In episode 53, Denny and James review a very fresh green tea from 2014! Teavivre’s 2014 Sheqian Dragonwell. Nice, bold, crisp and fresh.
In episode 53, Denny and James review a very fresh green tea from 2014! Teavivre’s 2014 Sheqian Dragonwell. Nice, bold, crisp and fresh.
11 responses to “Sheqian Dragonwell Teavivre Chinese Green Tea [Episode 53]”
Nice to see you tea lads branching out into tea styles other than oolongs. My tasting of longjings hss usually resulted in a nutty/ toasty-roasty flavour, probably due to the wok firing. Did you notice any of this in the Teavivre offering?
Thanks sir. I only got one-go with this tea. I do recall some nutty notes. My palette is not totally in tune with Chinese greens or dragonwells, so I’m afraid I can’t comment in too much depth.
Cheers!
-James
There is also the question of bitterness in tea, to which you alluded in the video. That is an issue which I have considered for some time, across different teas (and types of tea). It is a very personal choice – some like bitterness, others don’t; some like it in some types of tea but not others. (I like a nice bite in a thick fuka but not in a young sheng.)
Thanks Peter, bitterness and astringency is quite an interesting topic, especially with green tea where it is often a factory of just the temperature.
Personally, I like that edge of teetering bitterness with green teas, especially Japanese ones. Chinese teas, I tend to prefer a bit sweeter. If we were to brew this again, I think I would probably adjust the temperature down. The first picks of the season have a tendency to be a bit more delicate and sensitive to higher temperatures and I suspect that was the case here.
With young sheng, I do very little to avoid it and end up hitting everything with boiling water!
Cheers!
-James
Yay the postal service finally released my Teavivre package! I ordered the Premium Dragonwell. Tasting notes researched elsewhere noted that this year’s harvest is much brighter than last year’s. I steeped a full tablespoon in 8 oz at 190, I mainly have been drinking puerh lately, so this Dragonwell is bright by comparison. Smelled vegetal, but tasted like lime and watercress at first, then the roast which some call orchid, seemed a bit floral but also a light roasted nut like chestnut. Stayed bright in the mouth and cool on the throat for me. None of the gut digestion I get from puerh or oolong, would go well after a fish, veggie, soy meal. I have 2 oz of tea but it won’t last long at 1 tbsp at a go.
Thanks for the detailed tasting notes! Sounds like you brewed it very strong as well. I wish I had more of this tea as it was quite enjoyable.
Cheers!
-James
Still drinking this, but I think I am steeping it too hard, forcing it, I am only getting 2 decent steepings, with the third a bit watery. This might be a palate issue, I am used to puerh, thick as mud, and fermented tea on my tongue might affect my taste for lighter teas.
If that is the case, I can understand your plight! I usually can’t drink any lighter teas very closely after drinking pu’erh or heavier oolongs. It makes it difficult to appreciate the higher notes, subtleties and nuances of the lighter tea.
This is my first experience with Dragonwell, and I am also drinking Arthur’s Hwangcha (fermented) and a Vietnamese green oolong I have been meaning to email you some photos of, because the tea actually looks like a Korean high mountain. I consider the Dragonwell rather special and am not sure if it is my palate or inexperience and if I am doing something wrong. If it really is supposed to be light, then it has got to be my palate.
Hmm. Why don’t you try brewing it a bit lighter. Use ~4g/100ml and brew at 165-170F for 30-40 seconds. Green Tea has alot of nuance while brewing, this is about what I use. First flush tea also tends to be a bit more delicate and sensitive to temperature.
Spot on advice, I needed to go even cooler. Now I am getting 3 good steeps of light green, and up to 10 total steeps with the last ones longer soaks, yellow and more tannins. The first steeps the leaves floated and didn’t soak out, the key is to just lightly tease out a little from the surface of the leaves. It is yummy, I get a nice vegetal but not the delusions of well being and thinking I am 20 again like I get from the Sencha Ashikubo from Camellia Sinensis 😛