I am grateful for the extra time off that the holiday allows so I can putter with teas that I don’t want to rush through, like this nice fresh oolong, which was tightly vacuum packed and double bagged to hold in the goodness.
First, wow … talk about expanding leaves … two scant teaspoons unfurled to the point of almost crawling out of the steeping basket of my little tetsubin teapot.
Second, forget your pre-conceived notions of “caramel.” There’s no sticky candy flavor happening here, although after several sampler-sized cups, I’m getting some caramelized scent when I sniff the dregs in the bottom of the cup. You can tell it has been nicely roasted and it’s mildly, toasty sweet (reminds me a little of mown fescue from my farm-kid days) without too many flowers in the mix. Very good quality stuff I would not have tried had it not been a thoughtful gift.
