I was pleased as punch when Eco-Cha sent over some of the new harvest of this one (thank you so much!) I seem to disagree with much of Steepster on this one – I love it. I’ve been trying to steep this one up various ways, trying to capture that amazing flavor of the roman nougat candies I tasted before (cherries, nuts). But I think this harvest is a bit lighter on flavor this time around. The leaves continue to have that sort of flavor profile (that is very unique to me), just on a lighter level. It’s such a light brew for these ominous looking leaves. The flavor this time around is a lighter roman nougat flavor, honey or maple syrup, juicy stone fruits with sweet potatoes taking over. It’s perfect when you’re looking for a light black tea. I’ll enjoy what’s left of this tea but I will miss the complex flavor of earlier harvests. I’ll try using just boiled water with more leaves next time. It could be I’m using less leaves than I should.
Steep #1 // 13 minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 3-4 minute steep
Another day another steep session trying to use more leaves: I intentionally measured out the leaves and weighed them — 4.75 grams. Eco-Cha suggests using three grams but I wanted to see what would happen with more leaves. Really, it’s too bitter and the uniqueness from the last steep session is gone. I will NOT be using this many leaves again. I’ll try measuring out three grams next time.
Steep fail // 4.75 grams of leaves // 5 minute after boiling // 4 minute steep
