Holy crap.
I just had a shou epiphany.
A rinse and rest is not enough to stop shou from tasting like I licked the pots at the plant nursery. I did a 10 second rinse, then a rest. Then I tried to brew 10 and 15. That earthy flavor is front and center and I can’t get to the flavors BEHIND it.
Dumped those. Then I brewed another 10 second. Dumped that. THEN I brewed a 10 and 15. NOW there is some actual flavor beyond just something dirty. It’s very sweet and mild. I mean, it’s still a LITTLE dirty. But now there are other flavors, like caramel and dark candies.
I have a long weekend and I’m going to spend at least some of it re-brewing shous I kind of liked, along with those that I didn’t even post b/c I just couldn’t stand them.
I may actually start to like shou. And it’s about damn time!
I’ve got one of these somewhere. Have to find the box it’s in and give it a try.