Snow Dragon First Grade Organic Green Tea

Snow Dragon First Grade Organic Green Tea consists of rather fleshy leaves and a large number of buds. At first glance, this tea might almost resemble a loose raw puer, and this is not coincidental: Snow Dragon is in fact harvested in camellia plantations located in Yunnan near the city of Kunming, famous for shengpu production. Despite its appearance, this product has been processed following the process of making green teas, and this becomes quite clear when tasting the infusion. The flavor profile of Snow Dragon First Grade is mainly characterized by a basic vegetal sweetness and a slightly floral and citrusy freshness that lingers.

Tasting – Sight and smell

Snow Dragon First Grade organic green tea has leaves of medium size and rolled shape, dark green and silver color, and a prevalence of buds covered with soft, thick white fluff. When infused, they give off sweet aromas of corn, caramelized almonds, fresh legumes and steamed carrots; a floral note reminiscent of orange blossoms is picked up on the finish. In the cup, the liqueur is a soft yellow color tending toward green.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA

The first infusion of Snow Dragon First Grade organic green tea has notes of sweet corn, pumpkin puree, edamame and steamed carrots, with a pronounced and characterizing sweetness. The savoriness emerges more with the second infusion, which reveals a floral and slightly citrusy note that brings to mind orange blossom and, albeit distantly since it is very delicate, bergamot. With the third and subsequent infusions, the floral and citrus notes become even more present, with a noticeable sensation of freshness on the palate. Vegetable notes of fresh spring legumes such as peas and fava beans and a sweetness that almost leaves a sugary coating on the back of the tongue can be tasted.

WESTERN

The first notes of Snow Dragon First Grade organic green tea have the sweetness of corn and fresh plant notes of bamboo shoots, peas and fresh broad beans. A lightly roasted note of sweet almonds appears secondarily, while the finish is floral (rose and orange blossom) with a barely discernible citrus note of tangerine that contributes freshness to the tea as a whole. The body is light and silky, with no astringency or bitterness.

Place of origin

Yunnan, China

Production

Snow Dragon First Grade organic green tea has a process that involves, after an initial withering in the open, fairly long cooking of the leaves in large woks heated to temperatures around 180°C to block enzymatic activity and prevent oxidation of the leaves. After these stages the leaves receive their characteristic rolled shape and are left to rest so that they lose some of the residual moisture inside.

How to prepare

We highly recommend infusing Snow Dragon First Grade organic green tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain several infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in 85°C water, an initial 10-second infusion can be made, and after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, proceed with multiple infusions, increasing the time by 5 seconds each time (10 – 15 – 20…)

This tea has a longevity of about 6 brewings.

For a classic preparation in the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 150-mL cup with water at 85°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.