For June, the weather around here is already unusually hot and humid - this week, the temperatures are as high as 34°C every day. Today is officially the first day of summer and the only suitable time to go out seems to be early in the morning. Since last winter, I'm happy to live in a house in a quiet village near Bratislava - great place for a tea-lover.
This morning, I've therefore decided to have my tea in the shade of our garden. The choice was obvious in this weather - a light, fresh green tea with cooling effect. I've chosen a simple, inexpensive Chinese green tea from Czech shop LongFeng (purchased via Nomad.sk) - 2012 Fu Jian Fu Ding Bai Mao Hou - the original "White-haired Monkey".
It comes from a first picking of small private farm and has some really great-looking and smelling leaves - especially for the price.
According to LongFeng's website, this tea is made of Fu Ding Da Bai Hao cultivar, which gives it bit of white tea-like character. Even though these notes are present, I still think it's a very green, refreshing tea - I remember drinking another green tea from Fu Ding last year, Tai Mu Mao Jian, which reminded me of white tea more. Since I haven't tried this year's version of Mao Jian yet, it's almost impossible to compare two different teas from two different seasons, but I still think there are some similarities in their character - with Bai Mao Hou being the greener one.
This tea has a soft, flowery taste, very pure, mild and refreshing. Its leaves are lively green even after many infusions, reflecting the sun - a joy to look at.
For a simple morning session to wake up and cool down, a quiet hour in the garden with this tea seems like a great solution.
Hi Michal, Nice post, I felt like I was right there in the garden with you. Have you ever found a type of bai mao hou that has raised white speckles on it? This tea is very special. At first, taking a sip reveals a mild bitter taste. But if you follow it with a sip of pure water, hot or cold, then your tongue experiences sweetness around the edges. I found it in Shaanxi province, but can't get any information on it. It was named "bitterness sweetness tea." The broad leaves are curled too.
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