This is my last teaspoon of leaves from the Tiger. It’s very bittersweet, literally and figuratively! That chewy smoky sweet flavor is so delicious, and I am going to miss it. I feel like I’m chewing on a caramel candy. Harney & Sons, in their tea book, says Yunnan teas are (and I paraphrase) the happy but poor cousin tea (to the Keemun aristocrat tea) so I imagine it as a caramel that you could have found in the neighborhood corner store in the 1940s (with all the high fructose corn syrup you just don’t get good common candy anymore. I probably am one of the few people here who was old enough to still have the corner candy store where you could bring pennies and nickels and get little brown paper bags of sweets – this was in the 70s – I’m not sure if they were filled with HFCS but I do know from my grandparents that they did not taste the same as in the 40s and 50s (you see, not only candy but the whole world went to hell in the 60s as far as they were concerned, but I digress!)
I’m lightening up my choices for the spring and summer, but once Fall rolls around, I’m going to be experimenting with some other Yunnan teas to see if I can find one I like as much as this guy!!!! Suggestions appreciated!
Second infusion: Even sweeter and lighter caramel tea goodness. Just a hint of smoky chewy. Very enjoyable, but it’s the first infusion that knocks my socks off!
Farewell Tiger!!! Ricky – I will love you forever for sending this to me!!!!!
