Follow the Jade Rabbit

Hello hello!

Many tea companies are getting puer productions underway, and some have even started releasing new teas! One of the companies to release new tea is Crimson Lotus Tea. Last week, they released a new beeng of multi-year tea material, which was sourced from multiple different mountains. Crimson Lotus Tea called this blend the Jade Rabbit. Luckily I was able to obtain a 7g sample of this tea, provided buy Crimson Lotus Tea, right before they pressed the material. So what makes the Jade Rabbit so special? Since Crimson Lotus Tea hasn’t released any new teas since last year, was it worth the wait? Let's find out!

Dimensions - 6.5g of tea for a 100ml vessel

Beeng Price - 200g for a $79.99 beeng

Water Temperature - 190ºf

Number of Steeps - 15

Steeps 1 - 6

Jade Rabbit first started out light and savory, and held a soft and fluffy texture. After a few more infusions, Jade Rabbit gave off a hay-like tasting note with a light undertone of mushroom. As the steeps went on, this tea became richer and more smooth, and had a body that was velvety to the tongue. By the sixth infusion, a faint sweetness appeared on the sides of the tongue, but didn’t last long.

Steeps 7 - 15

By the seventh infusion, Jade Rabbit unleashed one hell of a beast and became heavy and burly. It turned more aggressive and carried a heavy punch that brought forth the broth-like tasting notes of hay with an undertone of mushroom. Along with the undertone of mushroom, Jade Rabbit left a mild bitterness on the base of the tongue. However, by the eleventh infusion, Jade Rabbit seemed to mellow out into a smooth and sweet-like nectar which left a lasting sweetness on the tongue. Jade Rabbit continued to hit this bliss-point up to the fifteenth and last infusion. By that point, this tea had no more to give…

Conclusion

Jade Rabbit is a new puer blend released by Crimson Lotus Tea, and according to them, this is a blend that they will never be able to recreate again. One thing about Jade Rabbit that I liked was its complex tasting notes which seemed to continually change throughout the session. Another thing about this tea that I liked was the number of infusions I was able to get out of it. Hell, if my kettle didn’t run out of water, I probably could have made this tea last for a sixteenth infusion. However, I obtained the maocha (loose leaf) version of this tea before it was pressed into a beeng, so since it was so recently pressed, the beeng version of this tea might be more humid and might come out with slightly different results than I did.

Overall, Jade Rabbit was another memorable experience for the books and is a tea that I would recommend for puer lovers alike. If this tea is any indication for what Crimson Lotus Tea has in store for the rest of us with their 2018 productions, then I can say with confidence that we’re going to be in for a real treat.