It’s been a really long time since I actually sat down to do a review, these recent semesters have been insanely busy. Anyway, I found this sample packet behind my monitor and figured that I should drink something other than my rapidly-depleting sheng puerh. I opened the packet and was immediately greeted with a pleasantly floral aroma. I steeped it for 20 seconds in a gaiwan with 200 degree water, which was a bit longer than intended but the result was still fantastic. The initial tasting was very sweet, the initial honey flavor giving way to a very smooth lilac flavor. It will definitely be interesting to see how the tea develops.
The second steep was prepared with 200-205 degree water steeped for 8 seconds. The first thing I noticed is that the initial flavor isn’t as sweet yet still very much a honey flavor. There is also a grassiness that I didn’t notice before, and even better the very subtle flavor of saffron appears, slowly coating the mouth in it’s unique flavor. The important lesson to learn here – Tie Guan Yin is to be consumed hot, otherwise the flavors are much less interesting.
Flavors: Grass, Honey