I wanted to try one of my favorite teas from a new source, wondering how much better it could be, and just the scent as I open the bag is intoxicating: vegetal, fruity, rich. Oh my.
The leaves are light green and lovely paired buds. I used 3 grams for my 3 ounce/100mL unglazed Petr Novak Shiboridashi.
1st infusion is a 180 degree flash rinse to ‘wake up’ the leaves: very dilute, hints of floral sweetness.
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2nd infusion at 150 degrees, 30 seconds, light floral vegetal, still not strong enough, should have made it 60 or 90 seconds. Will do the next one longer.
3rd infusion at 160 degrees, 120 seconds, a little bit overdone, should have been 90 seconds. Still working this one out.
4th infusion at 70 seconds, delicious, but I stopped taking notes. I went out to about 8 infusions and water just off the boil pus several minutes’ infusions, but that last one was just sweetwater.
I think I need to give this one more time up front, and it will be brilliant—although I must doubt that it can truly match the astonishingly fine smell of the dry leaves.
Some photos of the tea on my flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debunix/8060493477/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debunix/8060494826/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debunix/8060493948/
Preparation
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Is that a Shiboridashi you are brewing with? I love the photos both in composition and in color interplay.
Yes, that’s one of the shiboridashi I commissioned from Petr Novak. His web site is
http://keramikstudio.artkeramika.cz/en/
And thanks for the complements on the photos. I’m trying to make them more interesting.
Is that a Shiboridashi you are brewing with? I love the photos both in composition and in color interplay.
Yes, that’s one of the shiboridashi I commissioned from Petr Novak. His web site is
http://keramikstudio.artkeramika.cz/en/
And thanks for the complements on the photos. I’m trying to make them more interesting.