So I decided to use yesterday's Zi Juan from What-Cha to make iced tea, because I felt the leaves had more to give. While yesterday this was very smokey for a green tea, today not so much. I can still taste a little smokiness in this, but in my experience smokiness does not come out well in iced tea. The major flavor note in this is honey. While yesterday I felt the hot brewed Zi Juan was a little tangy, today it has a lot of honey in it, and it is ever so slightly floral.
What-Cha's Zi Juan is quite refreshing iced, while I prefer iced green tea to be either crisp and distinctly vegetal, this cold brews amazing. In my opinion the mark of a good iced tea is that it has a completely different flavor profile then when brewed hot.
I’ve had a few purple teas from Kenya
before, but all that I have had before were closer to black teas then greens
let alone a purple tea from Yunnan, so What-cha’s Graceful Purple Zi Juan
really interested me. Because of my little mix-up yesterday I did not have a
gongfu session with this tea, but I may return to it at a later date.
This is a wonderfully smoky green tea,
the dry leaves smell like beef jerky and dry gourd. The leaves are very dark
for a green tea, but even with the pungent smoky smell, I could smell it was a
green tea. The dry leaves remind me a little of a long jing crossed with a very
tippy white tea.
For my first infusion I brewed at 176°F
for two minutes. Instantly I was greeted with a very smooth texture. It had moderate (if it was a black tea, I have
never had a smoky green tea before), but it also had a tangy grape taste as
well. It had a mild smoky aroma, also a little vegetal.
My next infusion I brewed at 185°F for
three minutes. This time it had a very silky creamy texture. While it was still smoky, I was starting to
taste very mild floral notes, there was also some fruity notes and a little
earthiness at the end.
Overall I found this tea to be really nice;
I enjoyed the lingering smoky taste while the initial smell may stop a veteran
green tea drinker, if you take the plunge and brew it I am sure you’ll love it.
It almost reminds me of an oolong/Hei-cha hybrid, but in the back of my mind I
could always see how it is a green tea.
I also noticed that this tea is prone to
staining, although it was not hard to clean.I making iced tea with the used
leaves, so I might have an update on this tomorrow.
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