I get the maple. I get the pecan. But then roast and char dominate. I should have kept it at two minutes and 45 seconds, maybe less. I went up to nearly four minutes and was a bit disappointed. Smell is heavenly, and the flavor combo is of course awesome. I just need to brew it right. I used the entire sample this time, though. It does improve significantly as it cools down closer to 180.
Time for rebrew, steep #2. 2 minutes, and now there is a nicer mouth feel-I can really taste the pecan and the dry pecan shell now. Letting it steep another 30 seconds….yummy, bolder, maybe 15 more… and better. Maple is fainter, but the Quilan is really noticeable with the pecan pairing to its natural nutty flavor. I like the simplicity of this one more than the cherry latte, but I prefer the type of flavor of the cherry latte. Again, the mouth feel could be smoother. I probably would have enjoyed this more maybe with less leaves, or with less time in the first steep. Still good, but it has better potential. I’m going to brew it one more time and maybe cold overnight to see what else it offers.
Flavors: Char, Maple, Pecan, Roasted, Roasted Nuts