I brewed this the western way, which tends to work out really well for me. (See parameters below for details on that) No additives. I don’t think I’ve ever put anything in this tea, actually. It seems like it would be sacrilegious to do so, almost.
The first steep is mostly Toasted bread. No cocoa notes. Well, there are some cocoa notes in the wet leaf, but not in the actual liquor. The dry leaf smelled like raisin bread. What a fantastic smell!
The first steep definitely has a bitterness to it- I’ve mentioned it before but its a kind of blackened toast taste almost. It paired really well with my cinnamon toast breakfast – the sweetness of that cut the bitterness of the tea well. And every sip is different – some are heavily loaded with that burny flavor, and others are more fresh baked bread. Faint notes of cocoa sneak into the periphery every once in a while too. I love chameleon tea where each sip is different but amazing in its own way.
It’s the second steep that really shines though so we’ll judge the way this tea has aged by that particular iteration. Second steep time is six minutes. Cinnamon brownie! YESSSS. There is still an underlying baked bread note separate from the cinnamon/chocolate taste, too. Oh Lao Shan black. Still quite lovely even though you’re pushing 18 months to 2 years in age.
Flavors: Baked Bread, Burnt, Cinnamon, Cocoa, Toast
courtney introduced me to a tsp of cacao in my LB and every now and then i still do that for extra delicious tes!
I still haven;t tried that yet, but I love this tea as is :)