Moonlight in My Cup

What a gorgeous day it is. Tuesday was, too until about the middle of my walk, when the wind came up and it was COLD. The temperature dropped 10 degrees in an hour.

I am having white tea today - specifically Jing Mai Moonlight White, from Yunnan, China, via Life in Teacup. It is so pretty dry, with some little round dark leaves and lots of silvery buds and bigger leaves. Some of it looks like it was dried in a flower press, the leaves are so precise. It has a fresh green, almost sharp smell. I follow Gingko's instructions and brew it with boiling water for a minute for 3 infusions, in my new little glass pot. The leaves don't unfurl a lot, they are as they are. She says it can go for 7 infusions, but I can't.

I am totally surprised by the color of the brewed tea. It is so much darker than I expected. The first infusion is nutty/vegetal tasting. The second, which is almost the same color is also nutty, with perhaps a very slight metallic edge. There seems to be an aroma of raspberries, elusive, but present. The third is still going strong on the color and is beginning to taste a bit like raspberries. Very faintly, but as the tea cools, this flavor seems to come teasingly to the fore, along with a sort of hazelnut hint.

This is a quiet, unassertive tea which could be sipped all day. I am finding I really enjoy teas that have so many different nuances to them, especially if they can be spread over a day, so each of them can be savored more.

Oh, I had another of those green tea chocolates, which by the way, are called Green Kiss. They do grow on you. I think personally, I would like a little more chocolate in them.