Morning Sun

This is a tale of two teas, or at least two different approaches to the same tea. As an experiment, I tried Morning Sun twice on the same day, both times following Mandala’s recommendations, but once in a gaiwan and once Western style. The dry leaves, BTW are just lovely – an attractive mix of gold and dark curls and with a smokier tang than I expected. The gaiwan version (1 tsp, 208°, rinse/1’/2’/4’) was smoky but not too much with a slight sweetness at the back. Predictably, it faded by the third steep. The Western version (~2 tsp, 208°, 3½’) was the same but more so. I found this brew richer, softer, and with the smoke perfectly balanced with the sweet undertone. When I have the leisure to do so, I usually prefer gaiwan drinking. This one is a solid mugful.

Good morning Steepster! This sample came to me from Dexter. I’m excited to try this one, it’s been a while since I had a golden snail tea. These curls are about half to two-thirds golden, and they have a gentle bread and honey scent.

Wow, I was surprised by the aroma. I was expecting sweetness and bread, what I smell is decidedly savory with smoked food. And the taste is savory as well! Definitely different from other golden snails I’ve tried, or at least how I remember them tasting. It’s definitely a savory flavor, though there is some breadiness there. The main flavor for me is smoked meats along with a hint of pepper. I do pick up on some sweet honey notes also, especially in the aftertaste. Overall, it’s lovely, though not what I expected.

My BFF came by to pick me up for a day of shopping, and so I made us this tea.

It’s really mild. I mean, I know I only did a 2 minute steep, but wow that was not the kind of morning tea I was expecting! Still, I did enjoy it. Sweet, thick, a hint of spice as it cooled.

And then I was out, needing more tea, so I followed it with Awake at Sbux. That… was not good.

Ehrmagerd! OM NOM NOM.

This tea is amazeballs. I made it like this: 1 tsp, 8 oz, 208 degrees, 3.5 minutes. I used my brew in mug strainer. I sampled at 1 and 2 minutes, but it wasn’t strong enough. 3.5 minutes is perfect.

I am going to try a second steep, but I’m already sold. This is gorgeous. It smells and tastes like malted yum. It’s mild and smooth, like velvet.

Now I am going to settle in, drink this little beauty, and read some mysteries on Oyster, which is the greatest online service since Netflix. If you love books and you haven’t heard of it, please check it out immediately. I may never leave home again because I just don’t see the need!

Update: I steeped the leaves a second time for 5 minutes and the tea had a little hint of spiciness. Where the hell did that come from? It’s sublime! I drank a little and then added a teensy bit of maple syrup, since that seems to be all the rage around Steepster. So. Good.

The dried leaves are soooo pretty! But this tastes nothing like I expected from looking at the leaves. It brews up a deep reddish color. It hits my very happy place of smooth dark maltiness – but there is a roastiness there that I like very much. There is also a slight floral note that is a little elusive. I overleafed it a bit, but even with that there is no astringency (surprised me) but there is a different (and pleasant) little bite at the back of my throat. It is surprisingly complex and absolutely delicious. I realize this is a very obvious song for this tea but it is VERY appropriate and I’m singing it (badly) to myself as I brew my second cup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRdtKUWn_wI&feature=kp

This is simply one of the most gorgeous dry leaf teas I have seen. Tight little curls of gold and brown and black. This tea steps right up and says “Hey, baby, how about a smooth breakfast?” I seriously heard Barry White in my head when I smelled this, even though the fog of allergies. This is sweet, deep, bright and fruity. The leaves unwind amazingly. This is malty but not overwhelmingly so and not as much as some others I’ve had recently. It doesn’t specify on the website, but I’m guessing this is a yunnan or relation thereof. The second steep was more minerally and had a taste of brown sugar and dusty hay.

I did use filtered water at work for this. Next up, I try it at home. :) And it will probably say 1 teaspoon of tea used but I use 1 1/2 when I’m using my work mug and this system doesn’t accept .5 as a valid entry. :)

Allergies = no rating for now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zfxZRBm3EY

Update: Still indubitably delish with tap water. Maybe a bit more on the dusty hay side of things in the first steep this time, though.

I’m sipping Morning Sun and life is good…

This feels thick and dusty in the mouth. Malty with no trace of astringency, very smooth. I love how different this tea is, it’s sweet, roasty and earthy, but there’s also a sharpness to it, like fresh juicy green bell peppers.

It’s gonna rain soon…but who cares, I have sunshine in my cup…and I love the rain!

(If only I didn’t have to deal with mosquitos, they are the size of a quarter this year…what’s up with that, a super species?)