Imperial Green

The wet leaf has a tip-of-the-tongue similarity that I can't put my finger on. The initial strike was much different than how it develops the more you smell it. It's nice and changing, incredibly aromatic, has that buttery fried kind of jade Chinese green characteristic with more floral, nutty, and controlled zesty/savory notes.

Infusions

1. Very well-rounded and whole in its flavor spectrum when compared with some of the other Chinese greens I've recently reviewed. Has some of those familiar dank, savory, umami vegetal notes, but much more controlled and balanced by floral, fruit, nutty, and cream notes. A light candied lemon leads into the finish. As the liquor cools, the brighter notes pucker up some more.
2. Much tighter body with more pronounced florals and fruits. Reminds me of adzuki beans. Very pleasing meld of flavors and texture.
3. There's still a heavy amount of downy in the liquor that's thickening up the cup. Didn't mention it earlier but it's impressive that we've made it this far with this much downy. Taste is deeper vegetal - like wilted, lightly roasted vegetables, more funk with a bright lift up at the end. Some of that wet aroma from the beginning is transferring more to the flavor. More savory but still very well-balanced, especially by the ending that wraps up to candied lemon zest. It kind of reminds me of the experience had with a nice New American-style entre.
4. Still downy in this bitch. The body has thinned a bit and given way to a broader bouquet of unidentifiable fruits and flowers with the backbone or ghosted presence of its original flavor structure which is making it hard for me to place how the tea transforms in flavor axes since it opened up a ton after the first and second steep then mutated into this different experience. Very sweet presence.
5. STILL downy man what they hell that's kinda cool. Roasted lentils this time around, paving the way for a soft mineral hug of umami and fun. Getting some roasted corn, too.
6. Very sweet, smooth, and floral. Getting more to the light chocolate milk land.

This was a very pleasing introduction to Long Jing that'll serve as a solid point of comparison - the first that I've knowingly had.