Boy, am I glad I gave this tea another chance!
I received a generous sample of O-Cha’s Otsuusan from my fellow Green Tea enthusiast Shiobicha, and brewed it up according to my normal parameters a couple weeks back (2 tbsp/155*/1.5mins, first steeping). It came out overwhelmingly sweet and soapy through all three steepings, and I couldn’t even bring myself to finish my iced; diluted final steeping.
Today I was thinking of cracking open something new, but remembered I had samples to work through first. I added two level tbsp to my 10oz kyusu and let my 165* water steep for a little over two minutes. Much to my surprise, the “soapy” taste was almost nowhere to be found in this rich, forest green cup of tea.
The next two steepings (~180 for 2.5 minutes, and boiled thereafter) were rich and tasty — I used a full 10oz for my final steeping, and was still able to get a nice vegetal sweetness that never overwhelmed me in the way my first experience did. Not sure if I’d necessarily buy it, but it’s a fun blend if you don’t mind working to get it right!
