5 Tasting Notes
This had a lovely aroma, but it mostly tasted like slightly smoked water, even steeping for 1min 45sec over the recommended time. I’m guessing this tea was meant to be stored for less than the, uh, ten years I’ve had it…
Flavors: Smoke, Watery
Preparation
idk if the years were not kind to this oolong, but I did not catch any of the tasting notes, just sort of a one-note “green tea” kind of flavor. Not a big fan. Steep 1 (3 min) was understeeped, so I figured I’d get a bloom of flavor in steep 2 (4:30, just slightly oversteeped). Still nothing, just louder. I will say I usually assume a minute longer steeping every resteep, and I added 30 seconds to calibrate for understeeping, and that was just on the side of too much, so this may benefit from a lighter hand on resteeping times than usual.
Flavors: Green
I think pretty much any oolong that had “sweet” and “milky” in the tasting notes is guaranteed to be my happy place. This was a little too light in flavor, especially for the suggested 1.5 min first steep time, at which point it was basically still water.
Flavors: Milky
I can’t tell what is going on with my tastebuds today (I have a cold), and I may have used too much tea, because this is simultaneously weak (a little too understeeped to be “delicate”) and bitter, as if it’s slightly oversteeped. However, it’s classy enough that I will try it again with a little less tea, and that doctored with honey and lemon for my throat it hits the spot just right.
Flavors: Grass, Metallic
Preparation
In my experience, “weak” usually comes from too little tea and “bitter” usually comes from steeping too hot or too long, so it’s definitely possible to have both! ;)
Makes sense. I usually hit one or the other, so I was a little baffled this time, especially since I was sure I had put too much tea in for my 2 cup French press. But I think the tea is a bit old, so I guess I’ll do more tea/less time next go round. Thanks!
Age can definitely be a factor too. Good luck!
