Yu Lu supreme grade
The top grade of Enshi Yu Lu, made from the earliest bud-and-one-leaf picking. Because it is steamed rather than pan-fired it is the closest Chinese green tea to Japanese sencha, and comparing the two is the clearest demonstration that steaming and pan-firing are the real dividing line in green tea.
Character
Savoury and marine in a way no pan-fired Chinese green is, which is entirely down to the steaming step.
- Flavour
- Vegetal, Grassy, Umami
- Aroma
- Marine, Fresh
- Mouthfeel
- Medium, Silky
- Complexity
- Layered
- Notes
- seaweed, fresh grass, sweet pea
- Aftertaste
- Marine and sweet, closer to sencha than to Longjing.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Enshi
- Oxidation
- Unoxidised
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Steaming (Japanese fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying
Brewing
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 70–80 °C · 1 authored infusion
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
3–4 g/100 ml · 75–85 °C · 4 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Enshi Yu Lu
The standard and top grades of the same tea. Both are steamed Chinese green tea, which is rare enough that the grade distinction is less interesting than the category.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Chumushi sencha
Shares 7 descriptors with Yu Lu supreme grade: grassy, vegetal, umami, medium, silky, marine and fresh.
- Uji sencha
Shares 7 descriptors with Yu Lu supreme grade: umami, vegetal, grassy, medium, silky, marine and fresh.
- Kagoshima sencha
Shares 6 descriptors with Yu Lu supreme grade: vegetal, grassy, medium, silky, fresh and marine.
- Matcha usucha grade
Shares 6 descriptors with Yu Lu supreme grade: umami, vegetal, medium, silky, marine and fresh.
- Sencha
Shares 6 descriptors with Yu Lu supreme grade: grassy, vegetal, umami, medium, marine and fresh.
- Aracha
Shares 5 descriptors with Yu Lu supreme grade: grassy, vegetal, medium, fresh and marine.
- Asamushi sencha
Shares 5 descriptors with Yu Lu supreme grade: grassy, vegetal, silky, fresh and marine.