2891 Tasting Notes
Just catching things up…reviewed in full now at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1239/tea-review-golden-moon-sugar-caramel-oolong-2/.
It was goooood!
Fighting a mild cold, so I tossed in a couple teaspoons of dried peppermint leaves from my own plant hoping for a Vapo-Rub vibe. Didn’t quite work—I really have to hunt for the mint taste. Wonder if it’s due to leaf-drying error on my part (I just let them air-dry.) But it’s warm on a scratchy throat.
Wrote a more eloquent review for future posting to www.itsallabouttheleaf.com. Okay, maybe not eloquent, but at least more wordy and full of adjectives and verbs and things and even a lame attempt at quoting Shakespeare. But at any rate, here’s the first sip:
My first experience with lapsang souchong was pretty disastrous—-reminiscent of sucking pork rinds—-so when I first opened this tea packet and the first whiff that hit my nose was souchong-like “smoke,” I was very apprehensive.
But, intrepid tea taster that I am, I persevered and was pleasantly surprised. The big, black loose leaves brew up a luscious, clear red-gold color. At three minutes with boiling water (again, I erred on the side of caution thinking this was going to be really strong) the smoke taste does lead the caravan, but the other teas in the blend add a little sweetness and balance.
Preparation
Every time I’ve had this previously, I’ve complained about it being wimpy. Had about 1/3 of an Adagio-sized sample tin left and just dumped the whole mess in a tea-for-one to get rid of it. I should have done that sooner…finally, flavor! Still light, but finally found the “butter zone.” Was good for our first really chilly afternoon in months when I didn’t want heavy caffeine. Upping my rating just a scoosh.
Yeah, that’s the lesson I’m learning with whites too. I have a tin of Rishi’s Snowbud that I didn’t like at all until I started using more leaf (like two grams in a 4oz pot), but then it was delicious. Buying a tiny scale and measuring my whites by weight has let me enjoy them a lot more :)