I wasn’t really paying attention to the instructions so as a result the 1st infusion was steeped for 1.5 min rather than 1 min. I gave the leaves a bit of a rinse first to open them up, which I normally do with rolled oolongs. The first steep was alright, perhaps a bit too woodsy for my tastes and it had a distinct roasted, almost charcoal-like taste – more like your typical dark Formosa oolong than a Tie Guan Yin. The second steep was better with more of the smooth, buttery flavours I usually associate with green oolongs and with the roasted notes more subduded. The tea seems to lack sweetness though – I know Tie Guan Yins aren’t heavily perfumed teas, but they usually have some honey notes that appear as the tea cools – but I’m not getting any of that.
195 °F / 90 °C
