Another unopened (until today) sample.
I think I underleafed this a little because I wanted to get two servings out of it.
But no matter because it worked out well. Rinse, 15 seconds +5 for each subsequent steep at 195F.
In the packet, the tea has very little smell. But once it is steeped, oooh la la. A very lovely floral smell that is also has some sugary notes. I’m going with lilac for the floral since someone else here said that and I have no reason to doubt them. The tea is a pale golden yellow that gets darker with each steep.
I set out to do my standard 4 steeps and ended up doing two more, so that’s a very good sign. Part of it may be that I was feeling tea deprived after our little trip (got back from Palm Desert last night) but part of it was definitely this tea.
Alishans are one of my favorites — I think I generally prefer tieguanyins, but the difference for me is that Alishans seem lighter and don’t have the mily/buttery aspect, or don’t have it as much. It’s like Alishan is to sauvignon blanc as tieguanyin is to chardonnay. Or something.
But if I’m in the mood for that floral sweetness without the heft of the buttery aspect, the alishan can become a momentary favorite.
The steeps are remarkably consistent in the floral flavor with sugar notes from steep to steep. The only negative is a little bit of a bitter aftertaste, but it’s not a big ding.
Flavors: Floral, Sugar
Preparation
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Got damn I love that region of California! May I inquire what you were doing there? Have you ever been to North Algondones Dunes a little southeast of the Salton Sea? If not, it is well worth a visit next time you’re down south.
Road trip with the family. We are friends with another family dating back to childbirth class with my older son — they go to Palm Desert pretty much every winter, but this time it was a special birthday present for the wife half of the couple who is having a big birthday in January. They invited us to come while they were there this year so we could hang out with them. I haven’t been there before. It is very pretty, but I found myself anxious because there was nothing to do (I know, right?) — the people we went to hang out with ended up putting in a bid on a house that was selling at auction as a place to retire (and rent out until they do) so they were quite preoccupied with that and I felt rather abandoned after making an 8 hour car trip and spending a ton of money on a hotel. The kids had fun playing in the pool and playing basketball, though, and we had some really spectacular (in quantity and quality) meals.
Well, that doesn’t sound like a total wash. If your kids are curious and you end up down there again, that whole area has some incredible road trip site-seeing for something to do. Driving around the Salton Sea is a trip in more ways than one, especially after reading up on its history. Joshua Tree NP, Algodones Dunes, date palm plantations, hot springs, the windmills of Palm Springs, Slab City if you’re adventurous.
Got damn I love that region of California! May I inquire what you were doing there? Have you ever been to North Algondones Dunes a little southeast of the Salton Sea? If not, it is well worth a visit next time you’re down south.
Road trip with the family. We are friends with another family dating back to childbirth class with my older son — they go to Palm Desert pretty much every winter, but this time it was a special birthday present for the wife half of the couple who is having a big birthday in January. They invited us to come while they were there this year so we could hang out with them. I haven’t been there before. It is very pretty, but I found myself anxious because there was nothing to do (I know, right?) — the people we went to hang out with ended up putting in a bid on a house that was selling at auction as a place to retire (and rent out until they do) so they were quite preoccupied with that and I felt rather abandoned after making an 8 hour car trip and spending a ton of money on a hotel. The kids had fun playing in the pool and playing basketball, though, and we had some really spectacular (in quantity and quality) meals.
Well, that doesn’t sound like a total wash. If your kids are curious and you end up down there again, that whole area has some incredible road trip site-seeing for something to do. Driving around the Salton Sea is a trip in more ways than one, especially after reading up on its history. Joshua Tree NP, Algodones Dunes, date palm plantations, hot springs, the windmills of Palm Springs, Slab City if you’re adventurous.