What Green Are You Drinking
As usual, I overbought green tea this year. It's almost September and I still have a lot left to drink. Sampling spring 2025 gaoshan hasn't helped with that.
Today I'm drinking an Anji Bai Cha from Camellia Sinensis, which has the umami, citrus, beans, and florals I enjoy in this type of tea. I haven't noticed a lot of flavour deterioration yet; fingers crossed I can get through all this tea before it gets much older.
Today I'm drinking an Anji Bai Cha from Camellia Sinensis, which has the umami, citrus, beans, and florals I enjoy in this type of tea. I haven't noticed a lot of flavour deterioration yet; fingers crossed I can get through all this tea before it gets much older.
I'm going to do a big Bi Luo Chun comparison next week before the tea gets much older.
I have been enjoying some delightful mornings recently
with Uji Shirakawa gyokuro from Tsuen Tea via O-Cha, a really fine mellow gyokuro, and I've been able to give the infusions the extra attention that's such a fine tea deserves, and I'm getting rewarded.
Using my newest Petr Novak shibo, with a marvelous copper glaze that really doesn't come across as lovely as it should in these photos: the high reflectivity of the finish makes lighting it well a challenge.
On my Friso walnut table, with more Petr Novak tea bowls, and sometimes a nibble of chocolate.
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On my Friso walnut table, with more Petr Novak tea bowls, and sometimes a nibble of chocolate.
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Coincidentally, my current morning Japanese green is Kabusecha, and I had a particularly fine sentence with it this morning. It's from O-cha.com, but because I don't have an in front of me I don't know the particular cultivar, region, or harvest date, and because I've had some greens in my refrigerator for a rather long time after over buying....
I bought a bunch of Anji Bai Cha from Seven Cups and other vendors this year and I thought I'd do a comparison session as I did with Bi Luo Chun and Longjing last year.
I steeped 2.4 g of all three teas in 120 ml of 185F water for four minutes, resteeping as needed until the tea faded. None of these teas had great longevity, but that could be because I was taking pictures and notes and not paying attention.
From left to right: Ming Qian Anji from Seven Cups, Yu Qian Anji from Seven Cups, and Anji from Camellia Sinensis
Ming Qian Anji Bai Cha from Seven Cups
Tea bush: Baiye #1 (White Leaf #1)
Location: Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Picking date: Early April 2025
Price in USd/g: $1.19
Dry aroma: Honey, green beans, pastry, florals
First steep: Green beans, snow peas, pastry, honey, lilac, other florals
Later in the session: Green beans, asparagus, grass, pastry, florals
Yu Qian Anji Bai Cha from Seven Cups
Tea bush: Baiye #1 (White Leaf #1)
Location: Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Picking date: Mid-April 2025
Price in USD/g: $0.79
Dry aroma: asparagus, honey, floral, herbaceous, citrus
First steep: Slightly bitter, herbaceous, asparagus, kale, beans, lemon, floral
Later in the session: Asparagus, green pepper, grass, herbs, lemon, honey, florals
Anji Bai Cha from Camellia Sinensis
Tea bush: Bai Ye
Location: Zhejiang Province
Picking date: April 12, 2025
Price in USD/g: $0.46
Dry aroma: green beans, asparagus, cut grass, honey, magnolia
First steep: Green beans, cut grass, asparagus, heady magnolia, kale, lemon, orange
Later in the session: Green beans, grass, asparagus, kale, magnolia
As expected, the Ming Qian Anji from Seven Cups was the sweetest, most balanced tea with a good amount of florals. Their Yu Qian was more vegetal and herbaceous with more of a citrus kick; it was slightly bitter at this ratio but not at my usual ratio of 3 g/250 ml. The Yu Qian Anji from Camellia Sinensis had the headiest florals and most citrus, but it was also sharp and grassy compared to the Seven Cups teas. At my usual ratio, it is quite nice, though the overwhelming magnolia is not as present.
Which tea is the "best" will depend on what you like (florals, citrus, sweetness) and what leaf-to-water ratio you want to use. I'd say the Yu Qian from Seven Cups provides a nice balance.
I steeped 2.4 g of all three teas in 120 ml of 185F water for four minutes, resteeping as needed until the tea faded. None of these teas had great longevity, but that could be because I was taking pictures and notes and not paying attention.
