Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
This Chinese tea is often referred to as eyebrow tea due to its eyebrow shaped tea leaves. The leaves are hand picked during early spring to result in a floral and robust flavor without the bitterness often associated with this type of tea. The rich green tea leaves brew to reveal a bright jade liquor with a fresh aroma, balanced earthiness and smooth, subtle finish. Yin Gou Mei Green Tea is best served hot.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve had a Yin Gou Mei, so, I was really looking forward to having this tea when I discovered it was part of this month’s Selection Club sampler box from Simple Loose Leaf.
Yin Gou Mei is often called “Chinese Eyebrows” because of the cute “eyebrow” shape of the leaves. But, I don’t like calling it Chinese Eyebrows because that sounds … weird and not in a good way. So forgive me for not calling it by that name and instead going with Yin Gou Mei.
And this is a really LOVELY Yin Gou Mei!
This is sweet and creamy with soft nutty notes, but there is a light crispness to the cup as well. There are delicate floral notes that meld with the soft, creamy sweetness. It makes my palate swoon how these two tastes mingle together. It’s very smooth from start to finish, with no bitter notes and very little noticeable astringency.
What I like about Yin Gou Mei is that it’s a little different from the typical green tea in that it tastes somewhat “earthy” but not really overly vegetal. While there is a slight vegetative note to this, it’s not a heavy, grassy taste, nor does it taste like steamed veggies or any of the other vegetative comparisons that I often make. It’s smooth, floral and lightly earthy/vegetal note that is softened with a pleasant creaminess.
I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again in the future, but, I just love getting my monthly Selection Club box from Simple Loose Leaf! It really is a GREAT bargain: I get five different teas each month and there’s enough for several pots of tea from EACH of the five teas in the box. Plus you get a sample from the next month’s box to whet your appetite for the teas to come! And there are a couple of different payment options available to you that have been designed for savings and convenience in mind.
And if you want to save even more, here’s what you do: use this code – SISTERSELECTION25 – and receive a 25% discount when you sign up for the Selection Club! This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas. It’s an awesome service!
Tropical Eyebrows Green Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
As for this blend, well, despite the silly name, it’s a refreshing blast of tropical fruits and sweet green tea. Chun Mee reportedly means “Precious Eyebrows” and is so named because of the shape of the leaves, hence our “Tropical Eyebrows” name.
I’m not sure if persimmon qualifies as a tropical fruit, but I felt the need to include it here, so I did along with mango, banana, kiwi, pineapple and coconut. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum! I find that I am usually “hesitant” to try new tropical fruit flavored teas – so I wasn’t really ~overjoyed~ when it was time for me to try this Tropical Eyebrows Green Tea from 52Teas. And it isn’t even that I dislike tropical fruit flavored teas … I actually quite enjoy them. I think it’s just that it seems like all the tea companies out there have some “tropical oasis” type of tea, and it just seems a little overdone.
Then again, that may sound a bit contradictory coming from me because I’ll try any Earl Grey you put in front of me and really, when it comes to flavored tea, there is no flavor that is more overdone than the tried and true, traditional bergamot, is there?
But, this tropical flavored green tea is different from the rest. Perhaps it’s the addition of the persimmon … or perhaps it’s that its made with Chun Mee green tea. There is something about this that is very unique – while at the same time familiar – and whatever it is, I’m liking it!
The Chun Mee has a lovely earthy quality to it that I think contrasts with the sweet, tangy tropical flavors quite nicely. The result is a nicely round, flavorful, fruity treat for the palate.
The tropical flavors present a seamless taste that is a little bit pineapple-y, with hints of kiwi and mango and persimmon. There is a creamy undertone from the coconut and banana. No fruit note is really standing out from the rest, except for perhaps the pineapple, which is the first flavor I really noticed when I took a sip. They all meld very nicely to create a tasty fruit-y flavor.
This one tastes good hot … but its a real winner when it’s iced!