All right, I admit there’s more to this tea than I noticed before. When I open the pack of leaves and really pay attention to the smell, the built-up aroma is pretty intriguing. This isn’t just straight up Assam. It’s got a hint of the briskness present in a nice Ceylon, for example. I’m still trying to figure out the other aspects of it, as well as the best brewing technique.
I tried ~4 minutes at near boiling with ~2 tsp leaves in ~12 oz of water. Initially, it felt a little weak, but as I was finishing the mug it felt a little astringent. My intuition tells me to try a 3 min steep with a little bit more leaves next time. I’m a bit hesitant to try a 5 minute steep like The Simple Leaf recommends, but I might give it a go if the 3 minute try doesn’t work out. If anyone else has any other ideas on how to bring out the most in this one, let me know.