Tag: Green Tea

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Masters Teas’s Shi Feng Long Jing

Shi Feng Long Jing by Masters Teas
Green Tea / Straight
$29.00USD for 1.5oz

Masters Teas has provided me with Shi Feng Long Jing for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Shi Feng Long Jing came to me in a sealed printed, resealable pouch. There’s information regarding the origin and tasting notes, which I always appreciate. I found the steeping instructions for this Chinese green tea on the Masters Teas website on the product page for this specific tea. The leaves are flat and green – ranging from light to medium greens in colour. It’s a very familiar tea, since I’m a fan of long jing (dragonwell). There are some light grassy and floral notes from the dry leaf – I don’t sell any chestnuts despite it being referenced in the description.

Shi Feng Long Jing was harvested April of 2019, by farmer Guo Ya Ling in Zhejiang, China. This tea was harvested at 500m elevation. I always appreciate finding out more information about my teas, I think it’s great to be able to trace the tea back to its origin.

Preparation

Masters Teas recommends steeping Shi Feng Long Jing in 170°F (77°C) for 2 to 3 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep in 175°F (79°C) water that I allowed to cool for 5 minutes prior to steeping, and steeped the tea leaves for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Shi Feng Long Jing steeps to a light yellow colour. I found the aroma to be a mix of grassy and floral, while the flavour had some sweetness to balance out the grassy notes, as well as some nutty notes that remind me of cashews. It makes for pleasant cup of tea and I wouldn’t add anything to it.

A Second Cup?

Masters Teas suggests that Shi Feng Long Jing can be steeped 7 times, so I opted to do 6 resteeps of the same leaves – I added an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the tea became more golden yellow and developed more of a nutty flavour in the later steeps, and lost some of that floral sweetness.

My Overall Impression

I loved Masters Teas’s Shi Feng Long Jing. I found that the flavours of this green tea to be well-balanced. I was curious about where the chestnut notes might be at the beginning, but found them after having steeped the tea. I really enjoyed each resteep, especially as the flavour profile shifted from sweet to more savoury, it made for a great tea experience and I would recommend resteeping this tea.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Masters Teas’s Da Fo Long Jing

Da Fo Long Jing by Masters Teas
Green Tea / Straight
$18.00USD for 1.5oz

Masters Teas has provided me with Da Fo Long Jing for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Da Fo Long Jing came in a sealed, printed, resealable pouch. I love the fact that Masters Teas includes so much information about each of their teas on the packaging, as well as on their product pages. For instance, I know that the other name for this tea is Big Buddha Dragon Well. This Chinese green tea is from Zhejiang, China, farmed by Liu Yi Qian and grown at an elevation of 750m above sea level. Oh, and this tea is a spring harvest from April 2019.

The leaves themselves are bright green, long and flat – which is a characteristic I’ve come to appreciate and love about dragon well teas. Da Fo Long Jing has light grassy and floral aromas from the dry leaf, which makes me curious about it. The leaves are quite pretty to look at.

Preparation

Masters Teas recommends steeping Da Fo Long Jing in 170°F (77°C) water for 3 minutes. My Breville IQ Kettle‘s lowest temperature setting is 175°F (79°C), so I heated my water to that temperature and then allowed it to cool.

First Taste

Da Fo Long Jing steeps to a very pale yellow. I found the aroma of the steeped tea matched the dry leaf very well – grassy and floral notes. I found the tea to be smooth and pleasant – there’s no bitterness, or astringency. I didn’t get a lot of the chestnut notes that Masters Teas mentioned, but I liked the floral and grassy notes that I was able to find. There’s a light sweetness that mingles well with the grassy flavours.

A Second Cup?

Masters Teas suggests that Da Fo Long Jing can be steeped seven times. I opted to resteep the tea seven times (eight steeps total) – adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The tea got more golden yellow with subsequent steeps. The grassy flavours got stronger, while the floral notes stayed fairly similar. I found that the sweetness lessened with each steep, but the tea stayed palatable.

My Overall Impression

I loved Masters Teas’s Da Fo Long Jing. I found that the tea to be a delight for the taste buds. The floral and grassy notes were delicious, and I enjoyed how well this green tea resteeped and held up to being resteeped so many times. I found the sweetness to be nice, and I think it would have been more pronounced if you cold steeped the leaves instead of steeping with heated water. But I would recommend that you resteep this tea multiple times to enjoy the subtle changes of the flavor with each steep.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Iced Hojicha Latte

Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green tea – which makes it quite a bit different from other traditional Japanese green teas that aren’t roasted. Hojicha can be purchased as either leaves or twigs. The roasting process gives the tea a sweet, nutty and earthy aroma and flavour. Hojicha typically has lower levels of caffeine compared to other teas, which is one of the reasons why it is often had as an after-dinner drink. As a latte, Hojicha is had both iced and hot and I’ve been enjoying this drink iced lately – which prompted me to want to share a recipe with you all! I’ve been making this at home and the vanilla in the Vanilla Simple Syrup adds a nice level of creaminess to the latte so don’t skimp on that!

Iced Hojicha Latte Recipe – Serves 1

1 tablespoon Vanilla Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
2 teaspoons Hojicha
¾ cup hot water
⅓ cup milk (dairy or dairy-free alternative)
Ice cubes

Steep your Hojicha in hot water (I use 80°C/175°F) for 2 minutes.
Add in Vanilla Simple Syrup.
Allow tea to cool.
Fill glass with ice.
Pour in milk, and then tea.
If using a straw, don’t forget to use a reusable stainless steel, paper, or silicone straw.

Vanilla Simple Syrup Recipe

1 cup water*
1 cup sugar*
2 tsp vanilla extract

* You can make more or less Vanilla Simple Syrup depending on your Hojicha Latte needs. I used pure vanilla extract and organic cane sugar for my Vanilla Simple Syrup in this recipe. The basis of a Simple Syrup is to use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water.

Super Simple Vanilla Simple Syrup Method

Using boiled water from a kettle, combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Set aside to cool.

Less Simple Vanilla Simple Syrup Method

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, and place over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Allow syrup to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Add vanilla extract.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Pour Vanilla Simple Syrup into a jar or bottle and refrigerate.

The Vanilla Simple Syrup will keep for at least 2 weeks in the fridge – don’t forget to label with the date!

If you make this Iced Hojicha Latte, I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@onemoresteep #onemoresteep) or comment below with a link to the photo!