Snow Dragon (Green Tea)

While I was still working on two reviews for different sets of samples, the Half-Dipper and Lochan Teas' (I'll have the former posted in the next few days and I'm still actively working on the latter), I decided to wrap up a late night with a little Snow Dragon, and felt inspired to write.

This is Snow Dragon green tea from TeaCuppa.

(I got a better camera, can you tell?)

As you can see from the pictures, this one is entirely composed of white tips. True to it's looks, it almost tastes like a white tea, although it does have a more green profile than most white teas. It is considered a green tea, however, which is indeed more true to the tea, even if only slightly so.

I had nearly forgotten about this one; it is very nice. It's quite light and sweet, enough so that adding any sweetener would ruin it. The aroma is crisp and vegetal. The taste is also crisp and vegetal, with a hint of something floral and fruity, but in a subdued and elusive way. The white down from the buds are quite noticeable, making it quite smooth and soft. The taste actually reminds me quite a bit of Snow Bud, but a bit more pointed, green, and thinner. The lack of viscosity is, however, made up for with the downy hairs. What really sets this one apart, however, is the aftertaste. It leaves a clean dryness that is not at all unpleasant, but actually stimulates the mouth to water, which produces a wonderfully sweet flavor.

It reminds me of being in a meadow after a warm spring rain, when the air is clean and it's neither too hot nor too cold. The overall experience of this tea is well defined as being clean and pure. It's also a rather forgiving tea. I have yet to brew a bitter cup of this, although sometimes it has left my mouth and throat a bit dryer than I would like after the aftertaste fades.

Overall this is one to keep around, and makes an excellent nighttime tea. I could see this one as an after-dinner tea as well. I very much like this one, however those that find white teas to be too 'bland' may not like it. If you want something that's half way in between a white and green tea, however, you can't go wrong with this.

Gushing praise for my Zoji

http://www.zojirushi.com

A few months ago I got one of THESE, and ever since then I have not been able to contain my enthusiasm when the subject of new kettles comes up. So rather than continually ranting whenever someone asks for a recommendation on a new kettle, I thought I'd just make a post about why I recommend the Zojirushi. If you're not interested in reading a gushing rant about why I like the Zoji so much, then you can skip this post.

Zojirushi has several models with a few sizes of each. I just got the standard 3 liter model, which you can see in the link above. The main features that make Zoji's worth while are:

• Has three temperature settings: 208, 195, and 175 degrees Fahrenheit
• Maintains the proper temperature all day long
  
• Has a digital temperature readout to show you the current temperature
• Dechlorinates water by bringing it to a boil slowly
• Saves a lot of energy
• Has a 7 hour timer
• Has a 1 year warranty, and is made for continual use

The Zoji is a bit expensive, however it should pay for itself in the long-run and is one of the only purchases that I have been glad I made just about every day. While most things end up being taken for granted after it stops being new and shiny, this is one item that I have never stopped appreciating on a daily basis.

It works by bringing the water to a (relatively) slow boil, then lets it cool to the temperature that you set it to and keeps it there. You put the cup/teapot under the nozzle and dispense by pressing the "Unlock" and then the "Pour" button. The "Unlock" button prevents anyone from accidentally pressing the button to pour when there's nothing for the water to go into. I'm sure this also provides some rudimentary child-resistance.

The first and foremost thing that I like so much about it is that I always have water ready and waiting, and at just the right temperature. Having it ready when I first wake up is very very nice. At the end of the day I set the 7 hour timer, so it powers the device off but has water ready when I wake up. When I wake up I can just put some shu (cooked puerh) in my infuser cup, pour hot water in, and walk to my desk. The tea is ready to drink by the time I reach my desk, so the first cup in the morning only takes as long to make as it takes me to walk to the kitchen and then back to my desk.

It doesn't have it's own spill tray underneath, so I decided to put a small-ish bamboo gongfu tray under it to catch any spills (I'm using the "large" bamboo tray from SensationalTeas.com, which is a very well-made tray that is made for frequent use and does not seem to warp easily). The Zoji is very good at not dripping, however I can't say the same for myself.

I could have just as easily used a folded kitchen towel, however the added benefit of the bamboo tray is that it actually got me doing gongfu brewing on a more regular basis. While it may detract from the experience in a more ceremonial setting, it is perfectly suited (not to mention convenient) for when you just want a good cup of tea brewed 'right'. Rather than having to clear a space and set everything up, I can now do gongfu brewing on a more casual basis, even when I'm short on time. The variable temperature settings does help this, however I've found that keeping the Zoji set to 208 is perfect for me. If I pour into a room temperature cup/pot, then the water immediately drops to 180, which is perfect for green teas and not bad for some of the greener wulongs. If I'm going to brew something a bit darker, I simply rinse the vessel with hot water to preheat it. Since the Zoji keeps the water at the same temperature at all times, I've found that I only need to use a thermometer the first time I use a new cup or pot to see how much it cools it off, unless I am making something like Gyokuro that requires an unusual temperature. I've found it very easy to pour over the side of a gaiwan, as well as letting it splash down into the vessel if appropriate. I can also easily position a yixing pot underneath the nozzle (on the bamboo tray) to pour hot water over the outside of the teapot.

I do usually filter water with my Brita before pouring it in the Zoji to heat, however this is mostly out of habit. I guess I use it primarily to keep the unit as clean as possible, but to be honest I've not noticed the difference when I put plain tapwater in it. The fact that the Zoji dechlorinates the water does make better tea. Unfortunately the Brita only removes chlorine smell, and does not actually dechlorinate the water fully, so the Zoji does make a noticeable improvement even over water filtered in the Brita.

The fact that it saves energy is also a huge plus. They say that the Zoji uses a combined total of approximately 500 watts per day, instead of the 1500 watts per boil of traditional electric kettles. Obviously this will save money on the electric bill for those of us that drink a lot of tea. They have a more expensive model that also creates a vacuum to reduce heat loss. If you remember high-school physics, then you will recall that heat cannot transfer through a vacuum, so even less electricity is needed to maintain the temperature you set.

At first it might seem inconvenient that the Zoji takes 25 mins, or so, to boil water, however keep in mind that it then maintains the water at that temperature all day long, so you don't have to wait. This is also why the timer is 7 hours instead of 8, so that it's fully ready when you wake up. I also top it off when it gets about half way down, which reduces the time it takes to warm it up and also keeps the water fresh.

One of the common problems with electric kettles is the quality. I'm always hearing about people having their electric kettle die out on them after a couple months. While I've only had mine for a few months now, I can say that it is working just as well now as when I got it, and I have not yet heard anyone ever talk about a Zoji dying on them (and I've heard from several people with Zoji's, who are also as enthusiastic about it as I am). These are made for the Asian market, to be used by folks that drink tons of tea every day. The local tea shop that I frequent uses one in the store for brewing up samples (gongfu style), as well as frequently having tea with employees from neighboring stores in the shopping center. So while I can't say that I've been using mine for years, I think I can say that I am quite confident with the quality.

So the bottom line is that the Zoji provides an immeasurable amount of convenience, produces better tasting tea, and even saves money on electricity and filters. What probably makes me appreciate it most frequently is that it allows me to make tea when I would otherwise not have time to do so, even allowing me to make good tea when I might have to otherwise settle for teabags.

So that's it: my gushing rave review for my favorite kitchen appliance. If you are looking to buy a new electric kettle anytime soon, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Zoji. I know they're a bit expensive to buy, but they are more than worth it in the end.