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My humans continue their exploration of the teas they bought at the TeaGschwendner tea shop in Raleigh, NC. As always, I was their guide in this tea adventure.
The Subject: Diplomat’s Tea from TeaGschwendner.
Water temperature: 212˚ F
Steeping time: 3 minutes
Tea type: Oolong/Darjeeling blend
Scents, flavorings, etc.: N/A
Aroma, dry: Mild, fruity, planty
Aroma in the cup, plain: Faintly honey-sweet yet earthy
Taste, plain: Fruity, grassy, mild
Aroma in the cup, enhanced: N/A
Taste, enhanced: N/A
2nd Infusion: About the same as 1st
3rd Infusion: Lighter color, flavor
Chilled: Didn’t do
Comments:
This is a tea we bought during our second visit to the TeaGschwendner store in Raleigh, NC.
We stayed true to the tea principles of the Little Yellow Teapot and followed the vendor’s label directions when preparing the hot version of this tea:
3g tea (1 heaping teaspoon) per 8oz. cup of filtered, boiling water. Allow to brew 3 min.
We did 3 infusions, not wanting to waste this wonderful tea made from a blend of Formosa Oolong and a First Flush Darjeeling. You can pick them both out, in fact, in these photos of the tea leaves both before and after steeping:
Hubby says the aroma of the dry leaves makes him want to go work in the garden, something about that earthy, planty aroma. That’s mainly the Oolong. The Darjeeling fruitiness is also evident, both in the aroma of the tea leaves and in the golden-colored steeped liquid.
We’ve noticed on this and other teas that the taste, especially of loose leaf blends like this one, change as they cool a bit. It doesn’t take long, only about a minute. Also, we find it best to let the tea sit for 30-60 seconds before tasting to let it cool enough so that you don’t scald your tongue.
This is a rather pricey tea that is one we consider an occasional tea, one to have now and then. It is also a true sipper tea. Fortunately, the ability to get at least 3 tasty infusions helps bring the cost per cup down to an acceptable level. We purchased 100 grams (it’s rather “fluffy” so it had to go in a larger bag) and should be able to get dozens of cupfuls out of it. The cost was $16.03+tax on sale (regularly $25.20+tax). We got 6 cupfuls out of this round of steepings. There is plenty left in the bag. It’s still a bit more than we care to spend in a tough economy where paid work has been scarce.
Disclaimer: We purchased this tea from the company named during our second visit to the store. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.
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