Tea From Vietnam: Mountain Mist Green Tea

As Spring is reluctantly showing it's beautiful face over London, there is a definite change in the type of tea that I'm drinking. Over winter there is the urge for sugary chai's, warming Lady Grey and, of course, my favourite, Earl Grey. 

But now it's warmer, sunnier, naturally I turn to lighter tea's. Green tea's in particular and those with light, refreshing flavours such as lemon and other citrus fruits. 

Therefore, this morning, I'm reviewing a green tea from Tea From Vietnam called Mountain Mist. (This morning their site is down for maintenance so I cannot link directly to the tea).

Mountain Mist is a green tea that has large, slightly curled leaves. 

Upon opening the pack of tea there was a slightly smoky aroma, rather like a delicate lapsang souchong. (A good quality lapsang, not the type that you can get in supermarkets that reminds me of smoked kippers!). For a green tea this, on initial appearance, was going to have a  bit of oomph to it!

Quite recently I have gone back to my tea roots and have started making tea in a proper teapot, so I warmed the pot, boiled freshly drawn water, let the water cool slightly whilst I was making up some teabags with this tea, poured the water over the tea and let infuse for two minutes (I timed it exactly!).

Mountain Mist infuses to a lovely light green colour that almost sparkles in the pot! It's almost clear and looks and smells really pretty. Because I have made this in the pot I was relieved to discover that I had made this tea perfectly. I think I must have learned something over the six years I've been drinking tea! Making it now is almost second nature and though I do take care in preparing green tea - a lot can go wrong very quickly - I'm really proud that I can make a good green tea, and I can only be thankful to those tea professional's, such as James Pogson from Northern Tea who have taught me all I know!

When I took my first gulp (I was thirsty today, no time for delicate sipping!) of this tea, I was really impressed. This is a tea with substance. Green tea can vary from being extremely delicate to quite robust and this, certainly, was full of body. And I loved it!

Mountain Mist has all the elements of green tea that green tea lovers adore, and which those who firmly stick to black tea, will, most likely, not appreciate as much as I. Firstly, this tea has definite woody, plant like feel to it and this is the first element of this tea that comes through. Mountain Mist will certainly make you feel as though you have a proper cup of tea, which sometimes, I will admit, is lacking with green tea. This is a green tea version of a really good, strong cup of Assam!

Underneath this powerful flavour there is a sweet after taste which is pleasant. There is also a slight astringency to it too. Don't misunderstand this. This astringency is not the type of bitterness you get when you make green tea incorrectly, (which is down more often then not to using water which is too hot, therefore, burning the leaves), this is a slightly natural astringency that you do get with green tea, but which is often hidden with flavours such as lemon or spices when tea is purchased from a supermarket, for example. I have always been quite fond of that slightly tart twist with green tea, it gives it a kick which I enjoy.

The best thing about this tea, though, is it's quality. It's a tea that looks healthy, looks tasty and has a lovely feel to it. There is a solid, earthiness also to Mountain Mist. It's natural, pure and unadulterated and though I do enjoy green tea's that are mass produced (mainly because of the flavours they add), it's when you drink something so pure such as this that you really do get the beauty of green tea.

This will be enjoyed by green tea lovers and obsessives. I'm not totally sure if it would be right for those who like the more delicate green tea's such as Twinings, which are lighter and have added flavours - it's a bit full on. And it's certainly not for those who are new to green tea as I'm sure the strength of it's flavour would be very off putting. 

But for those of us who have tried many different types of green tea, mostly which are of high quality, this really does reach very close to perfection. 

There is something lovely to be able to have that feeling of having had a really great, satisfying cup of tea. It's not a feeling you always get from green tea, due to it's delicateness, but with Mountain Mist you feel as though you've had something solid and sturdy. It's a green tea, that should be served not in your best china, but your favourite, battered old mug. It's the green tea version of a builders brew and not only am I impressed but ever so slightly in awe of this totally unique, different green tea. 

In the coming days I will be reviewing a new green tea from Twining's which I recently purchased from my local supermarket, and actually, I'm impressed with how good it is for a mass produced tea. However, when you try something like this, you are tasting something from a totally different stratosphere. 

So, if you love green tea I know you'll love this. Once tried it will leave a impression you'll never forget. It's taste will remain with you, I'm sure!