Once upon a time there was a girl who drank Assam for breakfast everyday. Then she got caught up in comparing various English, Irish, Parisian, & other breakfast blends. She loved them all, & it’s so much fun comparing them, savoring them, but once in awhile it’s nice to go back to your roots!
This is a really nice Assam! It’s everything it should be, Malty, hints of chocolate, & not a touch of astringency or bitterness! Thank you, Stacy, for your lovely teas!
Comments
What exactly do you guys mean when you say that something is astringent? I picture downing a bottle of SeaBreeze, the face astringent lol.
Some teas leave your mouth feeling dry and your tongue feeling puckery. That’s astringent. (Sea Breeze tea…hmmm…)
Finn88…kudo’s to you for asking! So many people don’t ask and should. You learn things faster buy draining our brains dry (for me it won’t take long!)
Well yuck lol I’m guessing thats a taste most people DON’T want. I imagine the seabreeze would do the same ;) Ha my brains been dry since I was about 4 :)
Finn, I don’t think of astringency so much as a taste, but more as a sensation, which is extreme dried out mouth. Some people can handle it better than others, & it seems to be more of a problem with white, green, & oolong teas than with black & puerh, at least in my opinion. Also, I’m thinking the longer a tea is brewed (or sometimes the hotter the water), the more tannins are release, making the tea more astringent. (This is, of course, based on my own experience & imagination, so don’t quote me on it). I’m guessing that’s why a lot of teas are better brewed at short intervals in a gaiwan. IN my gaiwan experiences (so far, I’m actually pretty new at this gaiwan stuff, so I don’t really know much, just what I’ve observed), it seems like if tannins are gonna be released, that usually happens on the 3 or 4th steeping. My mouth gets dry, but if I persevere, in another steeping or 2 that’s gone, replaced by a juicier quality. At least, that’s how it seems to me…
What exactly do you guys mean when you say that something is astringent? I picture downing a bottle of SeaBreeze, the face astringent lol.
Some teas leave your mouth feeling dry and your tongue feeling puckery. That’s astringent. (Sea Breeze tea…hmmm…)
Finn88…kudo’s to you for asking! So many people don’t ask and should. You learn things faster buy draining our brains dry (for me it won’t take long!)
Well yuck lol I’m guessing thats a taste most people DON’T want. I imagine the seabreeze would do the same ;) Ha my brains been dry since I was about 4 :)
Finn, I don’t think of astringency so much as a taste, but more as a sensation, which is extreme dried out mouth. Some people can handle it better than others, & it seems to be more of a problem with white, green, & oolong teas than with black & puerh, at least in my opinion. Also, I’m thinking the longer a tea is brewed (or sometimes the hotter the water), the more tannins are release, making the tea more astringent. (This is, of course, based on my own experience & imagination, so don’t quote me on it). I’m guessing that’s why a lot of teas are better brewed at short intervals in a gaiwan. IN my gaiwan experiences (so far, I’m actually pretty new at this gaiwan stuff, so I don’t really know much, just what I’ve observed), it seems like if tannins are gonna be released, that usually happens on the 3 or 4th steeping. My mouth gets dry, but if I persevere, in another steeping or 2 that’s gone, replaced by a juicier quality. At least, that’s how it seems to me…
I hope I don’t sound like a know it all, cuz I’m still learning too!