It was a bad day, the weather changed and my ankle was troublesome again (tore ligaments 6 weeks ago), so I went on strike and stayed in bed the whole day… And in my mind being sick and having yummy tea go hand in hand :)
The smell when you open the tin promises more than what the tea actually delivers, but still, first steep was nice. Not as spicy as the old loose leaf Tazo chai, but still good. Others comment on the cinnamon-ess, but my cup was more ginger-peppery, almost no cinnamon. Base on my experience with Adagio’s Thai Chai, I steeped 5grams in 7oz water for 5 minutes and added 3/4 teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk, which I found is the ideal amount of sweetness.
Tried a second steep and the tea part was blah. Spices were still there, cloves were the predominant, but the both the color and taste were lacking.
Third steep (yes, after a bland second steep I attempted a third one) I changed the modus operandi: boiled the old leaves for 5 minutes and then pass everything plus 1/4 teaspon new Ceylon Sonata to brew in the kyusu for 5 minutes. That did the trick: the spices were back, the tea was strong again. It was lovely.
Got greedy and tried a fourth steep boiling again for 5 minutes and resting 5 more, without new additions. Was not very sucessful, but it was still better than the 2nd steep.
All in all, it was a perfect tea for a sick and rainy day. Made me feel comforted.
