Limited No. 93, Feng Ling Ming Ye

The only way I can describe drinking this green tea is by comparing it to the revelation of seeing clearly the first time you put on glasses after a lifetime of seeing things in a fuzzy haze. The notes in this were so fresh, clear and distinct. Did it have some of the seaweed type flavor I’m not fond of in greens? Yes. But the texture of that same taste was so different from every other green tea I’ve had with that same taste. It was somehow smoother and crisper, not quite as jarring and jagged as I usually find that flavor. It also seemed to work more harmoniously with the other flavors in the tea.

There were some very substantial dark green notes that reminded me of brocolli rabe With this was a very distinct and powerful lemon flavor. I usuallly pick up some generic citrus notes in tea, but this was in your face, make you pucker and tear up lemon!The flavors mixed together remind me of how my Mom makes soup by adding lemon and an egg whipped together to make the broth light and add some tang.

I often find myself drawn to teas that are well balanced with dark and light notes. Well this tea is a perfect example of balance- lightness and dark. Bitter, yet plesantly so, with a lightness to mellow it out.

woohoo! this is a great green. For someone whose preferences lean towards blacks and puerhs, this is super tasty. It’s clean and crisp and delicious! Seriously. I’d consider adding this to my cupboard as one of my few green teas. just. yum. thanks fuzzy P!

edit: 160 mission accomplished for today haha

This is a really lovely green – seaweedy and vegetal, but delicately so. I’m never good at identifying just what sorts of vegetal notes I taste in green teas, but if I had to take a stab at it here I’d go with edamame. Now that the tea has cooled a bit, I’m also picking up on the lemon Fuzzy_Peachkin mentioned in her review. I’ve never tasted a straight tea with such a pronounced citrus note. There’s some astringency and bitterness, but nothing that detracts from the experience. This is definitely a tea I’d be interested in restocking – I hope Bellocq keeps carrying it!

ETA: Not so impressed by the second steep, which is too bad given how pricey this tea is.

The colour of the steeped tea is such a beautiful pale gold: the first sign that this is no ordinary green tea.

No. 93, Feng Ling Ming Ye makes sense of how highly prized good tea has been in Asian history. This tea is glorious: smooth, so smooth. The most delicate vegetal butter. I detect an ever so slight bit of coconut here. Perhaps that is the sesame hint mentioned though my taste buds are taking it coconut way.

Thank you, Sil, for sharing this with me. This tea is making this day infinitely better.

GCTTB5 box#2

This tea tricked me because I thought it was an oolong (judging by appearance alone). Lol, I should have read the description.

For a green tea, it is a good one. It tastes very crisp— like fresh cut grass almost. It is vegetal and the slightest bit sweet.

GCTTB5 backlog:

This is a seriously good green tea. It has a crisp note with light florals and just embodies “fresh”. Scent of vegetal green and grass. I ignored it and let it go too cold. It’s not bad cold but it’s better hot. Reminds me a lot of Twisted Green.

Thanks so much for sharing this, Sil!

Oh, this one is interesting. But in a way where I don’t think I want to drink it.

It feels pretty rich. Kind of like a gunpowder in the way that it’s a teensy bit smoky/earthy with some sensations of being in the open air on a mountain side. But the green vegetable notes are really not agreeing with me. :(

Thank you, fuzzypeachkin, but this is so not for me. I’m not sure if it’s the age, but I would think that this tea would age pretty well due to its shape and apparent processing.

Edit: Also marine notes. That might actually be it. Sorry tea, it’s definitely me.