Y’all…
As some of you are aware, I was just out in San Francisco [or as I like to call it, my future home]. I am now back in Virginia, and yesterday, to mellow out my sorrow, I decided some Downy Sprout was in order.
If you were reading along with the insane thread of comments on Samovar’s latest feature in Steepster Select, you may be aware of the new steeping method they discovered for Downy Sprout. It not only produces a very interesting, almost completely different brew, but it’s as if someone went, “HEY! ADD Girl! You want another way to make this tea? Ok, go!” [Speaking of which, who else loves OK GO’s “This Too Shall Pass” video?]
If you missed the thread, Samovar has this teeny tiny 4 oz. glass oolong pot. You fill it with leaves [a heaping tablespoon’s worth] and cover them with boiling water for 30 seconds-ish, then pour it out.
This brew is thick, saturated with flavor, and sings of deeper sweetnesses – honeyed caramels and the darker sugars that come from hazelnuts, walnuts, and almonds. At times it gives me those heavy, yet shimmering, humid notes of tropical flowers. I think of orchids in particular. This mixes in with a more rural note of hay.
I recall reading in several places that white teas only have a lower caffeine content than greens if you brew them with cooler water, so with that information in mind this probably wrings out a bit more hihellowhatareyoudoingwhatsthathihihi than your typical cup of white tea.
Anyhow, for those of you currently [or about to be] in possession of some Downy Sprout and an adorable teapot, it’s definitely worth a whirl. Especially since that tea doesn’t quit. I started steeping this some time in the afternoon while I cleaned and unpacked. Hours later, it was still going strong. I don’t know how many infusions I went for, but it must have been in the twenties.
There’s not a ton of brightness at the end of the tunnel that is coming home from vacation, but good tea certainly helps take the edge off.
Oh, and hi, Steepster!
