Finally broke down and tried this one Western style to see if it would produce more to get the tongue than I could get in the gaiwan with short steeps.
Steep times were 3min, 3min, 5min and 7min.
Results were much improved, for those of us who aren’t yet professional tasting experts.
Don’t be fooled, even with these long steeps, there is almost no color to the brew. Let your nose do all the work.
The aroma off the wet buds and from the pot of liqueur were fantastic. Dry sunny hay and caramel.
In the mouth these flavors continued and were intensified.
I rarely enjoy light, sweet teas. But this is quite good once you get it steeped in a manner that produces enough flavor to notice.
Just beware, a pot full of wet, open buds can look a bit like a big pile of bugs out of the corner of your eye.
