It was suggested that I might be able to pull more flavour out of this blend with a second steep, so I figured I’d give it a try. (Giving it a try on the same day was a terrible idea, when the first steep’s caffeine nearly did me in, but that’s a different story.)
Aroma: Much like the first steep, there’s a nice caramel fragrance, but I’m still not getting any chocolate at all.
Visuals: In spite of the longer steep, the tea was lighter in colour than after the first steep. Although this makes sense, it still worried me a bit: how could I get more flavour out of what appeared to be a weaker tea?
Taste: I needn’t have worried. The tea tasted much like the first steep, but yes, the caramel was very slightly more prominent. I then added some milk and honey, and quickly decided that it’s my preferred preparation. The milk made the tea creamier and brought it closer to justifying its name, and the honey brought forth the caramel like a blue shirt can deepen the blue of its wearer’s eyes. Still no chocolate, though.
Because I found a preparation method that lets me enjoy this tea without working for it, I have raised its rating a bit. Because I had to work this hard to find a preparation method that works for me, I lowered the rating a bit (but it’s still higher than it was before). =) Since I still have the rest of the sample, I’m thinking I might try this cold at some point and see how I like that.
Tea amount: 1 level tsp
Water amount: 5ish oz
Additives: A dash of vanilla soy milk and a smidgen (⅓ tsp, maybe) of orange blossom honey
