Emperor's Clouds and Mist

It has been nearly a month since I drank this one. Other than this morning’s Copper Knot Hongcha, this has shaped up to be a green tea sort of a day. Maybe I was in need of more calming vibes than my more typical day of mostly black teas could provide.

EC&M is a standard green, really quite lovely. I had it extra strong, with a three minute steep (Teavana recommends one minute) for a full bodied but not bitter brew. Just what I was looking for.

I have jumped back into the green teas that Autumn_Aelwyd sent me, and when I had a look at the Chinese ones, I thought this one appealed to me more today. I think it’s the name. It’s that sort of name that pokes at the imagination. I expect it probably refers to the mountain on which the leaves are grown, but in my head it makes me expect something light and almost flimsy. Like mist and clouds, you know?

Before I began making the first cup, I had a bit of a sniff at the dry leaves. They smelled pretty much like I expected them to. Kind of grassy and not really anything else, but there was something about this specific nuance of grassy that I found very attractive. Maybe it’s the mood I’m in today that is specifically receptive to green tea smell or maybe it just has that extra quality. Who can tell?

Feeling very encouraged, I made the first cup. I tried to give it 20 seconds, but it probably turned out to be more like 40, because the first thing that happened when I tried to pour was me getting to use some time on unclogging the spout. I hadn’t even had more than a few drops out of it at that point, so the initial timing was pretty busted. (This is why I don’t usually specify how long I steep these short ones. It’s never even remotely accurate anyway.)

I got it unclogged in the end and poured my cup. And then I was disheartened because it had that thick, heavy aroma like the first steep of Dragonwell. A bit greasy and reminding me of cat breath. You may recall, I was not particularly fond of that first Dragonwell steep, but that it improved for me a lot already on the second one. This one has a lot of that same quality to it, although not as strongly.

The flavour, thankfully, is not that thick and greasy. If we think back to that Dragonwell again, I would describe this as an even mix between that first and second steep. It does have that thickness and heaviness to it, but there is a strong note of something with a little more bite. Green asparagus, steamed just so springs to mind. Slightly stringy stems and all.

Well that was rather nice, so let’s proceed right away!

Second steep was also a little inaccurate on the timing, first because I had managed to misplace my cup and second because this is one spout-clogging tea. This time the aroma has lost that greasy heavy note again. The aroma is rather vague now, but there are notes of floral sweetness in there. Nectar-y, I would say, because it’s not that dusty, perfume-y sort of floral.

Unfortunately all that dusty floralness is to be found in the flavour, complete with a funky after-taste. I think this might be what people mean with a mineral note. It does taste a bit chalky. Can’t say I’m too pleased with that. Where did my steamed asparagus go?

Strangely, I did have a hunch that I should increase the steep time some for this round, but I decided against it because it seemed so unnecessarily early to do it on the second steep already when I didn’t even have any specific reason for doing so. Now I think I probably should have gone with the hunch.

I liked the first steep a lot better than this one, so let’s just skip it and go straight to the third with a better steep time.

I gave the steeping time a good whack upwards for the third round, nearly doubling it. It’s still quite floral and dusty in flavour and with that chalky note in the background, but I’ve got the steamed asparagus note back again. It’s sort of keeping to itself discreetly, but it’s definitely there.

Considering the floral dust flavour and the chalkyness, I don’t think I’m going to get anything more useful out of this one. I wasn’t too fond of the second or third steep, but I found I rather enjoyed the first one. Enjoying the first steep is, to me, far more important than enjoying the others, so I’m going to rate it based primarily on the first steep.

With this in mind, I think is one I should also try Western style as well, even though I seem to be enjoying green more when done in multiple short steeps.

I steeped this with some dried chrysanthemum flowers. It gave it a nice, sweet floral note.

So I went to the gas station while I was on break to get some form of coffeenated beverage to take back to work for the closing shift, and I decided on the cold Starbucks mocha frappucinos that you get in the glass bottles, and there was a little bottle and a big bottle, and I was thinking “Get the small one, you don’t need that much coffee,” but then I was like “No get the big one, that way you can save part of it for later,” and then I drank the whole damn thing in the span of two and a half hours in the evening.

I.

Am.

WIRED.

And I’m opening tomorrow. siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

So tonight’s tea had to not be black. I can’t remember how this wound up in my collection. I think it was from the bachelorette party from two years ago. The one wedding I have ever been in or at, the bride’s bachelorette party was a tea party, and she provided enough different kinds of tea that each bridesmaid got to take home a tea of her choice, and somehow or another I wound up with this one. I think. Or I may have come home with it after the last time I visited them. I don’t know. One way or another, I was organizing my tea shelf, picked up the big honkin tin that I thought was empty and went, “Wait – there’s tea in here. Well then.”

