I’ve had this in a sealed jelly jar in my tea cupboard for several years, with the provided desiccant pouch, and it has remained stable in its delightful taste and aroma. Brewed 2.5g in 7 oz 90°C alpine spring water for 3 min each steep, in a stainless steel basket. The first infusion produced a clear, deep golden liquor with a floral and vegetal aroma, but the leaves had only partially relaxed. The second infusion was a lighter gold color, similarly fragrant, and the leaves had almost finished expanding. The flavor is a mouthwatering, smooth, sweet, fruity and well rounded sensation, tickling the taste buds all around my tongue. Most reminiscent of ripe mango flesh, there was more that I can’t quite pin down. If orchids had a flavor, I would include that, too. There was a long, satisfying finish that left me eager for the next sip. after a 30 minute pause, a third infusion yielded much the same as the second, with somewhat muted flavor and aroma. The leaves were fully relaxed and olive-green (see photo). I begin to think that a single western-style steeping of 2.5 g in 16 ounces of 90° water for five min. would have been optimal, probably exhausting the leaves. I suspect that boiling water would have merely driven-off some of the pleasing aroma.
I would NOT recommend this as an iced tea, because once it had cooled to room temperature, much of the flavor element had diminished. I expect it would only further diminish when chilled. Next time I plan to add a lump of sugar to see how that changes the flavor, if at all.
Flavors: Floral, Mango, Orchid, Round, Sweet, Vegetal
