Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Teavivre's Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea

Fresh for spring 2016, Teavivre's Tian Mu Mao Feng drops into my cup, promising light, sweet flavors and great fragrance. The name of the tea tells us a lot about it, as Tian Mu is the area in which the tea was harvested and Mao Feng refers to the part of the tea plant - the bud, which usually denotes a good quality tea.

While I waited for my water to heat, I open my package of tea. The leaves are large, curled in their dryness, looking ready to unfurl with the water. They smell sweet, like a sweet grassiness that glides smoothly through the nose.

The leaves are so large that I use a full tablespoon, unpacked, to steep in eight ounces of water for three minutes. The water has been boiled and then cooled for about five minutes, so that the leaves do not scald. Over that short period of time, leaves open and rehydrate, returning to a brilliant shade of green. The tea liquid steeps to a pale shade of green and gives off wonderful aromas. The sweet smell of the dry leaves has changed to more of a subtle grassiness, like a dew-covered lawn in the morning.

The tea rolls softly over the tongue. I am intrigued by how the sweetness that was so prominent in the dry leaves' aroma has mellowed to a background hint. As I take more and more sips, the sweetness does linger on my tongue, so it seems as though the tea gets sweeter and sweeter. Meanwhile, I take more and more sips, thoroughly enjoying the drink. Letting the tea linger fully on my tongue for a moment, the slightest hint of astringency sits in the rear of the taste, and I have to look to find it.

I wonder, if these leaves have more to give, so I steep them again, this time for five minutes. Sure enough, the aromas are just as forthcoming, and the flavors have only decreased slightly. Drinking this green tea has been a great experience. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate it a 5.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Teavivre's Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea is available from their website, here.
This tea was provided for my unbiased review by Teavivre.
You can read more about my Personal Enjoyment Scale, here.
Text is copyright 2016, Built from Ink and Tea.