Tag: Murchie’s

Chun Mee by Murchie’s
Green Tea / Straight
$7.15 for 56g (2oz)

First Impressions

This Chinese green tea was another recommended tea to me when I inquired about green teas while shopping. Chun Mee literally translates to precious eyebrows, presumably because of the shape of how the leaves are rolled and twisted up. It’s described as generally being a bit dusty, and more acidic compared to other Chinese green teas. Chun Mee originates in Jiangxi Province, China, but is now growth elsewhere. Just fun facts to share!

Chun Mee consists of Chinese green tea. It has a bit of a dustiness to it, with a strong grassy note and hints of plum. The light fragrance of stone fruit is pleasant. The leaves themselves are tightly rolled, and appear short. I don’t particularly think that the leaves look much like eyebrows, but to each their own.

Preparation

Murchie’s recommends steeping green teas in 175-180°F (79-82°C) for 2 to 3 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Chun Mee for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Chun Mee steeps to a sunshine yellow – just check out that colour! It has a surprisingly mild aroma to it, Chun Mee has a primarily grassy note to it. On first sip, I noticed the grassy notes, but also some fruity sweetness to it that reminds me of plums. There’s something about the stone fruit quality to the flavour – it’s not tart, but is sweet, and has a heavy syrup texture to it that lingers on the tongue. The lack of astringency is welcome, but I do find that Chun Mee has something interesting about the mouthfeel that makes it almost feel astringent but doesn’t have a mouth puckering quality to it.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Chun Mee a total of five times (six steeps total with the same leaves), and added an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The colour of the liquor got darker, while the flavour profile stayed fairly consistent with each steep of the leaves. I found that it got a bit sweeter with each steep of Chun Mee.

My Overall Impression

I liked Murchie’s Chun Mee. I thought it was an enjoyable green tea, with some lovely plum and grassy notes to the flavour profile. The mouthfeel wasn’t the most enjoyable thing for me – there was something about the way that Chun Mee made the inside of my mouth feel that wasn’t drying, but felt like it should have been. I think the plum flavour was great though, and would consider cold steeping this one in the spring or summer for some iced green tea for sure – perhaps even coupling it with plums and a simple syrup.

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

Genmaicha by Murchie’s
Green Tea / Straight
$11.50 for 56g (2oz)

First Impressions

Genmaicha was a purchase from a Murchie’s retail location, being packaged in a white pouch that’s resealable. Genmaicha is a Japanese green tea, with puffed rice mixed in. The tea itself was originally stored in a large tin on their shelf, and I got the opportunity to see the leaves before deciding to purchase. The buying experience was fun, the workers were able to make some recommendations on teas to try after I said I wanted to try green teas.

Genmaicha consists of green tea and puffed rice. It smells like rice krispies cereal or popcorn, with hints of grassy notes throughout. And just look at the pretty puffed rice! It’s a pretty tea, and a nice one to inhale the aroma of. Genmaicha usually has a pretty bright aroma, so this one is in line with other genmaicha that I’ve had the opportunity to try before.

Preparation

Murchie’s recommends steeping green teas with 175-180°F (79-82°C) water for 2 to 3 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Genmaicha with 175°F (79°C) water for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Genmaicha steeps to a bright yellow, with a toasted popcorn aroma to it. The flavour is a mix of popcorn and the umami from the green tea base. It plays well on the tongue, with hints of saltiness that balances well with the puffed rice flavour that reminds me so much of popcorn. It definitely has a bit of savoury flavour profile to it, which I find pleasant.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Genmaicha six times (seven steeps total), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. Genmaicha holds up quite well to being resteeped and the flavour profile remains consistent for each steep, just waning in intensity of flavour by the last steep that I did.

My Overall Impression

I loved Murchie’s Genmaicha. I enjoy a Japanese green tea from time to time, and found that this one from Murchie’s held up well to being steeped and resteeped over and over again. The flavour is exactly what I expect to find in a Genmaicha – with the puffed rice flavour, and the umami notes of the green tea base. I would highly recommend having Genamaicha with a meal, as the umami quality would balance well with something savoury.

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

Spring Green Mao Feng by Murchie’s
Green Tea / Straight
$7.95 for 2oz (56g)

Spring Green Mao Feng was a purchase I made myself at a Murchie’s retail location upon the recommendation of a staff member in the store.

First Impressions

I wandered through a Murchie’s retail location and asked for recommendations on green teas – and this was one of them. Spring Green Mao Feng was put into a plastic pouch with a clear window in the front. The bags have printed steeping instructions o the bag to apply to all of their teas, with a brief description of the company at the top (fun fact, Murchie’s has been around since 1894!).

Spring Green Mao Feng is a Chinese green tea – where mao feng translates to fur peaks. Traditionally, mao feng comes from Anhui, China. Spring Green Mao Feng is a beautiful, wiry dry leaf, going from a light spring green to a deep black. It has a grassy aroma to it, and it just smells fresh, like spring rain would.

Preparation

Murchie’s recommends steeping green teas in 79-82°C (175-180°F) for 2 to 3 minutes. I did an initial steep of Spring Green Mao Feng at 79°C (175°F) for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Spring Green Mao Feng steeps to a light yellow. The aroma is light, grassy, and vegetal. There’s a mild sweetness, no bitterness or astringency. It has a very smooth texture and easy to drink. Spring Green Mao Feng has a grassy, vegetal flavour to it that makes for a nice cup of tea. Just a touch of sweetness that lingers at the tail end of each sip.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Spring Green Mao Feng a total of seven times (eight steeps total with the same leaves), using the same water temperature and adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. Spring Green Mao Feng holds up beautifully to resteeping over and over again, with the wiry little leaves opening up to show off full leaves in a delightfully young, spring green colour.

My Overall Impression

I loved Murchie’s Spring Green Mao Feng. This green tea came recommended to me, and I wasn’t disappointed! I enjoyed the flavour of this tea from the initial steep to the last resteep. The leaves hold up incredibly well, and I loved the grassy notes. It just felt like spring in a cup – there was something refreshing about it. I would highly recommend resteeping this one as much as possible to get all the flavour possible from the leaves.

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