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laurenpressley

146 Followers / 101 Following

laurenpressley drank Four Seasons by Samovar

I need a thermometer!

I (unbelievably!!) only have one thing on the schedule today, so I knew I’d spend most of the day in my office. With that as the plan, I realized this is the perfect day for resteeping oolong! I’m using the tiny teapot, with just half a teaspoon of tea (based on a few recommendations from here). It’s actually even prettier steeping that way. You can really watch the leaves unfurl, and the tea is a lighter color.

So the rinse was about 30 seconds in boiling water. Then the first steep was about 3 minutes off boiling for 2 minutes. I LIKE this one a lot. So, it looks like I was using too many leaves before!! Instead of the first cup being spinach like, this is a bit more floral, and at the point the tea was at several steeps in with the larger leaf quantity. I’m certain this won’t hold up to as many resteeps, but I’d bet it’ll even out in the end since we’re starting with so many fewer leaves!

2010-04-01 09:08:52 -0400

I Like This

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laurenpressley 2010-04-01 10:06:01 -0400

Steep 2: 3 minutes, cooler water. This was a smooth cup of tea! It’s actually really similar to the first steep, though I’m noticing slightly fewer floral notes…

laurenpressley 2010-04-01 10:38:36 -0400

Steep 3: 4 minutes, warmer water. Again, a really good cup. I think I’ve found the right amount of leaves to use in this teapot! It’s smooth, slightly floral, and I almost got a hint of peppermint a second ago. Fabulous cup!

laurenpressley 2010-04-01 11:02:04 -0400

Steep 4: 5 minutes, cooler water. This is the tea that just doesn’t stop! It’s a little less obviously Hi-I’m-Totally-Awesome, but it’s still a really good cup. At this point the floral notes seem to have dropped a bit. It’s the type of tea that I could just keep drinking in the background without even realizing it, then at the end of the day be startled at how much I drank. Good stuff!

laurenpressley 2010-04-01 11:25:18 -0400

Steep 5: 6 minutes, cooler water. Again, this is a great cup! I brought a second type of oolong to work today, thinking that I’d make that after lunch, but if this keeps going and going like this I’ll never make it to the other one! The tea is much lighter, but it still is flavorful.

laurenpressley 2010-04-01 11:36:03 -0400

Steep 6: 7 minutes, cooler water. Pouring this tea out, it looked a lot like water. However, drinking it, it’s still tea. It’s not as strong of a tea, but it also doesn’t taste like watered down tea (which is what I expected). I might shift gears after lunch, though, afterall, to compare this tea to Iron Goddess!

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Bio

a tea drinking geek librarian

I’ve been into tea, at some level, since college with a first tin of loose tea brought back by my parents from Oxford. My love of tea increased with a visit to Boston and a chance cup at Tealuxe. Since then I’ve only gotten more interested in tea and have developed more of an appreciation for it.

I went on a (near) tea fast in 2009 when I was pregnant, and am only now really reintroducing tea at the levels I was drinking it before. I’ve lost some of my tasting edge, but that just gives me an excuse to drink even more. :)

tea rating guide
(updated 12/2010)

100: a perfect cuppa. these are the teas I’ll keep in my cupboard and tend to be one per type of tea.

90-99: will definitely get more of this tea

80-89: likely to get more and perhaps it will become a favorite with time

70-79: very good, depending on my mood or the season

60-69: wouldn’t actively try to get this tea, but also wouldn’t avoid it in a tea shop or restaurant

50-59: run-of-the-mill tea for me

40-49: decent, would hit the spot in some moods, but probably wouldn’t purchase it for my cupboard

30-39: okay, will try again, maybe

20-29: meh. I’d try this tea again if no other were available

10-19: drinkable, but a forced cup

0-9: didn’t even finish the cup