Green teas for a black tea lover

Hi,

I'm a lover of black teas, mainly chinese. I have tried green tea a while back and can't find any that I like. I was wondering if anyone could suggest some green teas that a person like me might enjoy? Mark

Reply to
Mark
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It depends, I'd say to try some decent sencha and bancha, and possibly some Dragonwell (long jing, lung ching, etc.) I also like to have people try a roasted (not green) kukicha (twig tea) since it is almost a bridge between black/oolong and green tea. Then if you prefer the fresher taste of the sencha/bancha or the roastier/nutty taste of the dragonwell/kukicha that will guide you to many more green teas you will enjoy. Teaspring.com or uptontea.com have tons of greens and samples available with cheap shipping to try a few without breaking the bank. I really enjoy jasmine green (loose or pearls) tea as well, if flowery tastes are not your bag, then never mind these.

Pi lo chun or even a uncooked puerh may be a nice option as well for something different but a little upper-end.

- Dominic

Reply to
Dominic T.

Mark,

In order to give you a useful suggestion, I need to know what green tea(s) did you try that you didn't like?

Phyll

Mark wrote:

Reply to
Phyll

Hi Phyll.

It's been a long time, but as I recall they where hi end Japanes tea Gyokura I found them very grassy in taste Hope this helps. Mark

Reply to
Mark

Mark,

I drink Black and oolong tea almost exclusively, but one green I do like is Lu An Gua Pian. It's available from Teaspring, among others, and can often be organic.

Regards, Dean

Reply to
DPM

Hi Mark,

Ah, if grassiness is something you dislike, then most green teas I know of invariably have the "grassy" notes to it, some are pleasant, some are too much. As Dominic suggested above, do try some Long Jing (Dragonwell) from Xi Hu or other **mainland** China areas. They tend to have a certain nutty character and not so grassy if brewed carefully. I stressed on the word "mainland" because my limited experience with Taiwanese long jing shows it to be more grassy and less nutty (at least the one I had from Ten Ren is).

Another green tea that I've been enjoying recently is Mt. Emei Bamboo Green Tea (Emei Shan Zhu Ye Qing). It's not as "grassy" and it has this rice-y, malty kind of taste.

If all unscented green tea fails you, then the jasmine dragon pearls might work.

Hope this helps.

Phyll

Mark wrote:

Reply to
Phyll

Without going cold turkey you can move down the roasting/baking scale to a Taiwan pouchong which is more green than oolong.

Jim

Mark wrote:

Reply to
Space Cowboy

OK, well then scratch the sencha and bancha as they are "grassy" as well. Try the Dragonwell, Pi Lo Chun, Kukicha, and any other green that is "roasted" (genmaicha?) or described as nutty instead of vegetal. I'm actually not a big fan of the nuttier/roasted greens personally... and even though I really enjoy green tea, it may just not be for you. If this is the case look into oolong's as they are much more of an in-between and have a great amount of depth. Green tea isn't for everyone, and I really don't push it since I'm not a green tea health nut who thinks it will do everything from cure cancer to scrub your dog's undercarriage for you. Also, I still would advise trying a green (uncooked) puerh.

- Dominic

Reply to
Dominic T.

There's a Chinese green tea called Yong Xi Huo Qing that reminds me of smoky, chocolaty Chinese black/red teas.

If the astringency is what's bothering you about green teas, you might want to try brewing them cooler (as low as 140F) or for shorter steeps.

/Lew

Reply to
Lewis Perin

You're received some good suggestions on this thread from others, but one thing I would add would be to perhaps try some gunpowder green teas, so named because the leaves are rolled up tight and resemble pellets of old-style gunpowder. Gunpowder greens are "low end" teas, but some people really like them. If you buy one, go right for the best available, as it will still be quite cheap. (Example: Upton's Special Grade Temple of Heaven Gunpowder). Although I'm fond of senchas and long jing, I get a gunpowder green occasionally and enjoy the contrast.

Randy

Reply to
RJP

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