Reading the Tea Leaves

[Happy July 4th! This is the time for iced teas and what better way to explore teas by trying some of them iced; see my posts from August 2009 for suggestions besides the standard Black teas.]

This post revisits the topic of developing a framework within which to assess good value teas, especially when they are in the higher brackets.  In earlier posts I have also mentioned the visual component in tea enjoyment, and this feature perhaps comes forth most fully in premium spring Green teas.

From left to right, teas #1, 2, & 3 (An Ji Bai Pian)

I first wrote about An Ji Bai Pian Green tea in June 2009 (“A New ‘White’ Green), so I only repeat here that this is a Green tea.  Some tea drinkers may recognize the term “bai” (white) from Bai Mutan (White Peony) White tea.  Here, the word “white” in the name refers to the dramatic transformation of  green leaves into white (ivory is more accurate) after they are steeped.

Looking at the dry tea, the leaves give no clue as to why "white" appears in the tea's name.

Two days ago I re-tasted three grades of the tea, and this was the third tasting of the same small series.  Given the quality of the teas and the pricing, a third round was necessary but hardly a duty.

Early spring Green teas offer much to savor in the visual sense.  And on this subject, the extreme, of course, is exemplified by the “blooming” flower teas.  At the recent World Tea Expo in June, I was struck again by the diminishing interest in these shaped, once intriguing, teas.  Several years ago their novelty alone generated oohs and aahs but now I heard many who were almost apologetic about expressing an interest in them, acknowledging that yes, these teas don’t really taste very good but there was still a demand for them from the public.  Here I focus only on the visual aspect of teas that have not been manipulated to this extent: leaves that were crafted with only the finished tea in mind, with no flowers or other special effects created to impress.  What I found dazzling from the An Ji Bai Pian owes nothing to artifice.

Since I mentioned value at the outset, let me provide the pricing scale before presenting my tasting notes.

This is tea #1 in dry form. (Sorry about the shadow from the camera.)

One tea (#2) is nearly twice the price of one lower in quality (#3),

Here is tea #2.

and the top teas (#1) is nearly three times the price of #3.

...and this is tea #3.

The numbers happened to line up quite neatly, especially for my purpose here.  At a retail level, I expect for the 3rd tea (the lowest one here) to sell between $120-150/lb, and you can do the math from there.

The dry leaves are shown here, (from left to right, #1, 2, 3).

Not too difficult to distinguish quality when seen this way.

If one takes a moment to assess the look of the leaves in dry form, it becomes easy to identify the grades after the leaves have been infused as well, even if each had not been marked.  The leaves of tea #3 brewed up longer and darker; less uniformity in size and color became apparent.

From tea #3

Only a couple of the leaves had the hallmark ivory cream color for which this tea is named and among the leaves, there was a higher proportion of stem to sprout.  There are still budsets to be seen — after all, even though this was the least priciest in this series, its cost is nothing to scoff at.

Having knowledge of the price, however, predisposes one to certain expectations and if the flavor falls short, one tastes some more, trying to pick up the finer uplifting notes that should be there.

The brews were hard to tell apart if judged soley by color; left to right - #1, 2, & 3.

And this was my experience with the third tea.  Color-wise, the brew was nearly identical in the cup to the other two, but in the drinking, this cup offered weak flavor, with just a little of an herbaceous note to be discerned.

When I first tasted the three teas together, I thought the second tea, priced in the middle, might actually prove to be the better buy.  Sometimes when a tea is comprised of only fine tender tips, the taste is, understandably, mild and delicate.  When the same tea has more buds with leaves in its composition, the more fully developed leaves (even though these may be the first and second on the bush) yield a more developed taste as well.   And so it was with high expectations when I came to tea #2 this time.

Tea #2: tender sproutings are evident.

The dry leaves that were between 2.5 cm and 4m unfurled to about the same size, still very beautiful to behold.  Most were still rolled rather than completely open.  And yet the pale ivory cream color was missing among the infused leaves.  The flavor was fine, light and fresh tasting.  If I had been offered a cup without prior knowledge of which tea I was being served, it would certainly be judged a lovely example of early spring Green teas, though I would have thought the price prohibitive.

Presumably, the major justification for parting with a hefty sum for this particular Green is its unique transformation in color, from green to “white.”  This metamorphosis does nothing for the palate; it is completely for the eyes to take in and then for the drinker to ponder, with not a little wonder too, I would hope.

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This tea (#1)...becomes [see next photo

And so if the point of buying this tea is to observe and taste a tea whose leaves undergo this remarkable color change, then it seems the 1st and costliest tea is the way to go.

...this creamy ivory color after steeping.

But there is more in store here than just the visual pleasure because the flavor of the first tea in fact out shines that of the other two.  This was not a difficult taste comparison.

All three teas, even in dry form – which is not always the case with Green teas – gave a nice intriguing fragrance.  The best was yet to come: once the lid was lifted form the mug holding the first tea, the bloom of something fresh and young and green was unmistakable and inviting.  The wet leaves seen here were smaller, ranging between 2-3cm and very uniform, and most had opened during the steeping, to reveal a lavish, startling ivory cream palette.  What had been pointy, pine-needle like leaves had transformed into soft, rounded buds and leaves.

Now the tea name makes sense. (This is tea #1.)

The first look at what lies at the bottom of the mug brings that aha! moment when one “gets” the name of this unusual Green.  And if for a brief moment, one still wonders if the price paid was justified, the first sip settles that question unequivocally.  The flavor is surprisingly satisfying given such delicate buds and budsets.  Now one realizes the other two come nowhere near this one.

The taste of tea #1 held that light/fragrant feature that is always so welcome; in addition, the tea had those chestnuty notes that I look for in fine Greens.  There was a good finish, with a sweetness (“returning sweetness” is apt) that calls for more sips in an attempt to capture and hold in one’s mind that elusive, delicate, hard-to-describe character — nothing that approaches a beverage that has had sweetener added to it, but a light soft sweet note that was inherent in and was coaxed out from something that was green.

A closer view of the leaves from tea #3.

Hold the tea (I am referring to #1) in the mouth for a moment, let the liquid linger on the palate just a bit before swallowing and the lively sweetness becomes more evident.  Another round of tasting as a series, I suppose one could identify all three as sharing one profile.

Tea #2 -- leaves are paler and lighter than those from #3.

It’s just that tea #1 had much more of what was only barely discernible in the other two teas.  Yet I am reluctant to conclude with this impression and instead, am more inclined to state that the first tea is of a different caliber altogether, especially in view of the wet leaves — surprising in their finished state, with most traces of green hues gone.  This Green is becoming better known, and if one buys with the sanguine expectation of discovering anew with each brew the “fadeout” from green to ivory, there is a letdown in store if a lower quality tea was selected.

Readers of earlier posts know I tend to be very wary about teas retailing for over $200/lb – many I have come across I don’t consider worthy of such an outlay, although I have also written about teas that are deserving of such splurges.  Here is one more to add to that list: there are other Greens that share the fresh, nutty, alive taste of this premium An Ji Bai Pian, with its soft sweet notes, but I have not come across another that also offers such an appealing visual effect.

Tea #1 -- clearly ahead in looks and taste.

I have remarked before that Green teas require some patience — their flavors are not bold or immediate.  In the case of An Ji Bai Pian, the visual effect, however, is striking, and keep in mind that this “special” effect, i.e., the color transformation of the leaves, derived solely from the varietal itself and only that, without anything else added, and that is something to relish.