This tea was quite a journey for me. I took me several steeps to get it right, so to speak. I experimented with western, gaiwan, amount of tea, temperature, steep time. I almost gave up on it, but given so many high ratings, I knew I was doing something wrong.
Long story short, I finally got it to the point of perfection for me. What I found was gaiwan style, about 4 grams in a 100ml cup. First infusions are on the cooler side, like 180-185. Then I get hotter with every 5. I’ve gotten a solid 15 out of this tea no problem.
The tea itself is just gorgeous. The leaves (buds really) have a spring to them. They’re not brittle at all. Once wet, they release a beautiful scent of yams or sweet potato.
The liquor is sweet, reddish/black, and is just delicious. The leaves keep giving. My wife prefers to drink a mug of tea, so I’ll give her the first 4 or 5 infusions, longer time, into a single mug. And then I’ll continue to drink shorter 2-3 oz cups through out the day. Just a high quality, forever giving tea.
Flavors: Chocolate, Honey, Malt, Smoke, Sweet Potatoes
Your persistence in searching for the best way to brew each tea inspires me to do the same!