Still working my way through the big White2Tea ripe minis Halloween pack. I think I only have Grandpa’s and Lumber Balls after this.
The wrapper smells like fruit (is it weird to sniff the wrapper?). Dry tea also smells fruity but not as much as the wrapper. After a quick rinse the wet leaf smells sweet like caramel and dried fruit (black raisins, maybe?). I started with the little baby gaiwan because it was clean and within reach but but it was too much tea for such a small brewing vessel. And I wasn’t really tasting any of the caramel-y fruity stuff I was smelling. So after three or so steeps I scooped all the leaves into a mug and went grandpa style until it lost its flavor. Not fussing with short steeps gave me time to leisurely sip and browse teaware. I realized I don’t have a larger “real” gaiwan and should probably do something about that. I have plenty of pots and easy gaiwan/quick-pot type things but no big regular gaiwans. The tea is smoother and more pleasant grandpa style than brewed with a too-small gaiwan but I still couldn’t taste the interesting things I could smell. It’s not a bad tea but disappointing that it smells better than it tastes. Maybe stuffing it down to the bottom of the tea box and forgetting about it for a while will improve it. It’s still drinkable as is and White2Tea’s description of it being an uncomplicated daily drinker seems pretty accurate. Maybe it was those first few concentrated steeps and drinking them on an empty stomach but the “tea derp” is pretty strong with this one. I feel like I need a nap.
