Andrews & Dunham could take over the world. Seriously. They’ve got heart stealing marketing down pat. Their service, tin art, value, exclusivity are a titanium trap for life time loyalty. Oh, and the tea can induce swooning and tears of joy. That helps.
And their new rabbit snare caught a frog. A&D now have first priority in my purchasing for life. I think I’m in love.
Not much of a scent from the leaf but what it lacks in aroma it makes up for in visual delight. The leaves are a nice mix of green and silver. It’s like confetti! Perfect for the Lunar new year. Oh, wow, they’re really packed in. One has to fluff the leaf just to extract it!
First infusion: 1 “Fluffed” TBSP for 7:35 minutes, eight oz 205 F water in a glass teapot
Rather dark for bai mu dan! The aroma is quite strong too. Forest honey, honeysuckle, wakame and hijiki. Ooh, matching taste! A bit too strong for white but that’s my fault. The lid did not want to go back on the tin (tha’s good actually; I need a deterant from drinking this every meal…)
Next time try it at six minutes and see if I can get a stronger flavor in the next two steeps.
Second: Six oz water in 205F water for 10 minutes Third: 12 Fourth: 15
Yeah, that extra thirty seconds at this high a temperature exhausted the poor little bunny. Much weaker and smilar, but not as sweet. Given that the brothy vanilla taste is still hanging about, that’s quite fine. Perfect actually. The first sweet infusion one wants to gulp down in thirst, then smaller, more savory infusions to drink carefully and slowly. A cup lasts all evening if one is patient. These three infusion slowly slipped from honeyed oceanic hay to clear vegetable broth with some wood notes popping in and out.
Edit: Fifth, Sixth: 25
I was going to stop at four but after hearing that six was possible and looking at the festive, verdant leaves in the the pot, I had to try. I actually didn’t mean to leave them so long but I did forget they forgave! Not a tinge of bitterness!
Seventh: 35 minutes with 3 0z 185F water to start and left on a warmer that hadn’t fully warmed
I had to try. I don’t want it to end!
And it worked! Two long sips of perfectly smooth clear vegetable broth that definately included wakame in its production. But it was very thin broth, and definately the last infusion it would give. Still, amazing. Happy hopping lunar new year.
Wow wow wow.