After several weeks of scrimpily, scroungily sipping scraps of swaps and samples (say that five times fast!) I splurged with this sumptuous selection from Upton.
At 4 minutes, it steeps a deep burgundy-brown and tastes the same color. Rich and crusty-malty, and - just because I was very excited to open a new packet and was very generous with the leaf - almost on the edge of bitter. I think that can be fixed next time by backing off the measurements a bit.
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Second steep was much better. The edge was gone. (Usually I don’t like that in a second steep.) The residual bread-crusty taste makes me look forward to a cup done properly.
Which raises a question…once you’ve fried a tea on the first steep, are the leaves ruined from that point going forward?
I think that depends very much on the tea. I wrecked some ginseng oolong a while ago with near-boiling water and didn’t even try a re-steep. Maybe I should have.
Guess it depends on how temperamental the oolong is. Good ol’ Assams don’t get their feelings hurt too easily.
Hahaha! They’re pretty sturdy.
Second steep was much better. The edge was gone. (Usually I don’t like that in a second steep.) The residual bread-crusty taste makes me look forward to a cup done properly.
Which raises a question…once you’ve fried a tea on the first steep, are the leaves ruined from that point going forward?
I think that depends very much on the tea. I wrecked some ginseng oolong a while ago with near-boiling water and didn’t even try a re-steep. Maybe I should have.
Guess it depends on how temperamental the oolong is. Good ol’ Assams don’t get their feelings hurt too easily.
Hahaha! They’re pretty sturdy.