Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
The fresh tea leaves of Lu Shan Yun Wu are picked under strict requirement of one bud with one leaf or one bud with two leaves. After processed, the leaves will shape into tight, curly and strong strips. The liquid presents bright and green color while showing brisk fragrance. The scent of roasted chestnut lasts long. This Lu Shan Yun Wu is better to be brewed with big glass. It will has brisk and refreshing flavor and sweet taste. After several steeps, you will see the tea leaves tenderly stretched and showing its soft and light yellow appearance.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I mentioned it in a previous post, but, I LOVE when spring arrives and with it – the new flushes of spring teas!
That’s actually my favorite part of spring. Oh sure, I love the flowers and the fresh new buds of life on the trees and bushes but I’m not particularly fond of the pollen that comes with all of nature’s new spring life. Or more accurately, I’m not particularly fond of the allergic reaction that comes with the arrival of the pollen. Then again, there’s really very few things that are more soothing than a cup of hot tea! Yeah … like I really need inspiration to drink more tea!
So I was more than happy to try the new spring teas that Teavivre has added to their collection, including this Lu Shan Yun Wu Green Tea. Oh yum!
When I opened the pouch, I inhaled deeply to take in the fragrance of the dry leaves. While dry, I noticed a leafy green type of scent, evocative of a trip to the produce market – the smell I notice when I’m walking along the wall where all the leafy greens are housed. But once the tea starts brewing, I noticed less of the vegetative aroma and more of something much more exciting . . .
Chestnuts! Yep. The description above suggests an aroma of chestnuts, and this does have a strong chestnut fragrance. There’s also a delicious chestnut flavor to go along with it: sweet, nutty, roasted. It even has that creamy taste and texture that I’d experience if I were eating a freshly roasted chestnut. Mmm!
Most green teas have a vegetative flavor to them, and this is no exception to that, although I’m finding that this Lu Shan Yun Wu has less of a vegetal note and more of a sweet nutty flavor. For those of you who tend to shy away from green teas because you don’t really care for that overly vegetative taste, I think you’d do well with this tea. It’s really quite sweet and wonderful!
As I continue to sip, I notice the roasty-toasty flavor developing. By the time I was nearly finished with the cup, this sweet, roasted flavor was intense, and it kept me sipping and thirsty for more of it. It’s a very comforting flavor, and it seemed to nourish my soul.
Nice, especially after enduring these bouts with my allergies. And yes … I take allergy medication and I even use locally harvested, raw honey that I drizzle on my morning toast, but, I still have a few days when the pollen just wins out. Not fun. This tea makes these days not only more tolerable, but a JOY!
A really BEAUTIFUL green tea from Teavivre. I have a few other reviews of Teavivre’s new green teas from this spring’s harvest that will be featured in the coming days … watch for them!
Huang Shan Yun Wu (Yellow Mountain Cloud) from Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Product Description:
Production Year: 2011
Production Season: Spring
Production Region: Anhui Province, Yellow Mountain
Style: Chao Qing (stir-fry to kill enzyme)Small amount of leaves of this tea end up a lot when brewed in hot water. Therefore, use less than normal amount of leaves.
Taster’s Review:
This is a fantastic green tea, one that I’d recommend to someone who is just starting out with green tea because it is not too overly grassy tasting (which can be somewhat off-putting to someone who is new green tea). It is pleasant and mild, and yet so rich in flavor.
The sip begins with a pleasant savory flavor that tastes vaguely of stewed vegetables. It is a vegetative taste, but, it is quite unlike the vegetative flavor that I often encounter with green tea. This is a unique kind of flavor that is quite rich … like vegetable broth. The texture of the tea further emphasizes the brothy quality of this tea.
Quickly the sip transitions to a sweeter flavor: a honey-esque sweetness where I can almost taste the floral nectar. It doesn’t have a strong and distinct floral taste, however, there are hints of floral notes that seem to dance around in the background, enticing me to take another sip so that I might pinpoint exactly what I taste. Sweet and incredibly pleasant. There is also a hint of spicy taste, similar to fresh ginger that lies beneath the surface, and peeks out every now and again to keep me intrigued.
A wonderfully contemplative tea, this Yellow Mountain Cloud!