Ever since I began drinking tea I've always wanted to be able to make a low astringency tea (not a tisane) with a green tint that appears as in the photo at
Well, I'm getting closer. Tazo has Chinese varietal blend teabags they call 'China Green Tips'.
Description: "... blend of high-grow Chinese Mao feng green teas that are cultivated in Zhejiang province and plucked in th spring. After harvesting, th tea is quickly steamed to halt fermentation..."
I've been brewing it for 10 minutes in a covered glass cup at a starting temp 180F (82C) and have been able to produce an infusion with an extraordinary green hue and a flavor that I like. It's not as green as the photo on that o-cha.com web page, but it still looks really cool; really unusual.One might presume from appearance only that this brew would be grassy tasting, but it isn't.
If any of you folks get a chance, please try it and leave your comments in this thread.