Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Imperial Tea Garden
Product Description:
At 16.65% by dry weight, moon swirl green tea is one of the highest polyphenol antioxidant teas rated by independent lab tests. The quality of this hand made luxury green tea is evident from the fuzzy white tips that slowly unfurl with each steep. Moon Swirl White Tip is grown at nearly 5000 feet above sea level in the mountains of the Hunan Province. The early spring growth is hand plucked from only the top buds and skillfully rolled by hand. When infused, the grass, wheat, and mild sweetness are well balanced with assertive astringency. Due to these conditions, only a few thousand kilos are manufactured per year.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is incredible. Truly enchanting; this tea seems to draw me in deeper with each sip, revealing more of itself to me as I sip it.
The first couple of sips were remarkably sweet and smooth. By mid-cup, a dry, cleansing astringency develops, which prepares the palate for the next sip. The flavor is of sweet grass and hints of hay, reminding me of the air in the hay fields of the small town where I grew up. On the days when the hay would be harvested and bailed, you could actually taste the hay in the air.
But, this tea has a lightness to it too, which makes the aforementioned comparison to the air quite apropos; it has a clean, pure kind of taste to it that reminds me quite a bit of a white tea.
Overall, I’m finding this tea to taste incredibly fresh and delicious. No bitterness to speak of, although if you wish to keep the astringency to a minimum, steep at a lower temperature. I don’t find the astringency bothersome, in fact, I like the way it refreshes the palate. It has a natural sweetness to it, this is one that doesn’t need sweetening as the addition may overwhelm the delicate balance of flavors here.
An excellent green tea, not too vegetative a flavor, but enough to remind you of what you’re drinking, and a very memorable sweetness. Very nice.
