laurenpressley

Steep 1, 3 minutes: very vegetal, almost tart. I used the same amount of leaves as last time, and I’m thinking that might be the problem….

I’ll be tuning in to Four Seasons Television as you steep all day!! :) Tea Bird used 1 tsp and said that maybe next time she would use even a little less:

http://steepster.com/Tea_Bird/posts/33065#comments

I think I’m going to try a scant teaspoon when I try it – hopefully this weekend!

JacquelineM: Good to know! I saw your comment on my last post, but wasn’t even sure of the answer… I’ll aim for just under 1 tsp next time. :)

Steep 2, 4 minutes: was still pretty vegetal, but much less tart. This is closer to what I think of when I think of oolong. there’s a slight bitterness, so I think I probably oversteeped. But I’m not sure, so the next steep I’ll push to about this limit again.

Steep 3, 5 minutes: much less vegetal, and just what I think of when I think of oolong. It’s a bit bitter. I know it’s not from the water being too hot, so I definitely oversteeped. I’ll go with 4 minutes for the next one. And for the next pot, I’ll follow JacquelineM and Tea_Bird’s just-less-than-a-tsp leaf amount.

Steep 4, 5 minutes: this is the steep I was waiting for. Floral, almost sweet, and really really good.

JacquelineM, looking back at the tin… it was 1-2 T to 16 oz… so I might have been thinking a strong steep as 1 T to 8 oz… so 1/2T to 4 oz. Next time I’m going lighter!

Steep 5, 4 minutes: What a smooth cup of tea! It’s really, really good. There’s almost a honey tinted, buttery taste to the tea. Yum!

Steep 6, 4 minutes: I love this tea! I wonder if I’ll like the 4+ steeps as much when I try this with less tea leaves. It’s so smooth, and almost has a soft mouthfeel. Yum!!!

I’ve had a great time following your steeps today! (and I can’t wait to try this – hopefully on sunday!!)

JacquelineM: thanks!! I can’t wait to see what you have to say!!

Steep 7, 4 minutes: It’s looking a bit lighter now, but still tastes very very good! I think I’m settling in around 4 minutes at a lower temperature to get the taste I’m looking for. I’m thinking I’ll just keep this up for a while and see how far I can take it!

Steep 8, 4 minutes: this is the turning point, I think, where the tea seems a bit weaker. It’s still clearly oolong, but it’s resteeped oolong. Perhaps I should have gone for 5 minutes to boost it up a notch. Maybe shorter steeps for the earlier ones, and start getting longer at this point?

What temperature are you steeping it at?

Jillian, I wish I knew! I was at work, so the best I could do is guess. I started with boiling water from my automatic kettle (I figured that had to be pretty close to the recommended “boiling”) and then used the left over warm but not boiling water for subsequent resteeps. When I had meetings that kept me out of the office for a few hours, I just reboiled the water and let it sit for a little bit before using it.