I’m not sure what I did wrong on this one but it just didn’t pop for me. I followed the suggested steeping directions. 185 for 3 minutes with 2 heaping tsp in 8oz. Both the first steep and the second at 4min30sec just were very watery and flat to me.
I will try to up the water temp and see if that changes anything here and update as needed but for now, it was very watery and lacked flavor.
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I’ll try another cup tomorrow and pay attention to how I’m steeping it. I know that I steep higher than 185 and I get more out of it after the cup has cooled a bit before I drink it. But, that said, everyone’s tastebuds are different. :)
Yeah, I thought the recommended 185 seemed a bit low but I always like to try to company’s suggestions first. I’ll revisit it again with a higher temp.
My morning cup was 9 grams (about 2 tsp) in 8 ounces cooled 30 seconds from a boil. I did 3 minutes and it was weak. Tried again at 4 and 5. At 5 it was still on the mild side but I took out the infuser and let it cool for about 3 minutes. Then that deeper malt started kicking in. The more the cup cooled the deeper it got but it probably never got strong for me. It’s still a moderate strength tea regardless, but the malt can be more pronounced. Still, looking back at my last tasting note, I wouldn’t have written the same things for this cup. Could be any number of things that made it taste different. /shrug
Interesting. Perhaps it isn’t just me than. That makes me feel a bit better. Thanks for trying and comparing notes with me :) I’ll let you know next time I drink it if I have any more success
I have only tried doing this tea with gongfu infusions but definitely have not had any problem with it coming off weak. Lots of malt and apricot flavors. In fact it quite surprised my friends last time I shared it because the first infusion, though brief, had some oomph! I brew it at 194F/90C, and tend to do just about any red/black tea that hot other than Darjeelings, which are the only ones I generally drop down to 185F for. As far as Gongfu infusions, it was probably about 4g per 100ml and infused for about 15 sec on the first infusion. I tend to shorten the time for the next couple steepings and then lengthen after that.
Thanks for the brewing tips, Lion! I appreciate the attention to detail and passing it along to me. I’ll have to try it Gongfu and see if I can get anything different out of it
I’ll try another cup tomorrow and pay attention to how I’m steeping it. I know that I steep higher than 185 and I get more out of it after the cup has cooled a bit before I drink it. But, that said, everyone’s tastebuds are different. :)
Yeah, I thought the recommended 185 seemed a bit low but I always like to try to company’s suggestions first. I’ll revisit it again with a higher temp.
My morning cup was 9 grams (about 2 tsp) in 8 ounces cooled 30 seconds from a boil. I did 3 minutes and it was weak. Tried again at 4 and 5. At 5 it was still on the mild side but I took out the infuser and let it cool for about 3 minutes. Then that deeper malt started kicking in. The more the cup cooled the deeper it got but it probably never got strong for me. It’s still a moderate strength tea regardless, but the malt can be more pronounced. Still, looking back at my last tasting note, I wouldn’t have written the same things for this cup. Could be any number of things that made it taste different. /shrug
Interesting. Perhaps it isn’t just me than. That makes me feel a bit better. Thanks for trying and comparing notes with me :) I’ll let you know next time I drink it if I have any more success
I have only tried doing this tea with gongfu infusions but definitely have not had any problem with it coming off weak. Lots of malt and apricot flavors. In fact it quite surprised my friends last time I shared it because the first infusion, though brief, had some oomph! I brew it at 194F/90C, and tend to do just about any red/black tea that hot other than Darjeelings, which are the only ones I generally drop down to 185F for. As far as Gongfu infusions, it was probably about 4g per 100ml and infused for about 15 sec on the first infusion. I tend to shorten the time for the next couple steepings and then lengthen after that.
Thanks for the brewing tips, Lion! I appreciate the attention to detail and passing it along to me. I’ll have to try it Gongfu and see if I can get anything different out of it