I’ve had this tea since the spring and generally steep it as a black tea, albeit on the “light” end of black, similar to a first flush Darjeeling (slightly cooled boiled water, steep about 3 minutes). It’s an enjoyable, flavoury cup, with a hint of the subtle smokiness that I so enjoy in Georgia teas.
Normally my morning cup is oolong, but as stock has been running low awaiting a certain holiday when I expect to find one or more teas under the Chanukiah, I decided to do my daily gong-fu with this tea instead, recalling several comments in Teamail discussions about multi-steeping of black teas.
The aroma of the dry leaf is outstanding — a floral/fruity combination with barely a whiff of smoke. Someone asked recently about whether aroma is always translated into the cup. In my experience the answer is “not necessarily.” But in this cup it most certainly does reflect the aroma.
Quite nice, not a hint of the bitterness I’ve gotten when I’ve tried this technique with other types of black teas. Actually, UK-based Nothing But Tea (retail and wholesale) lists the tea in their white tea category, but I’ve never before had luck treating it as anything but a black tea. Clearly my white-tea style steeping times have been too lengthy for this airy, twisty leaf.
A light floral – fruity – smoky cup. Just perfect this morning with a plate of fresh toast and buttery spread. And a kitty snoring merrily under my chair.
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TeaGuide: Reviews and Ramblings 