216 Tasting Notes
So…this is a mug of Love. And when I brewed it up the first time, I oversteeped and it came out murky and dark red — and I don’t know about you, but for me the thought of menstrual blood was kind of unavoidable. The tea didn’t smell in any way bloody, but I definitely had to nerve myself up for that first sip of hot, wet, blood-colored love! And while it turns out to taste sort of woodsy-spicy and a bit mild, context is so much; I really don’t think I can give this one a fair rating, or even a more thorough review.
Preparation
This is a very assertive tea! Right up front, this tea says, Hello there, you’re drinking some mighty fine tea, aren’t you?
I gave this tea a rinse and then steeped it at my standard cooled-for-greens temperature (I don’t have a thermometer, so this is all approximate) for twenty seconds, because I’d read the directions from Life In Teacup (near boiling, twenty seconds) and then failed to fully follow them. I was nervous about the short steep time until I smelled the leaves steeping: they smelled extremely strong! The first steep was a very light yellow-green and it tasted a little light as well, probably because I’d used the cooler water, but it was definitely tasty. I was a little worried because it was a tad rough-feeling in spite of the lightness, so I went back and checked the directions, which is when I noticed my temperature mistake! Second steep was hotter water for another twenty seconds and the color was a noticeably darker yellow. This time the tea was smoother and had an exciting sort of peppery taste. Third steep like the second, and the tea is less peppery and more fruity. It still has that strong, dramatic tea taste over everything!
Preparation
Huh. This is, indeed, deliciously blueberry, especially in the smell as it steeps but also in the flavor. However—
Did I do something wrong to the white tea underneath it? I haven’t had much white tea, but the one word that everyone uses over and over for it is “delicate”. This tea doesn’t taste delicate, so I can only conclude that it is delicate: I have been too rough, and the tea is giving as good (or bad) as it got.
