Solstice Tea Traders
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Unfortunately I am feeling sick today, counting on a strong cup to keep me motivated. Smoked tea it is, I’m on my second cup.
Threw in 2g of random Oolong with this steeping, it’s predominantly smoke with some light vegetal notes in the background. Mostly, I needed the caffeine hit from this one. It’s not bad, but that’s just a sentiment of having better tea in my stash.
Preparation
Back into this blend for an afternoon pick me up.
Leaving some notes to see how bumping quantities by a gram and lowering my steep times, gongfu, changes the profile on this one.
- Overall, smoother and bolder. This quantity starting with 20sec and working +5 sec through infusions is working well.
Preparation
1st Infusion: 30 seconds
Peat smoke, mixed black teas, a delightful persisting syrup scent that makes the tea feel sweeter. Though it is not sweet, more tannic but still smooth.
2nd Infusion: 45-55 seconds
Much sweeter, still peaty and syrupy with a nice mouthfeel. It has been a while since I started drinking this tea in this session and the caffeine hit is pretty nice.
3rd Infusion: 75 seconds
Getting a bit mild, I’ll stretch one more infusion to see how the leaves hold up. Still a pleasant tea. Shared this round and my coworker commented on how smoky it smelled/tasted.
4th Infusion: 120 seconds
Stretching out the steep time brought some more flavor back in, but it’s still pretty one dimensional. The clarity of the water is enhanced, but that just means the leaves have fallen off. I wouldn’t have gone more than 4 infusions on this one.
My rating is accurate based on my scale.
Flavors: Malty, Maple Syrup, Smoke, Tannic
Preparation
Don’t think I have steeped this tea in years, revisiting is nice. Don’t let the strong smoky smell deter you. This is an approachable black tea blend with lovely body and some tannins/astringency. In aroma it has lots of smoke but in flavor it is much smoother passing over the tongue/palate.
The Shui Xian oolong I just finished off had a more pronounced smoked flavor, but you couldn’t tell by nose alone.
The Assam and Irish Breakfast pair very nicely for a powerhouse combo of flavor (and caffeine.) I have a bunch of this left from the large bag size so I will add it to my weekly rotation.
Flavors: Malt, Smoked, Tannic, Wood