September teas
Nothing dramatic after work on Saturday: just warming the pot and a pot of something hot. I'm happier with the cup than I expected to be. I should have known better than to rush tasting a new tea.
Numbers: 99 °C
I'm still not sure whether it was the green tea or the weather. Temperature matters more than time. I'm not sure I'd do steeping green tea at a lower heat the same way again.
September notes on tasting side by side
I'll admit I steeped green tea too hot without checking anything first. Compared with last time, it was a perfect pot. I asked Eamon, who just laughed. Bramble cooperated, mostly, which helped.
Somewhere around 4 teas it started to make sense. Most of it went to plan, apart from a tea that tasted of nothing. I took a photo, but it doesn't really show a sweet second steep. I've changed my mind about the tea caddy at least three times this autumn.
So I brewed the same oolong six times and waited. For anyone thinking about re-steeping the same leaves:
- Then I bought a new teapot, around 4 steeps.
- Ordered far too much tea, which took half an hour on Wednesday.
- Tried a smoky black tea; 446 ml, noted.
Probably, brewing in a gaiwan matters more than any tea scale. I'll leave the kettle there for this week.