Pretty to look at, and nice to hold, these little tea cakes are still being sold. (Now, June 2023, though I bought mine a year ago. ) At 10 g apiece, there is a bit too much for a gongfu session or even a standard teacup, but they are tightly pressed and difficult to break apart, except perhaps with a pliers or a heavy cleaver. My initial tasting was not rewarding enough to compensate for the trouble, so I tossed them into a mason jar and they sat in the cupboard for a year. Now I’m giving them another chance, and this time using a pint-size teapot (~16 ounces) with an infusion basket. I gave the mini cake a quick rinse with boiling alpine spring water (enough to loosen the surface leaves) and then brewed for about 5 min. Even then, the leaf had not fully expanded, but the soup was a mahogany brown and meekly aromatic. The leaves were neither fannings nor chopped, but quite intact. I think the YS description is right on the mark and wisely did not overstate the teas qualities: “…something that is mellow and warm, but still has a bit of a umami / bitter / astringent bit [sic] to it, that is countered by a fruity sweetness.” In my own words, it is an inoffensive and unimpressive swill that can provide stimulation at work, without distraction — or worry that I’m under-appreciating it — while being better than the stale coffee from the nearby fast-food drive-thru or our own break-room. The second steeping was equal to the first.
Preparation
Boiling
5 min, 30 sec
10 g
16 OZ / 473 ML
