TeaChat

I just got some longjing from teaspring and as I'm drinking it I notice a subtle smoky flavor in there. I've had this style of tea from adagio and another vendor before and have never noticed that characteristic. Is this due to the fact that this tea is pan fried?

I had the same problem with several different chinese greens from Teaspring a few years ago. I wasn't certain if the smoky flavor was supposed to be there, but I didn't like it. I'm curious to see other opinions.

AFAIK, all Longqing teas are pan fried but I don't ever recall having smoked taste and flavor in them. This would be due to the processing of it not very carefully.

I don't find it offensive at all, I kind of like it. The dry leaves themselves don't really smell like it, but once they've been brewed the smell starts to come through and it's in the flavor as well.

mageta wrote:I don't find it offensive at all, I kind of like it. The dry leaves themselves don't really smell like it, but once they've been brewed the smell starts to come through and it's in the flavor as well.

Green teas are traditionally delicate and many people drink them for their fresh, vegetal taste, which varies by different regions. While smoke can give a pleasant flavor, it tends to obscure the actual flavor of the tea unless the smoky quality is sought as a result. In LQ teas, this is not the case. Too many delicate nuances can be hidden by smoke.

One green tea that I've encountered intentionally processes the tea to be smoky. It is a green tea from Laos. I can't say I enjoyed it very much but I've enjoyed some Puerh teas that had some smokiness to them.

Is it possible that the so called "smokiness" is more of a toastiness? Lowest grade of LJ from TeaSpring (and many other vendors' LJ offerings) are somewhat toasty either a result of not so great pan firing or because the tea lacks depth otherwise so they intentionally add a toasty note. As a result the leaves are often a more light brownish color versus the fresh green color.

Sure beats the "deer jerkey" LJ reported by Iannon a couple years ago.

Chip wrote:Is it possible that the so called "smokiness" is more of a toastiness? Lowest grade of LJ from TeaSpring (and many other vendors' LJ offerings) are somewhat toasty either a result of not so great pan firing or because the tea lacks depth otherwise so they intentionally add a toasty note. As a result the leaves are often a more light brownish color versus the fresh green color.

SO FAR, I've found this to be true without exception. SO FAR.

... but I have also sampled excellent LJ from TeaSpring, beautiful production, leaves, taste and aroma.

And to be honest, their lowest grade's "toastiness" was not overwhelming nor bothersome to me. It was just something to expect from a really very decent "everyday LJ."

I do not like smoky green teas, this was not a smoky sensation. However I did not have 2012 harvest LJ from TeaSpring!

Ooops, my mistake, I didn't mean to say anything about teaspring. My comment was solely about lower grade longjings; that they tend to be pan fired heavier and exhibit more 'smokiness' or 'toastiness'.

SilentChaos wrote:Ooops, my mistake, I didn't mean to say anything about teaspring. My comment was solely about lower grade longjings; that they tend to be pan fired heavier and exhibit more 'smokiness' or 'toastiness'.

Yeah, I got that.

The big question for me though ... is this toasty from the pan or smoky from the "fire?" There is a big difference in my mind.

Hmmm...do you mean toasty from being in contact with a hot pan, or just from the heat but not necessarily the pan, or from being exposed to heat/smoke from an actual burning fire? I'm guessing these days it's probably from contact with an electric pan.