new tea delivery

A box of tea arrived today from adagio.com:
(gr) = green leaf; (w) = white leaf; (bl) = black leaf; (oo) = oolong

• oriental spice (bl)
• genmai cha (gr)
• jasmine #12 (oo)
• oolong #18 (oo)
• oolong #40 (oo)
• pouchong (oo)
• white monkey (gr)
• dragonwell (gr)
• casablanca twist (gr)
• white peony (w)
• snowbud (w)
• sencha premier (gr)
• song yang (w)
• silver needle (w)
• green anji (gr)

First cup was white monkey, which I put through two infusions. I found it quite enjoyable and look forward to more.

I had churros handy after a trip to the latin market, with which I paired oriental spice at the suggestion of a tea forum companion. It wasn't bad, but I'll be fiddling with the preparation details to see if I can tailor it to my tastes a bit more.

Then came the sencha premier. (Instructions from TeaChat varied, but a sample set: 2 minutes or less for the first infusion; 30 seconds for the 2nd infusion; 45 seconds for the third; 3 minutes for the fourth)

I infused a rounded teaspoon into 10 oz. of water for 3 minutes. The resulting brew was just left of astonishing. Wow and a half! I'm currently sipping my 2nd infusion, and it's just a sheer delight.

This is a fairly complex tea, with multiple waves of flavor and scent, and a sensation the tea geeks referred to as "astringent". Buttery and a little sweet.

I'm sipping the 3rd infusion presently, and it's still got enough flavor to be enjoyable. Each infusion is understandably less intense than the previous.