Rizhao Green by Teakan
Green Tea / Straight
$30.00 for 60g
Rizhao Green is part of Teakan’s Volume 4 Exploration Kit, a collection of five single origin teas. Rizhao Green makes up 15g of the 60g kit.
First Impressions
Packaged in a sealed, resealable pouch, Rizhao Green came as part of the Volume 4 Exploration Kit from Teakan. Another green tea, this one comes from Rizhao, Shandong, China. As with the other teas, Rizhao Green is in a kraft paper pouch with a white label with black print. This particular green tea is harvested in spring 2021.
The leaves appear to be short, wiry, with a varying green colour from spring green to a deep, dark forest green. The aroma is grassy, vegetal, and sweet. Rizhao Green is really quite pretty though – as you can see for yourself:
Preparation
Teakan recommends steeping Rizhao Green in 80°C (176°F) water for 2 minutes (western style) or 15-20 seconds (gongfu style). I opted to do an initial steep of 2 minutes.
First Taste
Rizhao Green steeps to a light yellow colour – it’s cheerful and inviting. The aroma is grassy, lightly vegetal, with a hint of something sweet. The flavour of this green tea is crisp – vegetal, sweet, grassy, with hints of a roasted nuttiness that lingers at the back of the tongue. As a full disclaimer, the first time I tried this tea, I accidentally set my timer for 3 minutes instead of 2 minutes and was met with a cup of very bitter tea… I would highly recommend not going over 2 minutes for the initial steep. Save your taste buds.
A Second Cup?
I resteeped Rizhao Green a total of seven times (eight steeps total), and used the same water temperature but adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep – and found that the flavour stayed pretty consistent throughout. It got a bit more nutty and less sweet as I went, but overall stayed very similar to the initial steep. Plus, check out the leaves! They’re definitely not short or small, and have a beautiful spring green colour.
My Overall Impression
I loved Teakan’s Rizhao Green. This Chinese green tea was a treat for the senses throughout the process of steeping it. The look of the dry leaf, and the taste of the steeped tea – just a nice cup of tea. And it doesn’t hurt that it resteeps very well (something that I will recommend!). I would just recommend minding your steeping times and temperature, as this would be one of those green teas that I would consider to be sensitive.
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