Ok, I steeped it 3 times today! 1st steep at 80°C for 3 minutes, then the 2 following steeps for 4 minutes apiece.
1st steep: buttery, vegetal, and slightly astringent, with a hint of sweetness.
2nd steep: amber liquor, slightly astringent, but surprisingly sweet with very little butter/vegetable taste.
3rd steep: halfway in between the first 2: sweeter than the first steep, but more astringent than the second.
Of the three, I prefer the 2nd steep the best. It was like honey!
Flavors: Honey
Updated March 2016:
I’m a writer and editor who’s fallen in love with loose-leaf tea. I’ve also set up a site for tea reviews at http://www.booksandtea.ca – an excellent excuse to keep on buying and trying new blends. There will always be more to discover!
In the meantime, since joining Steepster in January 2014, I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on my likes and dislikes
Likes: Raw/Sheng pu’erh, sobacha, fruit flavours, masala chais, jasmine, mint, citrus, ginger, Ceylons, Chinese blacks, rooibos.
Dislikes (or at least generally disinclined towards): Hibiscus, rosehip, chamomile, licorice, lavender, really vegetal green teas, shu/ripe pu’erh.
Things I generally decide on a case-by-case basis: Oolong, white teas.
Still need to do my research on: matcha
I rarely score teas anymore, but if I do, here’s the system I follow:
100-85: A winner!
84-70: Pretty good. This is a nice, everyday kind of tea.
69-60: Decent, but not up to snuff.
59-50: Not great. Better treated as an experiment.
49-0: I didn’t like this, and I’m going to avoid it in the future. Blech.
Toronto, ON, Canada
