The Great Green Tea Comparison

While I was writing up my notes for the Melon Seed green tea, I wondered, what is the point of having two different green teas? How different can they be? I did think that there had to be some differences between them, other than just the name. Since the weather was still a bit chilly, and I found myself with a bit of time on my hands one afternoon, I brewed a pot of Dragon Well green tea (my usual tea), and a pot of the Melon seed, to do a direct comparison and to see if I could tell the difference/ I offer those that are truly interested in tea, a chart of my notes of the comparison.

Melon Seed

Leaves: dark green and large pieces and a bit crumbly

Scent when dry: a bit grassy

Scent when hot water is poured on: a bit faint, and still a bit grassy, also a faint tinge of boiled green vegetables

Color of the tea: clear and slightly green

Taste: Really subtle taste of green tea, very smooth, just the faint taste of grass.

 

Dragon Well

Leaves: light green, flat and shaped like cedar tree needles

Scent when dry: very strong, some roasted scent

Scent when hot water poured on: still quite strong and accentuates the roasted notes

Color of the tea: clear and golden color

Taste: more roasted flavor- similar to what Japanese teas taste like, so for me the definitive taste of green tea, slightly bitter on the end.

You can easily distinguish these two teas by sight, both before and after they meet with the water. The are radically different- I think that you might even be able to tell by the photos that I have included: the Melon Seed green tea is always the sample on the left, and the Dragon Well is on the right. Where they might not differ for you is by taste. Although the Dragon Well has a much more roasted taste, that is quite faint in the first cup. For the taste bud impaired, that might even be more difficult, and if you paired it with food, you might lose any distinction between the two altogether. I’ve decided that there are good points for both teas. Since Dragon Well has a bit more flavor (and incidentally, more caffeine), I have voted that it is the best candidate for first tea of the day. Melon Seed is more appropriate for a late afternoon tea- just enough caffeine to propel the body to the gym, and enough taste and scent to be able to sit there and enjoy the subtlety; no need for a sledge hammer at that time of the day.

I thought while doing this, that I might have some difficulty discerning between the two, if I were doing it blindfolded, like the televised Pepsi/Coke challenge commercials of the 1980’s. Maybe that is a project for another day- as long as I can find an assistant to help with the blindfold. I’ve just been given one more different kind of green tea, so I might just throw a third one in the mix.

(I need to state that I am working with last year’s pick of Dragon Well, which may affect the outcome- I would expect that the taste and scent would be sharper with this year’s pick)