Chinese greens taste oily?

by **senchalover** » Jul 17th, '11, 09:16

Chinese greens taste oily?

by senchalover » Jul 17th, '11, 09:16

I have just started drinking chinese greens lately and found they really have an oily taste compared to sencha. I don't like it.

Is it the oil they use to wok fire the tea which gives it its taste or is it just me?

by **a.serrao** » Jul 17th, '11, 11:22

Re: Chinese greens taste oily?

by a.serrao » Jul 17th, '11, 11:22

senchalover wrote:I have just started drinking chinese greens lately and found they really have an oily taste compared to sencha. I don't like it.

Is it the oil they use to wok fire the tea which gives it its taste or is it just me?

Long Jing really tastes oily especially on the second infusion.

by **senchalover** » Jul 17th, '11, 17:42

Re: Chinese greens taste oily?

by senchalover » Jul 17th, '11, 17:42

Yes, second infusion is worse. I still love my sencha best.

by **woozl** » Jul 17th, '11, 20:06

Re: Chinese greens taste oily?

by woozl » Jul 17th, '11, 20:06

That depends on the qualitea :wink:

by **senchalover** » Jul 17th, '11, 21:13

Re: Chinese greens taste oily?

by senchalover » Jul 17th, '11, 21:13

Good point.

by **Tead Off** » Jul 18th, '11, 23:22

Re: Chinese greens taste oily?

by Tead Off » Jul 18th, '11, 23:22

You shouldn't be tasting any oil from the roasting process. Many better quality teas have what we call a 'buttery' mouthfeel. It probably has something to do with the release of oils or other compounds in the tea.
Comparing sencha with LJ is apples and oranges. Sencha by nature is more astringent with a different flavor profile. Steaming vs roasting(frying) produce very different teas. If unfamiliar with other teas besides sencha, I can see where one would have to get used to the taste. It took me a long time before I could accept sencha on to my palette. It's still not my favorite tea but I've grown to like it and drink it. LJ is my favorite green tea, btw. I love the oiliness and flavor profile.