The Snow Bud is a green tea made from apical buds and leaves harvested and processed in the Yunnan region of China. The choice to process only the leaves of the plant at the apex of each branch is intended to enhance the high concentration of flavors found in the youngest and tenderest components of the buds.
Snow Bud, while being a green tea, might also remind you at times of a white tea: on the palate, in fact, in addition to vegetal notes more typical of a green tea, you will detect a fresh floral scent accompanied by a peculiar nectarine and honeyed sweetness, which will accompany you until the end of the tasting.
This is a refined and delicate tea, perfect for lovers of the freshest and most floral green teas.
Tasting - Sight and Smell
Snow Bud green tea leaves are whole, medium-sized and rolled and slightly curled in shape. The color shades range from forest green to silver-gray, with numerous creamy-white buds covered with an abundant, fluffy layer of bai hao. On the nose, the wet leaves give off sweet aromas of roasted corn, carrots, fresh peas, as well as floral hints (yellow flowers, hops) and a hint of honey. The liqueur in the cup is pale yellow, clear and with bright reflections.
Tasting Notes
GONG FU CHA
The first infusion of Snow Bud green tea reveals a very sweet and roasted character reminiscent of caramelized almonds. Vegetable notes of buttery carrots, sweet potatoes, and an aftertaste of hay that is always rather sweetish are then noticeable. The second infusion has more intense vegetal notes of broad beans and peas, as well as an underlying sweetness reminiscent of acacia honey and a wildflower finish. With the third infusion, a sharper umami appears with notes of steamed zucchini, while a hint of hay and a note of dried flowers again appears in the finish.
TO THE WEST
The first notes of Snow Bud green tea are sweet and starchy, like corn. There are also roasted notes of dried fruits and a sugary sensation in the back of the throat and sides of the tongue. Notes of baked carrots and squash then emerge, along with fresh hints of peas and asparagus tips. The finish is marked by an elegant wildflower note, which lingers along with the sugary hints. The body of this tea is light and silky; in the taste there is no trace of astringency or bitterness
Location of origin
Yunnan, China
Production
Snow Bud green tea has a very classic processing process that involves, after an initial withering in the open air, cooking the leaves in large woks heated to temperatures around 180°C to block enzymatic activity and prevent oxidation. After these steps, the leaves are processed to give them their rolled shape and finally dried, so that they still lose a little of the residual moisture inside and fix the aromas that have developed during the various processing steps.
Preparation
We strongly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (Gong Fu Cha) with a gaiwan with a capacity of about 150 ml. Following this preparation, multiple infusions can be made with 5 grams of leaves that are useful to best capture all the flavor nuances of the tea.
Warm the water to a temperature of 80°C and proceed to an initial infusion of 30 seconds. Keeping the water at the same temperature, you can then continue to exploit the same leaves by adding more water and increasing the infusion time by 10 seconds each time (30 - 40 - 45...).
This tea has a longevity of about 6 infusions.
For a more classic preparation according to the Western style we recommend 3 grams of leaves in a 200 ml cup with water at 80°C for an infusion time of 3 minutes.
For a better tasting experience we suggest that you strain the tea as soon as the infusion time is over. The infusion times we suggest can be slightly modified to your liking to achieve a more or less intense taste.
We recommend storing in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
