Tai Mu Long Zhu ~ Upton

I get really excited whenever i get the chance to review another Upton Tea Imports tea. I have so many that i could almost do one a week, but people would get sick of seeing it.

Virtually nothing is known about Tai Mu Long Zhu (泰姆龙珠), which makes it both frustrating and mysterious. A spring-grown organic select mao jian Chinese Green, Tai Mu Long Zhu is carefully rolled by hand and finished into beautiful pearls. Yeah, that’s all i got. xD

On a lark, i searched Google Maps for “Taimu, Fujian” (since “Long Zhu” means “Dragon Ball” and Fujian is the style it’s most reminiscent of to me) and it turns out there is a Taimu Mountain resort in Fuding and Dear Goddess if it isn’t one of the most beautiful places that exists on Earth. Ten will get you Twenty, Taimu Mountain is home to Tai Mu Long Zhu.

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Tai Mu Long Zhu has the oddly enticing aroma of coriander and anise. In flavor, naturally, it’s nothing like either of those things. Tai Mu Long Zhu is a Green so delicate and yet so woody with low antioxidants and a slightly higher CO2 content, it could probably pass for a White on a blind taste test. Though in appearance one probably wouldn’t make that mistake as it most closely resembles Phoenix Dragon Jasmine Pearls, and indeed there was once a Jasmine-scented version of Tai Mu Long Zhu (good luck finding that). In texture, Tai Mu Long Zhu is all Tip. There’s actually too much Tip–(Yes, sometimes there can be too much Tip) as it drowns out what feels to me like a rather unique White/Green curl. I personally would have backed off on the Tip. But hey, i didn’t grow this. I have no idea how. Possibly owing to its organic production, Tai Mu Long Zhu’s liquor cups to a fairly uninspiring brown-tinged yellow, so i’ve dressed it up a bit in the photos. xD

Something tells me Tai Mu Long Zhu would make a fairly excellent bubble tea.