Last week, I sampled the Fengqing Golden Buds, which was a fantastic black tea, so for my second tea in the collection, I looked for something different. I chose to try the 2011 Spring Lagu Leisure Raw Pu-Ehr, which most certainly ended up being something very different.
Random cautionary note: Wasabi Peas do not make for a good palette cleanser! Odd, right?
On to the tea...
2011 Spring Lagu Leisure Raw Pu-Ehr
Summary: Green velvet
Tea leaf aroma: The dry tea has a pleasant, soft earthy aroma with a hint of anise. I checked with two others to make sure I was not imagining anise, and I received positive confirmation. Very nice...
Steeping: I steeped this tea multiple times. I lost track, but I think at least 9 infusions were done. This was done only gongfu style with 5 grams of tea and a water temperature just below rolling boil. I used a teapot, but I used a tablespoon to divert the hot water to the side of the teapot as I poured. I welcome tea pro's criticisms on this if needed.
Steep times ranged from 15 to 85 seconds, but not consecutively. I'll get to that below.
Tea liquid: The hint of anise disappears once the tea is brewed. The liquid is light colored and has a light, but distinctly fresh vegetal aroma. It's a boiled greens scent, almost bordering on macro algae (seawead) washed out in fresh water. But, as I said, the scent is light. However, this scent is identical to the scent of the brewed tea leaves, which present that aroma far stronger than the liquid.
The tea has some thickness to it, presenting a velvety feel in the mouth.
Taste: The taste of this tea does not differ much from its aroma. It's fresh and vegetal. But, longer steep times introduced a light grassy flavor to the green mix. The tea was pretty consistent between infusions in that it did not appear to need increasingly longer steeps. But, increasing the steep time changed the flavor a bit, introducing grass, hence I played with the times to see what it would do.
Steep times longer than 20 seconds seemed to introduce a lingering, soft powdery feel in the mouth, though it did not become pronounced until after 60 seconds. I actually liked that.
Based on the aroma, taste, mouthfeel and general smoothness, this tea is what I would simply call, green velvet. This is a delicate tea that offers light aroma and light taste. Though it's not strong in any sense, it does green well.
The first photo of the tea liquid is a 20 second brew. The second liquid photo is 60 seconds.
Random cautionary note: Wasabi Peas do not make for a good palette cleanser! Odd, right?
On to the tea...
2011 Spring Lagu Leisure Raw Pu-Ehr
Summary: Green velvet
Tea leaf aroma: The dry tea has a pleasant, soft earthy aroma with a hint of anise. I checked with two others to make sure I was not imagining anise, and I received positive confirmation. Very nice...
Steeping: I steeped this tea multiple times. I lost track, but I think at least 9 infusions were done. This was done only gongfu style with 5 grams of tea and a water temperature just below rolling boil. I used a teapot, but I used a tablespoon to divert the hot water to the side of the teapot as I poured. I welcome tea pro's criticisms on this if needed.
Steep times ranged from 15 to 85 seconds, but not consecutively. I'll get to that below.
Tea liquid: The hint of anise disappears once the tea is brewed. The liquid is light colored and has a light, but distinctly fresh vegetal aroma. It's a boiled greens scent, almost bordering on macro algae (seawead) washed out in fresh water. But, as I said, the scent is light. However, this scent is identical to the scent of the brewed tea leaves, which present that aroma far stronger than the liquid.
The tea has some thickness to it, presenting a velvety feel in the mouth.
Taste: The taste of this tea does not differ much from its aroma. It's fresh and vegetal. But, longer steep times introduced a light grassy flavor to the green mix. The tea was pretty consistent between infusions in that it did not appear to need increasingly longer steeps. But, increasing the steep time changed the flavor a bit, introducing grass, hence I played with the times to see what it would do.
Steep times longer than 20 seconds seemed to introduce a lingering, soft powdery feel in the mouth, though it did not become pronounced until after 60 seconds. I actually liked that.
Based on the aroma, taste, mouthfeel and general smoothness, this tea is what I would simply call, green velvet. This is a delicate tea that offers light aroma and light taste. Though it's not strong in any sense, it does green well.
The first photo of the tea liquid is a 20 second brew. The second liquid photo is 60 seconds.
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