Found excellent alternative parameters today that are worth sharing for this tea.
The flavor was so good and stayed in the throat for quite a while after the tea was gone.
4g, 4oz water – I poured water (which was boiling in the kettle) into my teacup, then immediately poured it into the kyusu. So, it wasn’t quite boiling, but close. Then I just let it sit 30 seconds and decanted. There was very little bitterness (less than normal, which I like anyway, if you brew at 160F for 1.5 minutes), but very strong, sweet, deliciousness!
The second steeping, I did the same, but near-boiling for just 15 seconds. This time, I got a flavor that I’ve never had in a green tea before – honey! Well, if I have had honey-likeness before, it was never this strong; I seriously wondered if somehow I had accidentally gotten a drip of honey in my cup (I didn’t as the honey was far away in a cupboard). Nonetheless, this honey like flavor lasted the entire cup, and was present for the 3rd steeping, too.
Because of how good this tea was, and how versatile it’s been (delicious at 140F for 1min 45 seconds, 160F 1.5 mins, and now near-boiling for 30 seconds) I’m upping the rating.
