New Tasting Notes
4 min in 185 degree water, glass infuser in cup. I am beginning to be able to distinguish the delicate, subtle flavors of a simple white tea. Tonight, the aroma has a bit of a tang, even as I appreciate the profound smoothness of the flavor. This is definitely growing on me.
Just made this to help with my cough and icky throat. I like to revisit teas I’m not a huge fan of when I am sick because it’s a way to use them up and still have a warm beverage. I steeped this extra long and with not quite boiling water and actually liked it much more than I have previously. It’s still not worth a thumbs up though. I wish there were a ‘mediocre’ button to use. . .
Last year’s first flush darjeeling is starting to lose some of its fresh sweetness, but it’s still one of my favourites. On this occasion I brewed it too long on the first brew and not long enough on the second one, so I was slightly disappointed. I’ll have to drink it again tomorrow and do it better that time!
My mom likes making this to fight something the Chinese call inflammation, translated literally it’s ‘going up in flames’. The body has a balance of five different elements, and certain foods (often spicy or fried) raises the fire element and upsets the system. Chrysanthemum is supposed to be a ‘cooling’ plant. I’m not sure how much scientific backing is in this, but I do know that homemade chrysanthemum tea is delicious. ♥ It’s just the flower heads and water brewed over low heat for a long time, simple. I had a cup this morning, chilled and with a bit of rock sugar.
I used too little tea leaves, so the flavour was very mild. I made two brews and poured them in the same cup. The first few sips had a bit of an unpleasant sharpness, but it mellowed out and disappeared after cooling a little. The jasmine smell is barely there in the bag, but the fragrance after brewing is fantastic. I’ll try it again with more leaves before making a judgement.
This was from the same generic batch as the white tea at $3.75/oz. The price seems a little low for the first grade, especially because I live in Canada, but the leaves were very young. All very small and slender, and with buds as well. I’m swaying between first and third (there’s no second grade on the site), so I’ll ask the next time I go.
Surprisingly I don’t think this works well iced either. One would think this would be made to be iced, but the taste completely changes cold, and not for the better IMHO.