Charles Thomas Draper

Hi Charles,
When I tried this with a group after it came in here in Minneapolis, we started with a gaiwan. I expected the autumn harvest to be much heartier than the spring, and you are right that it is lighter. However, we decided after about 10 steepings that we found it to be finer in terms of complexity. I love the story that this tea tells as it steeps out. It takes 2-3 steepings to get to that wonderful malty flavor that the spring tea had, but in the mean time there is an interesting big red robe texture and intriguing sweetness. Play around with this one a bit and you will definitely hit the sweet spot. I found that slightly longer steepings when prepared brew basket style gave the leaves time to infuse all the layers of their complexity. Five minutes should do it- perhaps hotter water is called for?

I am curious to see what you get out of this one through further exploration. It is certainly no assam substitute, but I think that it offers something unique to the world of black tea.

Thanks David.

David, in all fairness to you, I believe I have a headcold which has dulled my senses. I will explore this tea later when I can render a better opinion….