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AMAZING-GREEN-TEA NEWSLETTER:
Solving Problems Every Tea Drinker Faces

22 January 2012 Issue #47:

IN THIS ISSUE:

>>The Most Memorable Thing About 2011
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The most memorable thing about 2011 has got be the exceptional quality of our teas. Not one or two teas, but cutting across all of our offerings.

It is a year that you pay for AAA grade and get Jipin grade quality.

It is a year of many rave customer reviews - 150 and counting, with 99% of them rating our teas as 4 or 5 stars.

It is a year of achievements, considering we are, really, a tiny tea shop, selling not more than a handful of teas each day.

Many reviews praised our products for their outstanding quality, superior value for money and good service. Impressively, a few even come from seasoned tea drinkers and professional tasters.

Here are a few insightful reviews that I would like to share. They cover brewing tips and subjective opinions of what make a good cup of tea. I hope you will find them useful!

Silver Needle White Tea
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A big success of the last few years has been our Silver Needle white tea. Here's what Kelvin from Ontario said about its relaxing qualities:

The tea is excellent. I purchased for the health benefits more than taste.

I feel the effects of relaxation and a sense of well being after consuming. In terms of a feeling of well being and calm compared to the Lipton Green Tea I was drinking,

I would rate the Silver Needle a solid 5 stars. This is a great tea for reducing anxiety.

Stephen from Australia highlighted an additional quality - focus.

Yes, the Tea was excellent! Really enjoyed it!

I consider myself quite in tune with my psyche and body and this Tea made me feel absolutely amazing, relaxed, euphoric and focused.

Silver Needle White Tea AAA Grade - Customers Reviews

Dragon Well Green Tea
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Whether you are a beginner or experienced tea drinker, you would be awe-struck by our Tribute Dragon Well green tea. In the beginning, you would notice its refreshing, calming effect.

Even after many years, you can't help but being deeply touched. Here's what Chris from Houston noticed:

The tea is of excellent quality. It is the best that I've tried so far.

I can see the superior quality simply by examining the dried leaves before steeping them. They have a richer and more vibrant color compared to other long jing loose leaf teas I've tried. Moreover, the leaves seem to be quite uniform in color and texture which is not the case with other Long Jing teas I've tried.

Once you start steeping the leaves, the aroma alone is sublime and ethereal. The actual taste is nothing short of beautiful. It has a rich and delicate flavor without even the slightest hint of bitterness that I often taste in other Long Jing teas that are of lesser quality. The finish has the classic buttery smooth sensation that I've come to associate with excellent Long Jing tea.

Jari from Finland was mesmerized by its multilayer complexity:

Regarding the Jipin grade, fine flavors, nice and fresh (very nice color, I've had also some others this spring and yours is the top!).

I tried your recommended brewing, 2 grams in ~2dl hot water, poured some water into my gaiwan, added the leaves and filled her up. Then I waited. Five minutes passed and I decided to wait for a bit longer so that most of the leaves would have the time to sink.

After six minutes I started having doubtful thoughts and decided enough leaves had sunk and poured 2/3 out.

The resulting liquid had a strong greenish-yellow colour and a strong typical longjing aroma. And the taste. Certainly very strong, but not bitter in the bad sense of the word, not in the slightest.

On the contrary, the bitterness was very refreshing, something I associate with the high grade longjing I once upon a time had in Hangzhou.

Maybe the strongest part was sweetness, twisted around the vegetal longjing flavour. And while sipping the tea in minute amounts like some good cognac, I spotted an interesting surprise between the layers of taste: Hint of lemon!

Dragon Well Green Tea - Customers Reviews

Biluochun Green Tea
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The two finest green teas in my tea shop are the Biluochun and Mengding Ganlu. The tea buds - young and fresh - are so tiny that you can hardly see them dry.

Drop them into hot water, then you see them miraculously restored!

The challenge is how to brew them right. Unlike the other green teas I sell, boiling water won't bring the best out of them.

I was therefore very pleased when Yeshe Yongdu of USA offered his fish feeding tip:

I have a dummy proof method of brewing Bilochun and Mengding Ganlu.

I pour boiling water into a pot or glass, then wait until the water no longer sting the tip of my finger. I do this by quickly dip and retract my index finger.

I then drop a small amount of tea leaves at a time. They should sink quickly. Once the leaves start to linger at the top, I stop and let it infuse for around 20 minutes.

I can get two brews of very sweet tea this way; second brewing will require that I pour the same amount of water onto the wet leaves.

Further details can be found at Biluochun Green Tea - Brewing Guide

All high quality green tea buds contain high concentration of antioxidants, which burns fat and helps lose weight. If you want to stay slim, here's a tip from Gareth of New Zealand:

I have drunk well over a kilogram of the Zhejiang Biluochun in the past year or two. This must be the best value for money green tea there is out there.

From the first cup in the morning and throughout the day, the Zheijiang Biluochun both invigorates and relaxes me, an awesome combination.

What I also noticed, is that when my Biluochun supply ran out, and I changed my brand of tea, my rate of weight gain increased significantly (not sure of the reason for that).

Biluochun Green Tea - Customer Reviews

Jasmine Scented Green Tea
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Finally, the collection won't be complete without including the Jasmine Needle King Tea. Many customers say she is the best jasmine tea they ever have, and at a fraction of the price compared to elsewhere!

If you want to brew a large quantity of tea at a time, either hot or cold, here is what Kaletta from Fort Jones said:

I take 16 grams and put it in a giant stainless steel herb infuser and put that in a stainless steel 1/2 gal pitcher. To that I add 1800ML water at 175 degrees (I have a Breville tea kettle.)

I time the first pour for 3 minutes as the leaves seem to need this and all the successive pours to 2 minutes. So far I can get 6 pours and each to a very large canning jar.

Those go in my refrigerator. I drink it both hot and cold. Though I must admit I get to as much of it as I can while still hot. I also reheat without boiling the cold when I want to. This works so well because of the time factor but also because I am highly caffeine sensitive. The jars are numbered which lets me know how much caffeine I am dealing with.

For guests when I am sharing I do brew traditionally!

And I have found out that for myself I prefer 2 grams per 8 ounces. No matter what I do it has never become bitter.

And I regard the tea as fine wine; great smell, taste and aftertaste. Couldn't ask for anything else of it. Besides the worn out leaves go in to compost. Nothing wasted.

Jasmine Green Tea - Customer Reviews