I am having one of those days where I just cannot get my brain to stay focused on one thing for more than five minutes. I have drifted from one thing to another just like a butterfly to thought flowers, yep, that is why my blog is named what it is. Let’s just blame this day of fluttering thoughts and short attention span on the weather, because it is nasty hot out today! Luckily it is nice and cool in the ‘Tea Lair’ but in the bedroom it is hot and I got very unfulfilling sleep last night. Thankfully tomorrow brings storms and cooler weather, I am very excited for the Spring weather to return.
Speaking off all things Spring like, today’s Teasenz tea is First Flush Longjing Tea, if this won’t transport me back to Spring in my mind then I don’t know what will. Plucked this Spring in the West Lake Mountain region of Zhejiang, China. The first thing about these leaves that struck me was the size, they are so adorably tiny for Longjing! Usually when dealing with Longjing the leaves are long and broad, but the first flush is delicate, like they just sprouted, not to mention some of the leaves have delicate balls of fuzz (or trichomes for the science types) stuck to them. The aroma is delightfully sweet and nutty, like a blend of roasted peanuts and chestnuts with a nice hint of green bean. There is a really amusing finish of toast and sesame seeds that makes my mouth water.
As I am sure you all know, I brewed these adorable leaves in my gaiwan, because any chance to use my gaiwan makes me happy. The aroma of the wet leaves is very sweet and nutty, this time there is more vegetal hints of spinach and green beans with that finish of toast still present. The liquid is still sweet and nutty, but now the sweetness has a mild fruity quality to it. This fades to a nice green bean finish to it.
Time for the sipping of the first steep, initial impressions? Yum! The mouthfeel is really smooth, almost creamy with the way it fills up my mouth. The taste is a really great blend of toast, sesame seeds, cherries, green beans, and spinach. I feel like there is a Spring themed carnival in my mouth, especially since the finish is very sweet, just like sugar cane juice.
Second steeping time! The aroma is much more nutty and vegetal, only a hint of the previous steep’s sweet aroma remains. The taste certainly takes its cues from the aroma, there are much stronger notes of spinach and green beans with a strong presence of toast and sesame seeds. The sweetness is mostly gone until the finish and aftertaste where it leaves a nice sugar cane memory.
For the third and final steep is mostly all gone, just a slight toasty aroma with a hint of green beans. The taste is faintly vegetal and gently fruity, it finishes its little show with a hint of toast and pepper. Ok, I have a confession, usually Longjing does not wow me, sure it is tasty, but usually I would reach for another green if I am in the mood. This Longjing did wow me, the tastes were so clear and good and the aroma was delightful. I am so happy that I finally found a Longjing that lets me see what all the fuss is about!
For blog and photo (and a link to a really neat article on tea fuzz): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/teasenz-first-flush-longjing-tea-tea.html
YUM