I can’t get the hang of this tea. If I steep it for 2 minutes it is weak and if I steep it for 3 it seems a bit bitter. It reminds me a lot of MF’s Wedding Imperial, which was also a tricky tea to get a good cup out of and required a lot of trial and error. Maybe I should look up my notes on that tea for the next cup of this. I’m struggling to get a good cup out of several August Uncommon teas. I have followed the steeping instructions, but come out with a cup less than what I was hoping for and not what the scent of the tea teased of. I feel like the times and temps are too high, but haven’t sorted out what they should be for each tea. I don’t want tea to be so much work! LOL!
I smell deep rich caramel in this. The sip starts out neutral, then the caramel creeps in, then the bitterness mid way and through the last of the sip. It fades on the finish and the caramel notes come back on the finish. Adding cream dulls the flavors, but also mutes the bitter. I have a lot more to work out with this tea.
I had the same issue with some of the August Uncommon teas I got too. I used twice the leaf they suggested for most teas, but wasn’t as impressed with the results as I would have liked.