A big thank you to Gabriele and nannuoshan for this generous sample!
I feel as though I’ve dropped off the face of the earth these last few days. My husband and I hosted a wedding shower for his sister yesterday, and every last minute leading up to it was spent cooking and decorating. I tried so many times to make a quick pot of tea but each time I was pulled away to do something else. Needless to say, I’ve really been missing my daily cuppa.
I’m being lazy today so this is going right into a little glass teapot for a quick and easy, but sure to be extremely delicious, cup of tea. I read through some of the reviews here and saw that tea-sipper used about 1.5 teaspoons to make a nice-sized mug so I’m going to try that here.
The dark leaves are small and spindly and smell like a good, solid black tea. I’m thinking this would probably be really good made either iced or hot. The brewed tea has a malty smell, very strong, and the tea leaves themselves have taken on a burnt aroma not unlike the charred bits of a toasty piece of artisan bread. It’s hard to describe, but the flavor here is different than most other black teas I’ve had. It’s simultaneously lighter on the tongue and stronger in flavor. I stand behind my previous comment – this would make the perfect iced tea.
Second Steep
9 ounces water + 195 degrees + 5 minutes
This second cup seems to be even more flavorful. I’m tasting more of that black tea flavor I might normally experience – it seems more rounded and full.
Third Steep
8 ounces water + 195 degrees + 6 minutes
I decided to take a break for some lunch (leftover party food!) but I had to come back to this for a third steep. This cup is much lighter in color and in flavor so I think I’ll stop here, but it’s still very enjoyable on the third cup.
Flavors: Bread, Burnt, Malt, Toasty
