New Teas - Mist on the River Green, Bubbling Spring Rolled Green, Ceylon Silver Tips

As I've said earlier, I try and put out new teas every week or so. On top of the new one's described below, I put out a new Ceylon OPA from the same Estate as the Ceylon Silver Tips below and a new green - Wulu Mountain Tribute Green. I'll put photos of those up soon, but for now, these are the three new teas this week at the cafe.

New Teas – September 30^th, 2015

It seems we are blessed with an “Indian Summer” this fall, and to celebrate these days of warm sunshine and cool nights, we are pleased to offer three summer teas to keep the energy of summer going before the cold, dark days of winter arrive. The three new teas are all summer harvests from this year, two from China and one from Sri Lanka.

Mist on the River Green – This is a classic summer green tea coming from Jiangxi Province in China. Grown on the hills surrounding Lake Poyang, China’s largest freshwater lake, this tea is a result of the unique micro-climate produced by the lake. As moisture evaporates from the lake and then cools as it rises into the surrounding hills, the nearby tea bushes benefit. Gently harvested, the leaves with abundant silver strands are slightly twisted to allow for a slower opening during the steep process. The result is a supple, rich flavored tea that is easy on the palate, and a primary example of a delicious, organic, summer green tea. 

A nice close-up shot of the slightly twisted leaves.

I brewed this cup loose in a pint glass, then poured through a filter. It is another way to let the leaves fully open without using a gaiwan.

Small leaves, obviously a smaller leaf varietal.

Fully opened and fresh.

Bubbling Spring Rolled Green – Despite the name, this is a summer green tea, coming from Zhejiang Province in China. Harvested in the early growth season of summer, the leaves are gently rolled and then pan-fired, resulting in small rolled pellets. However, once brewed, the pellets transform to reveal the tender yellow-green bud-sets of the early summer harvest. The fresh, sweet flavor is accompanied by hints of stone-fruit, with a pure, clean aftertaste. 

Tightly rolled balls, almost green-silvery in appearance.

Very fast steepings on this tea - 10-20 seconds at most.

A more uniform leave serration structure then on the Mist on the River Green above.

Opened, but still ready for more steepings as evidenced by the still folded leaves.

Ceylon Silver Tips – A rare white tea from Sri Lanka consisting purely of slender, slightly curved silver buds. Harvested from the Maliboda gardens in the Kegalle district, this rare white tea has the gentlest hints of citrus-spice with subtle sweetness, along with floral notes at the finish. A perfect afternoon tea for these warm, fall days. 

A delicious Silver Tips, but not as many micro-hairs as on the Chinese one's we usually get.

A very light brew, but ever so sweet and fruity.

Since these are just buds, you can tell that by the leaf size, these are from the Assamica varietal.