The Yin Hao is lovely, settling and satisfying. On a hot day this tea become my favorite by necessity. Compared to our other green tea from Fujian, the Clouds and Mist, this Yin Hao is more mature. Instead of tenderly emerging green, it is like the fields that have been soaked by the sun, that mixture of green and yellow. It is more settled, and thus is more settling. I find it a very relaxing tea during the height of movement and radiance that describes the summer. The medicine of Yin Hao is that of whisking away—letting the excesses of the season roll off, as it cools you down.
The name Yin Hao simply means Silver Hairs. The alternate name is the name of a plant called Devil’s Ivy in English, which is known for being very green even in the dark and shaded areas. The Silver Hairs indicates the care in harvesting buds and young leaves. I go with the Silver Hairs, since it peaks my interest in admiring the dry leaves and informs my tasting of some flavors that I wouldn’t usually expect in a green.
A gentle aroma rises and the tea continues to settle—something a little bit fruity even. Today I’m drinking it in a brew-bowl (like a teapot with no lid or handle), I also drink it in a gaiwan, in a bowl, or in a to-go bottle Immortal Style. In the bottle, its fruit flavors emerge strongly. It actually tastes like a wild red or white tea to me. It initially confused me, and also tricked Trinley in a blind test. Pretty cool to get those deep rich flavors from a green. In the bowl and gaiwan, the grassier and lightly astringent side is more noticeable.
Notes:
Aroma: kombu, toasted rice, orange peel
Flavors: butter, spearmint, Asian pear, wheatgrass
Character: Light-bodied, with vegetal and buttery notes. Light tannins.