I finally realized how amazing this tea is, after accidentally letting it steep for 15 minutes. Even after all that time, the tea wasn’t astringent, it wasn’t bitter, and the taste still actually held a bit of sweetness! There is no way in Hell I’ll ever go back to bording old tea bags!
Regardless, this tea is also interesting because of how balanced the flavor is. The primary flavor is caramel, but it’s not as sickeningly sweet as caramel is when you eat it alone. The sweetness from the caramel does not overshadow the other flavors, and acts as I nice contrast. I am certainly going to buy more of this when my sample runs out.
Once again, thanks to Teavivre for this tea! I only used half of a packet the first time I had this tea, so this was finishing that off. Luckily, It’s been less than a week, so the tea has lost none of it’s flavor!
The first infusion was stronger than before, as I let it steep for a full five minutes. This resulted in a very dark color, but did not negatively impact the aroma or taste of the tea. The aroma was a intense, and the flavor was sweet with a hint of caramel. Clearly this tea is a cut above normal black teas, especially because I don’t need to sweeten it just to make it drinkable.
EDIT #1:
Something rather interesting happened as I reached tht end of the first cup. The tea had been a bit broken up, and there was quite a bit of tea dust at the bottom of the cup, which usually results in a very bitter taste. When I got to the bottom, the taste was initially a touch bitter, but with an aftertaste that was a bit like semi-sweet chocolate. Never had anything like that before.
EDIT #2:
After four infusions, this is what I’ve observed: The color of the tea has gone from a rather dark brwo, to an almost caramel color. The taste of the tea has become much sweeter, and the flavor is much more balanced. The sweetness mixes with the other mellower flavors very nicely, and creates a very pleasing cup of tea. Honestly, I’m rather glad that I have three more packets of this stuff.
Just finishing off the packet from yesterday. See my previous note.
I really felt like having strong tea today, so I let this steep extra long for maximum flavor (and caffeine). The only real change that I noticed is that the first cup isn’t as sweet as previously, but it is still exceptional. The caramel flavors are still present, but they are overwhelmed by the other flavors.
The second infusion was even better than usual, as the caramel flavor became much more prominent, and the tea had exactly the right amount of natural sweetness.
To be completely honest, I brewed my third cup, and forgot about it for several hours. Needless to say, it was rather cold when rediscovered. I didn’t want to waste it, so I cheated and put it in the microwave for 25 seconds to warm it back up. T?he result is tea that isn’t as sweet, and isn’t as flavorful as I expected, but it was still decent tea.
If I make another cup, I’ll tell you if the above was because of the microwave or if the tea was just starting to wear out.
