The sun is shining but it's a little breezy today in Scotland. How is at your place?
As the trees are slowly changing their heads towards a wild colourful anarchy artwork of a mad painter and the day is becoming shorter and darker, we decide to refresh our bodies with something bright, light and powerful.
Our Pre-rain Anji Bai Cha green tea is the answer to this.
Just looking at the leaves one must think of PRECISION. Selected fine bud and a young thin leaf, skinny as a needle of pine tree, light green colour of a grass and lustrous perfect surface of a sapphire gemstone. Fragrance of green veg such as courgettes, asparagus and spinach and a hint of spiciness ... sort of like nutmeg, cinnamon or green pepper. Pure and perfect.
The kettle water has reached 75 degrees C now... a perfect temperature for the first brew in our little "Gato" Gaiwan. There goes water in with a little burble sound and an acoustic singing echo. We wait. Breathing in and out and in and out.... for a while...before pouring the juice of happiness into our little cups. Whoosh, the aroma of marigolds and strawberry blossoms rising from the cups.
Now the taste..... Ooooh so good! So soft, smooth and well balanced with such a huge spectrum of flavours. I can see the arrow spinning in my head from vegetal, floral to sweet, spicy, fruity and nutty .... it's amazing! In my mind the song follows:
Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down....
I sip and look at my partner... he sips and look at me. This tea is amazing our eyes are dancing. It's only a first brew yet it's so powerful (as they say.. never judge tea from first cup but with this one...we had to pause) ..freshly cut grass, tiny yellow-green courgettes, steamed asparagus, sweet peas a green peppers, this is just the beginning of flavours drumming onto my tongue. What follows? Marigolds, strawberries, cocoa, nutmeg, green pepper and pear. A little hints of tropical mangoes and saffron spice. Bang bang..... I hit the ground...
The aftertaste is super smooth and sweet delirious cup. There is no acidity and only a little astringency. The cup is a smooth, well balanced pleasurable ride.
Our second cup is prepared with 80 degrees C water for around 1 min. The mouthfeel is more rounded with significant increase of strength and power in this juicy, refreshing & crispy green tea. The madness of flavours are also being enhanced and they are as wide & wild as our smiles.
For our third cup we have boiled the water to 82 degrees C water and steeped the tea for about 140 sec the flavours were unchanged. Fourth and Fifth cups were a little less floral & sweet but became much more vegetal, bold and silky.
This tea has really gentle and beautiful soul. We have really enjoyed it.
We hope that you will try it soon too and let us know your brewing journey alongside of your Tea thoughts :)
Anji Bai Cha is a work of ART. It is a famous Chinese green tea from Anji County in Zhejiang Province. Only selected buds with a few young leaves are carefully picked and processed by hand. The leaves of the cultivar "Bai Ye No.1" for Anji Bai Cha have distinctive white appearance when picked, hence this tea has been sometimes mistakenly described as white tea. The cultivar has been known since 1981 when the white mother bush was discovered in Anji County. Happy times.
Drink tea... Be free...
