I’ve lightened up my tea drawer at work for the Spring and Summer! All of the heavy black teas have gone home, and I have a bunch of oolongs, greens, and whites for the warm months. I thought this one – organic jasmine, organic orange peel, and organic Pouchong – sounded like the embodiment of the warmer weather!
First a sniff – heaven!!! The three ingredients combine for a slightly sweet and flowery aroma. Now a taste – mmmmmm! The smell pretty much describes the taste. I am surprised what a subtle, delightful detail the orange peel is. It gives a touch of sweetness and flavoring that I am loving.
Second infusion: (4 min) Light. Still jasminey and a little orange peel on the end of the sip. A bit disappointed that it was so light.
Third infusion: (5 min, and I upped the water temp to 195 since the second infusion was light) Sigh. Hot water with a jasmine taste. Drinkable but..
A question! It was a delicious first infusion at 185 but when I looked up Pouchongs, some people used 195, some 205 – does anyone have any temperature opinions about this type of tea? Maybe 185 for the first infusion then 195 for the subsequent infusion? I don’t think this one can do three. Do people change temps from infusion to infusion? Halp! Tea may get a bump if I can figure out how to make it more multiple steep friendly.
I also have to say that I was very happy with my serendipiTea ordering experience. My order arrived quickly and well packed in tons of colorful shredded magazine pages! I’m thrilled with their packaging. The teas come in a recyclable box and then a “plastic” bag which is actually a vegetable material and fully able to compost. The artwork is beautiful, and the tea names are whimsical and thoughtful. They use many organic ingredients. A real pleasure to order from them :)
