Now tea in the garden takes on a very different thought
when you realize the tea has been grown in my garden.
Last week I plucked the first tea from my two plants
and placed them in the tea baskets I brought home from Taiwan
a few years ago.
I tossed it off and on for several hours, then let it
sit overnight. In the morning I roasted it on my stove grill
for 10 minutes.
Yes, it looked like full leaf tea.
It smelled like tea.
It looked beautiful spread on the table for it's photo.
Then the real test came with the tasting.
I steeped it at 190 degrees.
It was very light in color.
It was very fresh in fragrance.
The sip was a delight.
Not a grassy note to be found,
but more of a mixture of white or light oolong.
Not overly flowery, but just a touch of sweetness.
I was thrilled with my first adventure into the making
of a nice full leaf tea from my garden.
Happy sipping, dear friends!
Linking to Bernideen at: http://blog.bernideens.com/
Linking to Bernideen at: http://blog.bernideens.com/
How beautiful!! It must be so exciting to have grown your own tea!!
ReplyDeleteI am sure you enjoyed it very much.
xo Catherine
How absolutely fabulous you had enough tea leaves to harvest, dry, and brew your own tea! Lucky you! My precious little plant looks healthy and is growing slowly, but I don't believe I will ever be able to harvest the leaf.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed Marilyn that you grew your own tea leaves, prepared them and drank a nice sounding tea. Admittedly I admire how you, Angela and the other tea experts describe a tea. To me, it tastes good, or not. :-) The Queen Victoria I ordered from Murchies has such a smoky flavour it is a hard one to get to like, I've tried several times and may end up throwing it out. It's listed as one of their best sellers!
ReplyDeleteWhat a satisfying experience growing and harvesting your own tea is. Will you be processing it further? I hope you keep us informed on your tea-growing experiment.
ReplyDeleteWow! I am very impressed with your tea harvest!
ReplyDeleteWow! How exciting! Great work!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Marilyn! Was this your first tea-growing experience? I suspect you'd been making mint and herbals but who knows! Nice tea harvest and how gratifying it must be to pick those leaves, steep them just right! I am extremely impressed!
ReplyDelete