Written by our guest blogger Laura @teanswaps
My body does not take coffee well, so I have always had tea and tisanes. At first, I think that like most people, I drank tea in teabags and the truth is that I was not a big fan. Then I discovered loose leaf teas. After that moment, I became increasingly more interested in the world of tea.
Every new tea I tried was a new experience for me: new flavours, aromas, and sensations. Later I began to pair teas with different food: chocolate, fruits, nuts, cheese, sweets… and sometimes I even added them to my recipes.
I discovered a new world, and I wanted to explore it.
Lately, I have been really interested in rare teas and teas from different origins.
The tea I’m reviewing for Isilay’s blog is Buthan Samcholing green tea. I think it is the rarest tea I have tried.
When I noticed this tea in @camellia.sinensis shop, it caught my attention because I had never heard of a Buthanese tea. Then, I looked for information about Bhutanese teas, and I found that the only place in the country that produces tea is Samcholing Village at 1800m of altitude, in the Himalayas. This tea is produced by a woman cooperative, and they run the tea fields and the micro-factory. They only make 600 kg of fresh leaves each year. For all these reasons, Bhutan Samcholing is an exceptional tea.
This is a very unique tea that cannot be compared with other teas.
I have tried it in western style and in gongfu style. Both of the brewing methods turned out exciting results, and each one brought out different qualities of the tea.
As it is a green tea, it is not recommended for steeping at a high temperature. So 85ºC is the perfect temperature for it. It has a buttery taste, vegetal with green grass touches and marine notes. Also, it has a surprisingly spicy aftertaste.
This is a curious tea that leaves no one indifferent.
Tea profile:
Type: Green
Origin: Samcholing, Bhutan
Harvest time: July 2020
Leaf colour: Long, curly dark green and light green leaves
Liquor colour: Clear, transparent light yellow
Tea Aroma: Complex, vegetal and grassy with spicy notes
Tea taste: Buttery and vegetal, marine notes and green grass touches with a long spicy aftertaste.
Steeping/brewing: The vendor (@camellia.sinensis) recommends 2,5g in 250ml of water at 85ºC for 3-4 minutes.
For gongfu style, I have tried it with 4g in 100ml of water at 85ºC for 45 seconds for the first infusion, with an additional 10 seconds for the 3 subsequent infusions.
Shelf life: 1 year
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