Chunmee Green

For the first time in years my tea stash has diminished to the point that I can actually see all of the tea that I have. Which is why I finally unearthed the small tin of Organic Chunmee Green from Aura Teas that I was given probably over a year ago. And I'm glad that I did.

The Chunmee has turned out to be one of the best candidates I've come across for a perfect daily green: it's not so finicky to brew that you need to break your routine to make it, not so subtle that you need to slow down to appreciate it, yet it's flavorful and aromatic enough to want all the time.

One of the reasons that the Chunmee is so solid is its slight roast, which Aura describes as a "wild herb mixed fried rice aroma." This tea is a perfect (though not at all complex) blend of the brightness and freshness of green with the more rounded woodsy notes that come from its toasty quality. What more do you want? Organic and fair trade, which it also is.

I contrast, this morning I also drank a cup of Tea Forte's African Solstice, which cost roughly the same amount, tasted like perfume, came in an embarassing amount of packaging, and sounds like it was named by a stoner.

So there are a lot of things to like about this Chunmee. It's pretty user friendly, flavorful, good for the planet and the people who make it. But the best part is that the "mee" in "Chunmee" means eyebrow, refering to the tight curl of the leaf shape.