5 Tasting Notes
The tea contains salted cherry leaves, not cherries themselves, so the cherry flavor is more subtle than one would normally expect from “cherry” items. The aroma lingering in the empty glass is sweeter and has more cherry notes than the tea itself, so it adds an interesting contrast altering between drinking each cup and wafting the aroma.
I didn’t follow these instructions, but this is what the label says for reference:
One 150ml (5floz) cup
Tea leaves: 2.5-3g
Water temp: boiling water
Brewing time: 1.5-2min
Infusion: 1-2 cups
Ingredients: roasted green tea (hojicha), salted cherry leaves, aluminium potassium sulfate
Preparation
First impressions of the loose tea was of how lovely the rose buds look with the tea leaves, but the brewed tea itself has only the slightest of rose aromas. I doubt I’d really notice if the roses were missing. Pale yellow-green tea with a subtle flavor.
Preparation
I love this little teapot. It was purchased from Amazon and comes with a cast iron teapot, trivet, and two teacups. Due to the relatively small size (16oz), it is a good size for single-person use allowing for small glasses to be poured while keeping the remainder warm (I like to sip & savor). The small size is perfect for me.
Excellent pour with little to no drips!
The teapot retains heat quite well and care should be taken not to touch the outside of the pot or lid while pouring. Since the outside of the pot gets warm, I always use the trivet (which has rubber feet) to protect my counter/table. The cast iron teacups look charming, but they can get quite hot, so I rarely use them. However, sometimes on a cold day, it is nice to use the cast iron teacup to warm my hands.
Because it is cast iron, care needs to be taken to avoid rust. I always rinse the inside of the pot and quickly dry any water/tea that gets on the cast iron. The inside is enameled, so there is some protection, but the outside exposed cast iron is vulnerable.
Sometimes I use the tea pot to keep water warm while brewing in a gaiwan (multiple steeps). Note: the teapot is not a kettle and should not be used on a direct flame to heat water.
A “warm,” relaxing tea with ginger as the predominate flavor accompanied by citrus notes from the lemon and lemongrass. The pear taste is subtle and perhaps adds a sweetness to the tea, but I probably wouldn’t have identified it as pear without having read the label. The green tea itself was mostly masked by the other flavors.
