I broke the orange open and steeped 1 tsp of leaves with a bit of peel for 30 sec in about 6 oz boiling water. I forgot to rinse it, and it smelled a bit too funky to drink so I discarded that steep, and went straight to steep #2 (also 30 sec.) Much better! There’s a slightly funky scent overtop, but mostly it’s just earthy with a hint of, well, decomposing hay? Maybe I should just call that “malty”…?
It’s drinkable, but not my favorite thing ever. I was hoping for a bit more orange scent or flavor. Next time I will add more peel and see where that gets me. I’m tempted to add a bit of honey to see what it bring out, but I’m sure there are some pu-erh purists that will jump all over me…
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decided against the honey (for now) but paired it with a biscuit & orange marmalade instead. Not bad. I think I prefer this tea as an accompaniment rather than a solo act.
3rd stepp – 45 sec. Added a tiny bit of vanilla honey. I think this brought out the orange a bit (or could it be lingering on my taste buds from the marmalade?) and added a slight floral note. I like it better than the 2nd steep, but it does seem a bit more drying (tannic?). Not sure how that could be but there you have it.
Ooooh, man. I so want this.
decided against the honey (for now) but paired it with a biscuit & orange marmalade instead. Not bad. I think I prefer this tea as an accompaniment rather than a solo act.
3rd stepp – 45 sec. Added a tiny bit of vanilla honey. I think this brought out the orange a bit (or could it be lingering on my taste buds from the marmalade?) and added a slight floral note. I like it better than the 2nd steep, but it does seem a bit more drying (tannic?). Not sure how that could be but there you have it.
Ooooh, man. I so want this.