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Ming Qian Anji Bai Cha from Seven Cups
Tea bush: Baiye #1 (White Leaf #1)
Location: Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Picking date: Early April 2025
Price in USd/g: $1.19
Dry aroma: Honey, green beans, pastry, florals
First steep: Green beans, snow peas, pastry, honey, lilac, other florals
Later in the session: Green beans, asparagus, grass, pastry, florals
Yu Qian Anji Bai Cha from Seven Cups
Tea bush: Baiye #1 (White Leaf #1)
Location: Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Picking date: Mid-April 2025
Price in USD/g: $0.79
Dry aroma: asparagus, honey, floral, herbaceous, citrus
First steep: Slightly bitter, herbaceous, asparagus, kale, beans, lemon, floral
Later in the session: Asparagus, green pepper, grass, herbs, lemon, honey, florals
Anji Bai Cha from Camellia Sinensis
Tea bush: Bai Ye
Location: Zhejiang Province
Picking date: April 12, 2025
Price in USD/g: $0.46
Dry aroma: green beans, asparagus, cut grass, honey, magnolia
First steep: Green beans, cut grass, asparagus, heady magnolia, kale, lemon, orange
Later in the session: Green beans, grass, asparagus, kale, magnolia
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Which tea is the "best" will depend on what you like (florals, citrus, sweetness) and what leaf-to-water ratio you want to use. I'd say the Yu Qian from Seven Cups provides a nice balance.
Biluochun from Suzhou, China.
When tasting high-quality Biluochun for the first time, you may notice a fleeting, subtle astringency that quickly gives way to a refreshing sweetness and floral aroma, adding complexity to the tea's profile.
When tasting high-quality Biluochun for the first time, you may notice a fleeting, subtle astringency that quickly gives way to a refreshing sweetness and floral aroma, adding complexity to the tea's profile.
I do not think I have ever had a truly high-quality Biluochun. And, I probably have never infused them as well as someone who is experienced with the tea would have done. I remember mostly cooked green pea flavor with very little of the floral and fruity notes that you describe, and that I have enjoyed in the greens I have enjoyed most.
Today, however, I started my day with a green tea that I have a fair bit of experience with, Shirakawa gyokuro from Tsuen via O-Cha. It is a beautiful tea that elevats the day from ordinary to special.
I pulled out my smaller of the pair of Shimizu Ken pots, and it perfectly matches with my new Akira Satake guinomi from his recent fundraising sale. The size matches and somehow the very different styles match too.
Today, however, I started my day with a green tea that I have a fair bit of experience with, Shirakawa gyokuro from Tsuen via O-Cha. It is a beautiful tea that elevats the day from ordinary to special.
I pulled out my smaller of the pair of Shimizu Ken pots, and it perfectly matches with my new Akira Satake guinomi from his recent fundraising sale. The size matches and somehow the very different styles match too.
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@debunix nice to see Akira’s guinome with Shimizu Ken’s kyusu. I also started my day with gyokuro -something I’ve only recently returned to after a long pause from Japanese green teas. After waiting a couple of days for the refrigerated tea pack to acclimate to room temperature, I found myself looking forward to the ritual that Ippodo’s Tokusen Gyokuro deserves.debunix wrote: ↑Wed Nov 19, 2025 10:16 amI do not think I have ever had a truly high-quality Biluochun. And, I probably have never infused them as well as someone who is experienced with the tea would have done. I remember mostly cooked green pea flavor with very little of the floral and fruity notes that you describe, and that I have enjoyed in the greens I have enjoyed most.
Today, however, I started my day with a green tea that I have a fair bit of experience with, Shirakawa gyokuro from Tsuen via O-Cha. It is a beautiful tea that elevats the day from ordinary to special.
I pulled out my smaller of the pair of Shimizu Ken pots, and it perfectly matches with my new Akira Satake guinomi from his recent fundraising sale. The size matches and somehow the very different styles match too.
I’ve always found it interesting that Ippodo begins their recommended parameters with 10 grams of leaf, and it’s nice how their guidelines align with my own preferences. This premium gyokuro is so rich -full of brothy umami with just a hint of silky sweetness.
And it’s such a pleasure to handle Yamada Tsuneyama’s mayake kyusu, its textured surface beautifully contrasted by the silky-smooth porcelain of Noritake’s vessel.
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