One of my favorite greens. Full, deep flavor that is just a bit bitter or grassy.
I’ve seen this tea described elsehwere as “sweet,” but I’ve never found that to be the case. Even when I brew it for a single minute at low tempature, it has a biting grassiness to it. That’s not a complaint, as I said its one of my favorites. But the descrepency is a curiousity.
I’m making my cup today from a fresh batch. To round out my fifth cup of tea (yes, you read that correct) I’m mixing a bit of sencha with Xue Ya Ballad…
… as you might expect, the Sencha completely overwhelms the Xue Ya, leaving only Sencha flavor.
Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C
1 min, 15 sec