Blend review:
The continued steepings of a blend of Organic Shou Mei white tea and Lapsang Souchong black tea, both from Red Blossom Tea Company. This review is for the 2nd and 3rd steepings.
2 tablepoons Shou Mei
1 teaspoon (at the most) Lapsang Souchong
1st steeping 45 seconds
2nd steeping 55 seconds
3rd steeping 1 minute
4th steeping (?) 1 minute
195(ish, when bubbles first showed)
The 2nd steeping is not quite as good as the first. These two teas have very different lives through multiple steepings, and with much more of the Shou Mei white tea leaves than Lapsang Souchong black, the 2nd and 3rd steepings are pretty much all Shou Mei. The campfire smoke aroma and taste of the Lapsang is much more subtle in the 2nd, so much so that if I didn’t know it was there I would not notice. And the 3rd steeping it is gone altogether.
So, long story short, I really like this blend. I think I got the mix right, and the steeping time and temp was right on. However, for the 2nd and 3rd (and beyond) steepings, I will add a pinch more Lapsang to keep it going.
