1812 Tasting Notes
Brewing this in my yixing, which is thankfully seeing more use than it was a week ago. Unfortunately, I realized that the glue on one corner of my tea tray has been splitting, due to the hot water, and pu’erh has been seeping through the seams. Thank goodness for a tile countertop being underneath. Still…
These infusions were very loosely timed. The first one was supposed to be for twenty seconds, but I think it ended up at about thirty. The tea is not incredibly dark; despite a rinse of a couple of seconds, I think the leaves are still awakening. The tea does not smell too rich, but there are some cocoa notes with the earthiness. It tastes very smooth, if a little less intense than I would expect, but this was only the first steep. As I sip this steep, I already started and completed brewing the second steep. The cup finishes with some dark chocolate/cocoa notes.
Steep two is darker in appearance. The flavor has deepened a bit but not quite as far as I usually enjoy. I think I will run the third steep for forty-five seconds to a minute, rather than just adding ten to fifteen seconds. This one was steeped for thirty.
Third steep for a minute – dark and delicious. Still very smooth, not super earthy.
We shall see how long this can go.
My friend Dexter says this is Special Dark’s little brother…and I have to agree :-)
I would agree with that statement! It lacks a lot of the intense dark chocolate notes that the Special Dark holds.
Steep four and five, for 65 and 80 seconds, respectively, were less than ideal in terms of strength, so I topped off the yixing pot with water and am going to let it sit for the “long steep”
One of the important things to remember is that this tea is gong ting, the smallest grade leaf for a pu’er. The smaller the leaf, the more quickly it will give up flavor in early infusions.
Alot of times, pu’er is made into blends with other larger leaves so that smaller leaves give up more in early infusions while larger leaves give up more in later ones. That being said, even though a gong ting may be brewed several times, the flavor will most definitely get lighter with subsequent infusions.
We have alot of customers, though, who enjoy this tea steeped once at a longer time. Flash rinse followed by one long steep. Alternately, try maybe 1 quick one infusion (following the rinse) and then one long one. Pays to experiement and find out what makes it your cup of tea!
Thanks, Garret! I am going to try your recommendations, tomorrow. I appreciate the advice on the tea!
While I have the first cup of the morning, Secret Weapon by DavidsTea, I am brewing a pot of this, hoping that it will help to soothe my throat and clear my head a bit.
The licorice is supposed to be good for the throat. The peppermint should open my sinuses.
Still the sore throat? Licorice is definitely good for that, as is honey & echinacea.
And don’t forget to gargle salt water 4X a day!
I hope it passes quickly :)
Oh yeah…sucking on a clove of garlic is also good for a sore throat, if it is caused by a virus or bacteria especially. I recommend only doing that before bed though, unless your staying home still. And sips of the juice of lacto cultured pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, etc. Or even brags cider vinegar, although I’d delete that in a little water first.
Thankfully, of everything you mentioned, I love licorice and garlic. Salt water gargle gets interesting, as the salt usually triggers a gag reflex. All the more reason to get it done faster, I suppose!
Thanks for the tips, Terri!
Remember to use non-iodized salt for the gargle!
Trying a new blend from DavidsTea with the hope that it will help these allergies. Making this back-to-back with a pot of DavidsTea Bravissimo.
It smells more like cocoa nibs than the almonds or licorice it claims to have. Well…taking another sniff…maybe peanuts? Strange.
Fruity taste and…almonds? cocoa? It is hard to tell exactly what is going on in this tea.
