Brought this in to the office to try Western style today. I didn’t mention this in my last note, but the dry leaves are really pretty. Big and twisty and dark, but then there are a few silver needles scattered throughout – it’s a beautiful contrast.
The brew is a little harsher with this style, but also heartier and tastes more like a black tea to me. The aftertaste is slightly smoky.
The third steep (1.5 minutes) was pretty weak, so for the fourth I upped the time to 3 minutes, and the fifth was 5+ minutes
4th steep was still weak for my taste, 5th was quite nice
Overall, an interesting change for a breakfast tea, but probably not one I’d buy a stock of, personally
Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C
1 min, 0 sec
