I feel like I haven’t had this one in ages! This is the first Ruby tea from Taiwan I ever tried, and one of the first teas I loved sans additions, so I think of it as one of my “growing up as a tea drinker” teas. You can steep this for ten minutes and I don’t think it would get bitter. I once forgot a second steep for who knows how long, and it was still great.
This tea is pale when steeped, but so full of flavor. It resteeps beautifully. There is a light vegetal taste, but plenty of body. It is just excellent tea. Having said that, I do believe that the version from Shui tea is more even more flavorful, but since I don’t own that one yet, I still enjoy this one!
This was paired today at tea party with Fudge Pie and individual portions of Brie baked with brown sugar and strawberries in puff pastry. Extra strawberries, lightly sugared, were served on the side to top the pie.
I wanted to do a side by side comparison of the two Ruby teas. They are very different, but have some similarities. The aroma of Ruby #18 is very fruity. Steeped, it is a lighter cup than Black Ruby. This one is lighter in flavor notes as well compared to the deep dark fruity fig notes I got from Black Ruby. I don’t know about Black Ruby, but even if you forget to time your Ruby #18 it will not get bitter. I should know – I left a second steep accidentally once and decided to try it, and it was still wonderful. I read online that you can steep it for six minutes on the first steep, and it will not suffer any bitterness. Paul, I am sending some of this your way to get your opinion. You should have it by this afternoon. Just kidding! I don’t know if we can count on the USPS being as fast this time!
Oh my! I LOVE this tea! I think this is the first tea I ever had sans additions. You can not oversteep it – it just won’t get bitter! It is so soothing to my dry throat right now. It rebrews beautifully, which is a good thing because I have one more student to teach!
Ah, my pale gold treasure! This is the lightest black tea is have ever seen, and is delightful without milk and sugar. It can handle it if you want to add milk and sugar, but this tea has such lovely nuance that I take it plain! Just enjoyed it as a virtual tea party via Skype with my travelling tea friend.
I wonder why I don’t drink this one more often? This is truly delightful – delicate, complex, smoother than smooth. There is absolutely NO astringency, a light vegetal aroma but not much vegetal flavor, and sweet light raisin notes. I served it to a friend who is new to teas and doesn’t like greens, and she loved this one even though it is very similar to an oolong in many ways. Even the second steeping was applauded, making this tea an even better bargain. Some people say they re-infuse up to five times, but I find three is my limit.
