I got this as part of Tea at Sea’s free sample promotion in the Steepster discussions area.
Packaging/Instructions: The sample came in a small zip-seal bag with the brewing instructions included on a label attached with a string. According to them, it should be brewed at 85°C, but I did it a bit lower for about 3 minutes.
Dry leaf: The dry leaf looks like little dark green pellets, all curled and twisted up. The smell of the dry leaf is strongly vegetal – I noticed seaweed the most, but I do get why others would smell corn silk.
Liquor: The liquor is a clear yellow-green, and smells less seaweed-y and more oolong-y than the dry leaf. This is borne out when I taste it – it reminds me a lot of the lightly-roasted coconut oolong I had yesterday. Not very astringent, but I can detect a floral hint underneath. Orchid perhaps?
Verdict: This is nice, but I think I prefer my green teas a bit stronger. This is a bit too light for me.
EDIT: I’ve steeped this three times now. The third infusion was a bit hotter and ran a bit longer to get more tea out of the leaf. So far, I like the depth of the third infusion best – it developed a sweet/savoury flavour reminiscent of squash.
Flavors: Seaweed
