First reaction to the dry leaf is a delicious vanilla-y sweetness. I can smell the butter creaminess. It’s such a pleasant scent.
I’m new to the world of re-steeping, but am going to give it a go with this. I don’t have a variable temp kettle (Yet! Getting one tonight!) so I have no idea how hot the water was. I let it boil & unplug, put some peanuts out for the birds, dished out my tea, then poured the water. I put a bit extra tea in and let it steep for 1 minute the first go ’round.
First sip is quite vanilla-y with a hint of that delicious butter creaminess. Fairly light flavour, which I expected for a first steep. In terms of vanilla, people were accurate to mention to think vanilla bean ice cream or yogurt, NOT extract! Oh gosh this is just so delicious. Every few minutes my rating slider creeps up a bit. I’m trying not to gobble this up, but I’m so impatient for a second steep! The after taste is pleasant and mild.
Second steep. I totally forgot to time it. 2 minutes? Maybe 3+? Dang.
Anyway. A definite change in taste. Still getting the vanilla, but it’s taken a backseat and now the oolong is coming through. Fascinating! After taste is now more tea-like. (Astringent? I’m not sure on the word I’m looking for, still new to this!)
I feel like a third steep might be too thin. Next time I’ll pay more attention to my second steep time. (plus I’m getting a bit full of liquid and don’t want the leaves to sit out)
Definitely picking up a bigger bag of this.
