Unlike the only other commenter here, I steeped this…closer to the directions. I steeped it for a minute rather than 30 seconds at 205 degrees and I have to say that I’m not getting much other than the tea itself. The additional ingredients aren’t making much of an impact with that short of a steeping time, though the tieguanyin itself is quite nice. A bit roasty and sweet. Next time (next steep?) I’ll try to remember to steep this for a bit longer. Right now it’s giving me a headache because I haven’t eaten anything yet today (darn you oolong effect!)
Second steep (the next day) – done at boiling (thanks Dinosara) and 4 minutes. I can taste more now, a tiny bit of citrus and what I think is the sarsaparilla. Which I apparently have been pronouncing wrong forever. The vanilla is very faint, if it’s there at all, it’s hard for me to tell. And I don’t know what birch is supposed to taste like.
Overall, I think I like the plain tieguanyin better.
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haha oh verdant and their short steepings for blends clubs..
Yeah, I don’t know why I pay attention to it. It might be enough time to get the ‘tea’ taste but not really enough for the rest of the ingredients. I assume that’s why it’s all ‘boiling’ too since that’s bad for the oolong but almost necessary for the orange peels, etc.
Boiling isn’t bad for oolong… That’s a common misconception. I used to always brew oolongs at 195F but now I usually brew them at boiling and they are fine, even western style. They are more robust than people give them credit for!
Good to know. Thanks Dinosara.
haha oh verdant and their short steepings for blends clubs..
Yeah, I don’t know why I pay attention to it. It might be enough time to get the ‘tea’ taste but not really enough for the rest of the ingredients. I assume that’s why it’s all ‘boiling’ too since that’s bad for the oolong but almost necessary for the orange peels, etc.
Boiling isn’t bad for oolong… That’s a common misconception. I used to always brew oolongs at 195F but now I usually brew them at boiling and they are fine, even western style. They are more robust than people give them credit for!
Good to know. Thanks Dinosara.