I am a fan of Japanese green tea, but am most definitely a novice. My experience, thus far, has been limited to teas generously given to me. One such tea is Top Leaf Green tea supplied by Mellow Monk.
What can I say about this tea that hasn’t already been said? My initial interest in this tea came from purely aesthetic reasons — its curly leaf shape (tamaryokucha). Why does this matter? Well I had only been previously exposed to the straight needle-like varieties of Japanese greens. Not surprisingly, the curly and curvy leaf reminds me of a spinning pottery wheel. Let me explain: When teaching beginners to throw on the pottery wheel, I always try to explain that our brains are used to thinking lineally and not in circles (because the wheel spins). Whether that is true or not, I don’t know. Anyway, to be successful, beginners must retrain their brains to accept the fact that the wheel is going to spin and they are going to have to compensate mentally and physically for that unfamiliar motion. So I can say the same thing about my tea experience. The Top Leaf helped me retrain my brain in the fact that all Japanese greens need not be straight or linear in shape. Hey, I am a visual person, whatever it takes, right?
I am also drawn to this tea for Mellow Monk’s commitment to supporting independent family owned and operated tea farms in Japan. Every little bit helps, both with our world and our bodies.
I’ve lived with this tea for a little over a month now, and I have to say that I quite enjoy it as an everyday tea. Top Leaf has a consistent brew, however it can be tweaked depending on what flavor profile I want to pull from the leaves. Some days I want a sweet and mellow tea while other days I want a biting astringent cup. This tea has versatility and range.
To me, the dry leaves have an almost minty aroma, although there is nothing minty about the brewed soup. After a bit of experimentation, I settled on the following brewing parameters:
1.5 tsp dry leaf
1st brew: 170ºF for 2 min
2nd brew: 170º for 1 min
3rd brew: 180º for 1:30 min
Brew 1: This is by far the strongest brew, with a bright yellow soup. Much different than other Japanese teas, which can be very green. The thing I like most about the first brew is that after I take a sip, there is a creeping bite that recedes just as I think it is going to crest into bitterness. It’s ability to go up to that line, but not cross it is very appealing to me.
Brew 2: I hate to use the description of “grassy” because it is thrown around quite a bit when describing teas. However, I can understand why it is used, and the first and second brews of this tea can certainly be described as “grassy.” The flavor reminds me of a fresh mowed lawn. It is sweet, but not in a sugary way, sweet in a way that reminds me of spring. Like a crisp spring morning.
Brew 3: This last brew is much greener than the first and most of the initial bite is now gone. The tea has mellowed to a shadow of its former self and the flavor has become much sweeter although slight and subdued. I find this third infusion the perfect way to end the session with the sweet watery tea being quite refreshing.
Conclusion: I do like this tea quite a bit and am looking forward to trying Mellow Monk’s other offerings, mainly the Master’s Roast. While I can definitely recommend the Top Leaf, I do have a couple of criticisms. The first is that there is quite a bit small tea particles (dust, fannings, what have you) in the bag which can quickly turn a brew quite bitter if not careful. If anything, this aspect reminds me that the most important part about brewing and enjoying tea is to slow down and not rush the experience. My other comment that I wish the bag came with a resealable zip-loc type closure. These are both small concerns of mine and do not factor into my overall impression of Top Leaf, which it that this is definitely a high quality and tasty tea.
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