I forget how potent freshly packed tea is; I got this and put my usual measure (i.e. too much) into the pot and … totally forgot about it.
This happens a lot.
It is a credit to the quality of the leaves that the result was still drinkable! I diluted and diluted and diluted until I ended up with something more pleasing, but by this time my taste buds were utterly demolished.
I tried this again this morning with The Office Water (dun dun dun) – the stuff that comes out of a water dispenser. Suffice to say that it is nowhere near boiling and can be imbibed within minutes. Usually this doesn’t work very well with extracting flavor from dried plant matter, but in the case of very fresh leaves like these, it’s perfect.
The end result is a very pleasing, mild Earl Grey with distinct notes and aroma of lemon. As far as I can tell, the “cheesecake” doesn’t add a flavor of its own, but makes the natural bitterness of Earl Grey a milder one, allowing the bergamot to come through more easily.
I’ll be making more of this today.