I did not account for the oldness of the tea in the leafing. The leaves are pretty; small, rolled, green, very fine. I’m not getting a ton of flavor. It tastes… grassy. Fresh and grassy. With that slightly weird burnt-y edge, I probably overdid it a bit. I’m not a fan of grassy.

I’ll have to give this a more considerate go before I give it a final rating or a number.

Currently enjoying a cup of this right now.

First of all, I find the loose leaves beautiful. The aroma of the leaf itself, and the steeped water is also wonderful. So smooth and with an earthy, humid, sweet smell. I imagine its exactly what it would smell like high up on the misty mountains where it was grown.

The flavour is similar to the smell, smooth and sweet, not at all bitter. The only downfall is how dainty the taste it. I really have to savour it to find that wonderful taste. Next time I have this tea I will use more tea leaves and hopefully the aromas will come out a bit better.

Overall, despite how weak the taste is, I am pretty happy with this tea. I am normally a fan of Japanese greens, not Chinese, so it’s nice that I’ve found a chinese tea to change things up a bit if I feel like something other than Gyokuro.

This is the only tea in the Tea Prosperity Collection that is currently available on Teavana’s wall and I have drank it at work countless times over the summer, though Gyokuro has become my go to green in the last six months.  It’s lovely curly little leaves smell super sweet and a mix between veg and floral candy.  

The first sip of this disappoints me, I feel it’s a tea that needs to sit to develop its sweetness and in subsequent steeps there is some slight smoke, otherwise it’s a tad astringent.  Second cup smells more fragrant, floral, but I can’t pin point it.  There’s something chalky here and now I know why I preferred this iced with Taracco Ruby Orange over the summer or hot with Silver Needle.  After the third steep I think I’ll move on to the Yunnan Emerald Buds.

Update 5/5/2012: this tea really surprised me today with a wonderful fruity aroma in the brewed leaves and the first cup that I have decided reminds me of POM (pomegranate juice). Quite nice, sweet and vegetal with just a hint of fruit. Three steeps at 15-30 sec each.

What a wonderful, wonderful green tea! In my third installment of ‘Drink Teavana’s Tea of the Week’ I went and tried this today after running an errand. The leaves were nice. This one is a pure tea with nothing but the tea so help you gods of tea. The scent was a bit smokey with a lovely sweet undercurrent to the aroma.

The first sip was just lovely. E’sC&M has a flavor is smooth the aftertaste is a flavor I have a hard time describing with words? It sounds stupid to say, ‘It tastes like green tea’ because, well, DUH, it IS a green tea Nerdette! So can I say that a flavor is Green? This is the first non-flavored tea that I’ve had in a while and so accurately reviewing its taste is just so difficult. The mouth feel is also very good. The tea goes down buttery smooth and just makes my eyes cross!

I’m not sure if anyone else likes to eat things while drinking a hot tea, but I had some cinnamon flavored pretzels and I found it to compliment the lovely, light golden tea perfectly. Basically…if you like a good green tea, I can’t imagine you not liking this one.

This was one of the few personal favorites I had been advised to try by Laura at Teavana’s Park Royal North location, as I had pointed out their Gyokuro Imperial green tea. She had said that most do not like the strong grassy flavor of Gyokuro Imperial and mentioned Emperor’s Clouds and Mist.

As she described Emperor’s Clouds and Mist, I had mentioned Darjeeling green tea being similar, which surprised her as she didn’t know that existed.

And, that is exactly what this tea reminded me of, was DarjeelingTeaXpress’ 2011 Darjeeling Autumn Flush Puttabong Green Tea.

The leaves are beautifully and tightly rolled, with light to deep green colors. The scent is light and soft, very smooth and sweetly earthy.

Steeping gives a very light greenish white liquor, with a light and delicate grassy aroma.

The flavor is a very smooth earthy taste, very bright and delicate. There is very little astringency, more a slight freshness in the aftertaste.

It is surprising how overall delicate this green tea is, but it is not surprising how overall delicious and enjoyable it is as well. Because of it’s delicacy, I can see myself drinking this at any time of the day.

With a vegetal and, believe it or not, white chocolate scent, this tea surely pleased the palate. A very nice a bright grassiness with a slight umami quality. Just a bit bitter on the ending notes near the back of the throat. A classic, great quality green tea!

20 down – 480 to go!

First cup last night was exquisite! Love this green tea although I honestly have really only had bagged green tea in the past.