A mini guide to tea (VIII)
It’s been more than a while since my last tea guide. After a period exploring the world of herbal “teas“, I’m back with another green tea. Actually, this one is described by 2 adjectives instead of 1: the first being Chinese and the second, special. I’m introducing you to my first special green tea: mu dan.
If you’ve read my other mini guides, you might remember the name “mu dan” appeared once already ( pai mu tan or bai mu dan) – mu dan means “peony” in Chinese.
Special green teas are a Chinese specialty. The leaves are tied together into different shapes, we’re talking about mostly hand work here. The mu dan I bought, came in a shape of a flattened rosette.
Mu dan - peony
The flavour of this tea is very refreshing and the infusion colour ranges from light to darker yellow, depending on infusion time (try 2-4 minutes). The suggested water temperature is usually from 70 – 80ºC. It’s amazing how many cups of tea you get out of one rosette!
Cup Nº8 or even 9 maybe... I stopped counting
Soaked in water, one flattened rosette develops into a huge flower
Prepared according to instructions, this tea can be enjoyed at any time of the day. It can be a bit pricey but worth the experience, both in the sense of taste and aspect.
Related posts:
interesting tea – i love its flower look
how do you remake it? (i suspect you leave the tea in the cup or pot, then remove it when the tea is done to your liking, and re-use it at a later time??)
the cretan mountain tea we make (on most nights we have one of these) is made in a similar way. A few sprigs of a Cretan malotira can last three nights, served amongst four people
You guessed right! You keep pouring water on it as long as it still gives away some colour and aroma. And it is also important to keep the rosette in a covered pot (after the 1st steep, I mean), to prevent oxidation.
I’ve read about malotira over at your blog, I wish I could try it one day!