One of the last teas from my swap with Sil. I’ve just received, and have ordered, a fair few new teas, so I figured I’d better get to work on some of my samples and near sipdowns this weekend. I guess this is one I left until now because of its unfamiliarity. I’m having a successful day with unfamiliar teas, though, so there’s no time like the present!
I don’t know whether I’m doing the right thing with this, but I basically treated it like normal tea, putting it in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I tried a few of the grains while I was waiting, and I’m pretty sure I could actually enjoy them as a snack. Anyway, the result is a medium yellow liquor that smells quite savoury, and slightly salty. Pretzel is probably the best comparison I can come up with for now, but it’s also reminding me of something else that I can’t quite place for now. No doubt it’ll come to me at some point.
To taste, this is much as I expected, given the scent and what it is. It tastes like liquid pretzel, and maybe a bit like freshly baked bread. It’s got a baked taste about it, somehow, and it’s ever so slightly salty, too. I think I could actually get used to drinking this — it’s different from almost all other teas I’ve tried, but it’s actually very pleasant and palatable. Light, too. A nice change from my normal tea habits. I’m impressed!
Glad you liked it! It was one of teh random things I picked up while in Beijing :)