春茶, or my thoughts and photos on this year's Chinese fresh spring teas

...or, to start this whole blog thing,

my thoughts and photos on this year's Chinese fresh spring teas.

Yunnan Mao Feng Lü Cha AAA Grade 2010.

This Mao Feng is what I would call a momentary favorite. It was the first fresh tea I had this year and, as it usually is with the first love, it maintains it's uniqueness and some kind of special place in my heart.

Meng Ding Cui Yu 2010.

Personally, from these three teas, I like this one the least - I'm not telling it's bad, it isn't at all. What I'm telling is that it probably isn't my "type" of tea. The taste is very similar to Japanese greens, which is a result of processing - this tea was, unlike most green teas from China - steamed. Although I used to prefer Japanese teas lately, I now am again in a mood for that special fruitiness of Chinese ones, so...

It is a great tea, but not exactly the one I am longing to drink on a sunny spring day.

Yunnan Gao Shan Cui Ming 2010.

This one is similar to Mao Feng, except for the scent being a little bit softer and more creamy, which is in contrast with the fruity, herblike aroma of Mao Feng. These two teas are however very similar, therefore I often can't decide which one to drink these days.

What I want to say is that this's year's harvest of Chinese green teas, especially those from the mountainous province of Yunnan, revived my old love in Chinese greens. I haven't been drinking them for about two years, or at least not in large quantities - the Japanese greens had been enjoying my full attention instead.

But now, I only drink these teas again.

Until now, I've tried three spring teas,

as you can see thereinbefore -

each from different seller - and they were all absolutely magnificent in their own, specific way.

For me, these teas - their taste, smell, look and their whole character - represent the true charm of spring. There is everything - the gentle sunshine, the ideal weather, which still isn't too hot, but isn't cold either, the gentle warm breeze in trees, the blooming flowers... et cetera. It's all present.

The ichibancha harvest in Japan has already started, and I can't wait to see how the farmers beared with the not-so-pleasant weather that struggled there this year - hopefully, I can soon start drinking the results of their work and compare them to the already very favorable results of their Chinese colleagues.

And for now... I'm going to get some long nap, so that tomorrow can be much nicer day.