Method 1: 2.25 grams, 4 oz, 208 degrees, 30-40-50 seconds, ru kilkn gaiwan & Dr. Who Mug.
Method 2: 4 g, 4 oz, 208 degrees, 3-5-5 seconds, gaiwan/mug
Dry Leaf Aroma: Smells like slightly smoky tea. I think that’s where I was getting the campfire notes on my first try.
Brewing Aroma: Smoky and sweet. I get a very faint hint of cocoa.
Flavor:
Method one – 1 second rinse. Brewed in gaiwan for 30 sec, added that to the mug. Then 40 sec, and added that to the same mug. Then 50 seconds, mug. All 3 steeps were blended into one mug. I love the sweetness of this tea, but I just can’t identify many separate flavors. It’s not unpleasant. I can tell there is complexity here, but I absolutely can’t pick out any distinct flavors. I was really hoping to find that sweet potato everyone talks about! I’ve sipped and slurped this mug and while I like this tea, I just can’t say it’s as mind-blowing as the other reviewers. It makes me a little sad, but what can ya do?
Method 2 – one second rinse. Same brew/blend in mug method, but I used more tea and did 3-5-5 second infusions. Hm. I don’t think these ultra short steeps are for me. I don’t get the same complexity, and I don’t get the sweetness. Of the 3 attempts I made (western, 30 sec start, 3 sec start), the 30 sec start from above was the best. I do think that this tea has a lovely texture and aftertaste. It’s making my mouth water!
After all this, I took all the spent leaves and added them to my libre tea glass with filtered water, then put that in the ‘fridge. Maybe cold-brew is the way to go! I certainly don’t want an unusual tea like this to go unappreciated. If the cold-brew doesn’t wow me, I’ll be passing this on as samples to my tea friends!
