Adagio: Emerald Needle Green Tea
Adagio | Emerald Green
Emerald Needle gets its name from its long and thin shape and dark green color. The leaves are plucked while they are still buds just before they would have opened. The needle-like buds give the tea a pleasing dry presentation. The shiny emerald colored buds look very inviting piled on a tea tray. I’m picking up a licorice and pineapple scent to the dried product. The sweet scent almost makes you forget that this is a green tea.
Steeping: Make sure the water cools to around 180 degrees before steeping this tea. It will get bitter quickly if the water is too hot. I found the key is to let the water cool and steep the tea for just a few minutes. When I use a Gaiwan, I shorten my steeping time. The goal is to get the flavor you expect from the tea – experiment and have fun with it. This is one of those teas that stands on end as it steeps (interesting if you have a glass or clear steeping pot). The fruit flavors continue to shine through the classic China green tea flavor. In addition, there is a floral component to the flavor. There’s still a vegetal bite on the back-end with this tea. I like variety when it comes to tea. Emerald Needle is a tea that I can drink every other day or early in the evening after a meal. I don’t think this tea is for everyone, but I enjoyed the variety of flavors it offers.
marTEA