There are interesting changes in this year’s lot (Best before 07-2026), compared to previous lots in the past 4 years. The dry leaf in this pouch gave me a wonderful nose-ful of malt and a fleeting whiff of black walnut! I steeped 4g leaf in 8 oz boiling alpine spring water using a stainless micropore infusion basket for 30s, 45s, and 120s, successively without pause.
The first cup was rich with sweet, nonastringent malt and as it cooled, a hint of wintergreen on the sides of my tongue. There was also a stewed stonefruit flavor, a touch of raisin, and every bit of the “assamica” taste that I like and expected. The aroma was lovely, but not as exciting as that of the dry leaf. The second steep was a bit more subdued in flavor and aroma. the wintergreen note was gone, but the stewiness intensified, as a woody flavor arose. The third infusion was disappointing as the leaf had given out and there were only hints of assamic malt, and even the stewiness was diminished. Next time I’ll increase the leaf to 5g, reduce the water temp a bit, and decrease the second steep to 30s. Overall, this a good Ruby Eighteen, even if billed as an oolong. It seems more of a black to me, though there was never any bitterness even in the longer third infusion. I’m going to reduce my rating to 95 for this lot. Still highly recommended!
Flavors: Black Walnut, Malt, Raisins, Stewed Fruits, Wintergreen
