Pamela Dean Send Message

The dry tea is darker than it looks in the picture. First steep 2 min, light amber liquor with light mouth feel. The scent and flavors are, to my uneducated palate, more like a good Darjeeling than the richer, more floral oolongs I favor. Smooth yet pungent. An enjoyable drink, but not what I buy oolong for. The last half-cup I added milk and stevia, which went well.

This set of leaves got a 2nd dousing today, and it’s not bad. Lacks the depth of aroma and flavor of the initial steep, but that’s what I’d expect from a mostly-black tea. Okay, I saved a few centavos — now on to something more tasty.

The dry tea is light green whole leaves and as I crush it into the pot, the lemony fragrance is very notable. I add boiling water, and in 3 min I have a strong enough tisane, a clear yellowish green liquid. The flavor is vegetal, lemony and minty all at once. I got this for blending, but it is a quite fine drink on its own. I added a bit of sugar, which worked nicely.

The dry tea is visually lovely, with blue cornflower accents and aromas of black tea, bergamot, and jasmine. Boil water, 5 min steep, and strong but not bitter, the green tea being in the minority. I was a little afraid this would taste like too much of a mishmash, with all that’s in the blend, or that it would taste like nothing particular. I was wrong. Various elements come out at different moments — quite an enjoyable experience! I had mine with milk and one lump, just as I imagined the Queen and her guests doing.

2nd time on this tea bag. Didn’t get bitter — just weak and flat. Oh well.

2nd steep on a teabag, and it’s good in strength and taste — nothing added. That pu-erh is powerful stuff! My gardener son, grinning, calls it “compost tea.” The chrysanthemum does add just a bit of sweetness, without being overtly floral.

In the dry tea, I see caramel bits and yellow petals, and the aroma is wonderful, like sweet, milky mocha latte. Boiling water, 5 min, gives a clear, rosy rooibos-red liquor. I added sweetener, but no milk. The flavor seems to differ from coffee mostly in a kind of tanginess, probably from the rooibos, and I’d bet that milk (next time) would mask that. A delicious drink!

5 min in boiling water gives a medium amber liquid which is slightly hazy. Smells great. Added sweetener and milk, still plenty of tea and ginger flavor. The ginger is strong enough but does not bite. I find that ginger settles the tummy.

Newcomers to oolong, try this one. I am never tempted to add anything but water. Fine oolongs are not costly when: 1st steep 3-4 min, 2nd 3-4 min, 3rd 5-6 min, 4th 6-7 min, 5th 8-10 min. New flavors at each stage. You need a large infuser, preferably one in which the leaves can be kept between uses. So far, no spoilage — boiling water kills microorganisms.

First opening the bag, I got a sour smell and thought the tea (or coconut — there are visible shreds) had been poorly stored. Left the bag open overnight, and today I am only getting aromas of coconut and tea, though there’s still a bit of smokiness. 5 min steep yielded a clear, dark amber liquid, some astringency, not bitter. Tasty coconut tea!