in each infusion. The liquor was thinner in my mouth than the unctuous darker teas I have been craving like mad lately. Coming from BTTC, I felt like this was more of a quasi-oolong than a green tea, because of it fragrance and infusion durability. And that, is the very shit I like. I can’t wait to revisit this tea in the summer!

Backlog:

I have tried a few teas from this company thus far (I have a bunch of reviews waiting for me to post tasting notes about them … yeah, still behind) and I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from them.

This is a beautiful green tea. Very fresh, reminiscent of spring when the early leaves are appearing, the scents, the feel, the experience and the flavors of newness of spring. A lovely delicate flavor but still quite complex. Notes of cream, very smooth, sweet, hints of vanilla and a vegetal tone.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/08/twisted-green-tea-from-beautiful-taiwan-tea-company/

This is my first mug of tea for the day. Yes, after 9:30 at night.

I have some sort of stomach virus that has had me down for the count. It started yesterday, but I tried to ignore it. Apparently, that was not the right thing to do as it got a lot worse before basically knocking me flat on my ass last night after I lost dinner.

I’ve slept most of the day and I’m feeling a lot better.

So I decided to have some tea. I wanted something nice and easy drinking, a flavorful green since my sense of taste seems to be a little off. This was my choice.

Oh it’s good. I ordered a bunch of it off of the Beautiful Taiwan website, but I got last year’s harvest instead of this years, to save a little money. Did it make a difference in the tea? I don’t think so as this tastes incredible to me. It’s one of my favorite greens.

So I was supposed to mail out a bunch of teas today, but it didn’t happen. Probably not until Wednesday now because I don’t want to touch anything for other people with the way I have been feeling. Sorry for the delay everyone.

This one is the 2014 release.

This tea is invigorating and remarkably refreshing! It’s fragrance is delightful – like a freshly cut field after a spring rain. The taste is no less remarkable and the leaves are good for many steepings. There is smoothness to the sip, yet there is complexity to the texture and a medium fullness in the mouth. I’d say there are hints of stewed butter beans in its brew, with lingering taste of sweetness afterwards. What a special tea and one of a kind!