Second Review Less tea used and less steep time with better results!
To be honest, the first review of this tea was disappointing. All the tea’s from Teavivre have been so good that I was surprised at this one. I promised to try again to see if I had a bad day before, or if perhaps my taste buds were not feeling well. I suspected the brewing instructions were part of the bad taste the first time. In my opinion, the amount of tea and time needed for a good cup was not balanced. The tea was way too strong.
This time I followed my instinct. A scant 1TB for 24oz. at 190F. steeped for 1min.
That was enough for a stout pot of tea. The liquor was smoky, slightly astringent and very flavorful.
I had sauteed 2 pts. of mushrooms, spinach with a tiny bit of ham shank and garlic and this brought out a dark, fruity flavor paired with the tea. Yes, fruit.
There was a dried blackberry background in the smokiness that went wonderfully with my dinner.
I’m glad I gave this tea another go around. Worth a second cup! Just cut down the steep time and tea measurement quantity a bit and the cuppa is very good!
