Boiling water, discarded first rinse. 4.8 g. leaf into 4 oz. gaiwan. This will be my first time having this gong fu style – and I went to the Verdant site to check instructions and found that it’s been archived.
1st steep – 10 seconds-ish because I was slow getting myself situated to pour out from gaiwan to cup. This steep has the buttery texture and nutty flavor of an avocado with the lingering sweetness of apricots that is a signature dan cong flavor for me. It is reallllly smooth.
2nd steep – about the same steep time (I’m slow this morning). At first I almost got a sour note, but then I realized it was the floral undertone. I’m not a huge drinker of the flower teas for this reason, but if you look hard enough the apricot is hiding beneath the flowers. I hope this resolves itself in further steeps.
3rd steep – yes, better. Now more of a cocoa powder flavor is prominent, the fruitiness has disappeared but the buttery avocado texture remains.
Well – I planned poorly. I’m out of water after all the rinses and small steeps. I’ll keep the leaves and have some more tea later since I know this has quite a bit of life left in it. It was great for a leisurely weekend breakfast!
