White Monkey

[liralen]

Bought: from Adagio in one of the sampler tins.

Brewed: Traditional Chinese method, just throw two pinches of the green tea in hot water in a covered cup, sip and let steep at the same time.

Leaf Qualities: Big, fluffy, silver-green leaves, lots of nice silver tip action, smells like honey and fresh mown lawn, sweet and fragrant (if you're no too allergic to grass). When wet the leaves give the same scents off even more intensely.

The leaves unroll when steeped, showing complete, whole leaves with stems, very few are torn, usually showing a lot of care in the production, shipment, and storage of this tea.

The liquor is typical of green teas, light gold, and the scents off the tea were delicate, not so much floral as the same honey and crushed greens, which I like in a green tea. The flavor is much of the same characteristics, delicate flavors, sweet and with just enough tannin to let me know it was a tea, and the cut lawn finish. Not hay, the way Dragonswell does, which is... for lack of a better description, chewier and coarser, this is very delicate and light.

It never got bitter even with an hour long steep, but the water temps started cool (~10% cold filtered water and the rest right from the coffee pot ~180-190) and ended up cold.

I really enjoyed this for a green, and the notification of the fresh batch of this stuff is what had sent me to Adagio in the first place to make an order. I like my greens as fresh as possible, as they don't hold up their quality with time.

Rating: 9 of 10