No.39 – Fez ~ Steven Smith

It’s taken some doing, but I’ve managed to track down a few new vendors I haven’t written about yet for this week.

Today I’m drinking Steven Smith‘s Blend No.39 – Fez: Mao Feng with lemon myrtle and spearmint.  It’s definitely a fun concoction.  Here’s the neat and ridiculous sounding advertisement:

“Rare green teas from China combined with aromatic spearmint grown in Oregon and a touch of lemon myrtle from Australia. This unconventional twist on a favorite tea of North Africa is evocative of old Morocco and tastes best when shared with friends while lounging on pillows…Bring filtered water to 190 degrees. Steep 3 minutes. Preferably while wearing a fez.”

Suffice it to say, I didn’t follow the directions. ^^;; This Mao Feng is a spring harvested full leaf, which contains a great deal of antioxidants and a texture that i like to call “twigginess” that will be blown out if steeped too hot. I treated No.39 as if it was a White and steeped it at 175 for two minutes. True, without steeping hot, the Herbal notes (lemon and spearmint) may not come through as well, so maybe i’ll try rebrewing it at a later time and see what i get.

Since Mao Feng is a pretty subtle Chinese Green, the aroma is more an effusion of lemon and spearmint, vaguely reminiscent of an Anxi White I’m fond of. No.39 Fez has a lovely polleny, almost lavender-like texture. In contrast, the flavor is kind of a confusing amalgam of things: the Mao Feng definitely takes a backseat to the spearmint, but the combination of the two creates more twigginess that balances well against its Herbal qualities.  Four stars, highly recommended.