It’s taken me a while to get around to logging this one. I was a bit worried, even though I love me some Andrews & Dunham, because this is a big ol’ tin. Luckily, I don’t have anything to worry about.
I’ve taken to steeping my black teas a lot shorter lately, thanks to something that Teaman said, and I think I’ve been better for it. Black tea tends to go bitter on me rather easily. The first couple of times I had this I steeped it around 2 minutes, but I’ve found that 3 minutes also works well and gives me a bit more flavor, so I like it here. At 4 minutes it was a little much for me, but I’ll try 3:30 soon to see how that goes.
Okay, now that parameter-talk is out of the way, the tea. I enjoy this tea. It might be the first time that I’ve gotten a distinct black pepper note from a Yunnan before, and it was subtle enough that I didn’t find it off-putting. It actually gave it a little spicy bite that I enjoyed. I also got sweet, malty flavors and a hint of smokiness. Overall, it makes for a very pleasant, balanced tea.
Next up, I’ll be trying it with milk and sugar for poo and chortles. I think that I’m going to enjoy making my way through my big ol’ tin!
ETA: Pictures! [x4!] Beginning here: http://bit.ly/b7Bvp3
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I’m with you on the short steep times. For any black other than something really light (e.g. some Nepals, Nilgiris, and Dawn) I almost always prefer under 4 minutes even with milk. 4 minutes seems like when the harshness starts coming out more.
Yep, I tend to do 3-4 for my first steep because I’m afraid it’ll get bitter. If I realize it doesn’t get bitter, I go for a longer steep on the second go.
Glad to know I’m not alone on steeping times! I tend to aim for 3 minutes for blacks, unless the packaging specifically says something else… and even with that I normally end up back at a 3 minute steep time after I’ve tried the company’s recommendations once.
Yay for all of us wimpy wimps! Or, rather, AWESOME PEOPLE.
I’ve found myself quite happy around 2 minutes as of late. Very few teas can hold up to longer steep times for me.
About to tealog the Tiger and I was skimming through tealogs I missed on its page. I’m also in agreement on the lighter steeps for strong black teas. I’ve been liking my Tiger at 3 min 30 sec, but haven’t tried him any lower than that. After reading your tealog, I’m going to try him bumped down next time I have him.
I’m with you on the short steep times. For any black other than something really light (e.g. some Nepals, Nilgiris, and Dawn) I almost always prefer under 4 minutes even with milk. 4 minutes seems like when the harshness starts coming out more.
Yep, I tend to do 3-4 for my first steep because I’m afraid it’ll get bitter. If I realize it doesn’t get bitter, I go for a longer steep on the second go.
Glad to know I’m not alone on steeping times! I tend to aim for 3 minutes for blacks, unless the packaging specifically says something else… and even with that I normally end up back at a 3 minute steep time after I’ve tried the company’s recommendations once.
Yay for all of us wimpy wimps! Or, rather, AWESOME PEOPLE.
I’ve found myself quite happy around 2 minutes as of late. Very few teas can hold up to longer steep times for me.
About to tealog the Tiger and I was skimming through tealogs I missed on its page. I’m also in agreement on the lighter steeps for strong black teas. I’ve been liking my Tiger at 3 min 30 sec, but haven’t tried him any lower than that. After reading your tealog, I’m going to try him bumped down next time I have him.