April Meadows Green

This green tea is wonderful. Opening the bag you're treated with a strong and pleasant scent that accounts for 9% of my enjoyment of this tea. The taste is quite lovely and complex, and when steeped well, it has a taste that is neither too strong nor weak. It is far superior to a generic store-bought tea and I highly recommend it for someone who wants a unique green tea. It also handles multiple steeps well. I get at least 4 cups of good-tasting tea from one serving of leaves.

My only complaint is that the steeping instructions on the packaging seem off. I recognize this can be subjective, but I find that 205° Fahrenheit is simply too hot. This creates a tea that is bitter and high in astringency. The website says 185° now, but I still think this is too high. I tried steeping this tea at every 5 degrees between 155°–180°. I found 165° for 3 to 3.5 minutes to be the ideal mix of complex flavors without introducing bitterness.

Here is how I brew mine: 1.5 tsp in 2 cups of water at 165° for 3 minutes. For the second steep, I extend it to 4 minutes and get about the same flavor. The third steep is much weaker and I steep it for 5+ minutes.

Just tried my first cup and it didn't dissappoint. I prepared the tea hot, following the steeping time (although I used a slightly cooler temperature water than the package recommends). The tea itself has a delicate herbal flavor with a slight umami finish. It was not bitter at all.

The package recommended I pair the tea with a reading of Keats' peom, "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and while I found this perfectly fine, it didn't quite fit my taste. I found that I much preferred a reading of Poe's "The Conqueror Worm" with this tea. Amazing tea for a quiet contemplative afternoon.