Tea in rough waters

Have had a decent day today. Stressful, but all of what was thrown at me, I dealt with relatively well. To what do I attribute my ability to deal?

Well, tea obviously.

That's a bit of an exaggeration, but only a bit. I dealt with a frustrated client early this morning, and while I calmly explained how I could help him solve his problem, I was sipping on a Ceylon Nuwara.

Then packed up my tea in my bag that I take on the train, and went to an appointment with a client who's not yet paid me for work I did in March. Was still very calm. Somehow. And while I was talking to him, there was Assam Sephinjuri coursing through my veins.

Taught a class to a group of lawyers, while I polished off the Assam, and grabbed a Chai from an evil corporate coffee shop, who I've mentioned before but won't name again.

But the real stress of the day occurred when I got home for lunch and there were multiple emergencies (personal and business-related). I was drinking Jun Chiyabari Oolong at this point, and I assure you it helped.

Now, I'm off to proctor a test that I spent a good deal of the weekend preparing, and I've packed a thermos of Assam Mangalam, as well as a travel mug with China Wu Lu green tea in it.

Am sure I'll be fine the rest of the day. Am even rather certain that the evening will be ok.

What? Another tea review? Two in a row?

Because the second infusion of the green tea yesterday was so mediocre, I decided to do several infusions of a green tea I already know I love. It's called China Wu Lu (at least that's what Claus Kröger in Hamburg calls it). The way the tea seller describes it is that it's one of the most exquisite green teas, and in many cases I'd think that was hyperbole. Not in this case.

This tea really is quite good. And the better news is that the second infusion was far superior to the first. The third was even quite good. I didn't try a fourth. I know I should've, but I didn't.

Here's my best attempt at a traditional tea review:

This is an excellent green. The first time around the tea was strong but far from bitter. None of that harsh taste that critics object to in relation to many green teas. I like even the most bitter greens, but this isn't one of them.

Don't think that means it's mild. If I'm positive about a tea, there's a good chance that tea has a bit of a kick. This tea is no exception. It's flavour is powerful. Very dark cup colour. At least for the first infusion.

The second infusion was an entirely different story. The cup colour was markedly lighter. The taste, on the other hand, was dramatically enhanced. The flavour of the tea diminished in no way between infusions. If anything, the second time was a bit less strong and quite a bit more delicious. It did taste more of grass the second time, but there's nothing wrong with green tea having a bit of a grassy taste. I've certainly had greens that were far grassier.

Please go to your tea seller, and see if he/she has any Wu Lu. You'll be glad you did.