Tea Tasting: Two Chinese Green Teas

[Wholemeal Crank]

Another try with the Jade dragon, attempting to find the tropical notes, and using quite different brewing parameters:

2.5g, small clay pot (a thin-walled one previously used primarily for green oolongs, but not enough to have any significant seasoning, and preheated with a volume check), about 100mL water, temp 180 degrees: trying to find the tropical fruits noted by cdh in his posts. 1 minute first infusion, and set some to the aroma cup. Getting no astringency whatsoever, and lovely vegetal sweetness, with a little floral character that might be part of the 'tropical' notes cdh notes. This is a wonderful, rich infusion.

2nd infusion, 90 seconds, still quite hot for a green tea, 176 degrees: hints of astringency now, but still a mix of vegetal and floral, very rich and sweet, perhaps traces of scent reminiscent of my pineapple sage plant, and there is a wonderful sweet, fruity aftertaste that is lasting a long time.

3rd infusion, 2 minutes, again about 178 degrees, still with floral, vegetal, astringent, liking this better than the first infusions I did in the gaiwan, not sure if the difference is temperature, balance of leaf to water (this was a bit lower leaf/water ratio), or the clay.

4th infusion, 3 minutes, 178 degrees, still giving some sweetness, but the depth of flavor is going now. And hints of astringency in my mouth between sips belied by the sweet aftertaste in the back of my throat.

Definitely a more attractive tea this time round.

[cdh]

Am having another go with the Jin Xuan. It is continuing to remind me much more of an oolong than a green, albeit one with much less aroma than usual until it cools down. It is a very pleasant tea on the 2nd and 3rd infusions, slightly fruity, a plum/peach sort of aftertaste and aroma that follows a rich sweet and not at all astringent first feel on the palate. The aftertaste morphs into something a bit more floral after a while on the palate. I can kinda see where the grassy descriptors are coming from, but mown grass isn't this fruity or floral. I don't get anything brothy or vegetal from this tea.

[cdh]

As to the food pairing query, I'm not sure... I'll give it some thought...

[Wholemeal Crank]

Aside from the obvious--a young smoky puerh doing wonders with a pot of beans in a rich meaty sauce, and white teas that can be so lovely with fruit--I've never really tried hard to match tea and food. Mostly I drink the tea I want to drink, eat what I want to eat, and if the tea isn't working so well with the food, drink some water until I'm done eating and continue with the tea.

So this is a hard question for me.

And interesting that you're finding more oolong than green tea character in the Jin Xuan--I'm involved in a running debate in another forum with people who think that, as a rolled tea from Taiwan, this MUST be an oolong and not a green tea. I found some definite green tea character along with some oolong-spectrum flavors in the spring version, but haven't pushed the winter green enough yet to find the green character.

[cdh]

I generally think much like WC with regard to tea and food pairing. Some teas are best considered alone rather than paired.

I don't look at the Jin Xuan as just like an oolong, but the family resemblance is definitely there. And reading its background, perhaps it is the particular varietal character that is showing through, rather than the style character.

Edited November 3, 2010 by cdh (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Yes, I think likely all of us drink most teas by themselves. However, I have gone to several tea matching dinners that were a revelation, so I am interested in what everyone thinks may match any particular tea. Given the tropical fruit note you pointed out, Chris, I may try the Jade Dragon with a Thai pork curry sometime.

The tropical fruit note you found eluded me at first, but I think I know what you are referring to. I could not identify what it was at first, but after you mentioned it, the note reminds me now of something similar to pineapple. Not exactly, but close.

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks to eGullet Society member Greg Glancy for providing samples of these two very interesting and different green teas from China and Taiwan. And thanks to cdh and Wholemeal Crank for their detailed tasting notes and discussion.

Please feel free to continue to add to this discussion with questions or comments.

A new Tea Tasting & Discussion featuring Darjeelings is about to get underway. And stay tuned for at least one more Tea Tasting & Discussion before year's end.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Another tasting of the Jade Dragon last night, went back to gongfu cha with lower temperature conditions and I think cdh's brewing parameters made a much more interesting brew. This tea doesn't give its best easily, but the best is pretty nice. Fortunately, I have some more to finish wih a hotter brewing.