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Water temperature: 180° F (the package says to boil)
Steeping time: 3 minutes (the package says 2-3 mins)
Tea type: Green
Scents, flavorings, etc.: Chrysanthemum petals
Aroma, dry: Grassy, faint floral
Aroma in the cup, plain: Grassy, faint floral
Taste, plain: Grassy, faint floral, surprising hint of smokiness
Aroma in the cup, enhanced: N/A
Taste, enhanced: N/A
2nd Infusion: Didn’t try, even though Numi recommends it
Chilled: Didn’t try, but think it should be good
Comments:
Little Yellow Teapot here. I am quite devoted to the tea preparation process, as you could probably guess from the very fact that I’m a teapot. This was one of those times that I put that concern for proper preparation ahead of my own desires and once again handed over the steeping of this tea to a more capable vessel: Miss Flower Bowl. Seemed like an appropriate arrangement for this flowering tea.
On with the tea tasting.
First, if you want to try to steep your flowering tea in a flower bowl, like we did, remember that they are usually not made of tempered glass and may shatter when you pour in the hot water. Warm the bowl first under running hot water. Another issue was that when we opened the box of Numi flowering teas, we found unlabeled, clear plastic packets. I had to guess through sense of smell and how the tea looked which one was the Emerald Sun. Very disappointing. Not every customer will know how to tell one from the other.
Despite succumbing to the bombardment on his respiratory system by the tons of pollen and other allergens filling the air around our house this time of year, hubby soldiered on as able-bodied assistant in our tea tasting adventures. He heated the water, warmed the flower bowl, and gently placed the dry tea “bloom” in the bowl. I poured in the hot water and set the timer. That’s called division of labor.
The tea liquid is a medium yellow with a tinge of brown. The flavor of the steeped tea was satisfying, with a surprising smokiness but little or no floral. ’Mums do tend to be rather mild, not like the heady jasmine aroma, so this is not surprising. Also, as a flowering tea, this one doesn’t give enough of a show to make it worth the effort. In fact, the “bloom” looked downright ragged.
As with other tea companies who promote the latest acreage-production-lowering fads like “organic”, we have to deduct a half teapot for the sheer nonsense on the Numi box (“please recycle,” number of trees saved, and so on). Come on, folks, we need to shake off these ideas that put an unnecessary burden on tea farmers and drive up the cost of tea for us all.
Disclaimer: We bought this tea at a local store. However, No matter if purchased or a free sample, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.
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