Satsuma @Satsuma@cat.family

pale enough color that i wondered for a moment if i’d misjudged something in the steeping process (there’s a lot of variance in how you should steep oolongs in terms of temp / time) but it tastes fine

floral notes have been turned down to a more balanced cup, much more presence in the scent than the taste w/a nutty underlayer

p sure its a richer mouthfeel than the last tea, still don’t really pay much attention to this

This is a low oxidation oolong, which you can definitely see in the leaves here! Like the black tea I tried these are loosely rolled

dried leaves smell lightly vegetal with overtones that I suspect will develop into floral once steeped

They are a charming dark jade color after steeping (no picture bc inbuilt filter pot) & indeed v floral, mostly honeysuckle? Like going outside on a summer night after a rainstorm, when the humidity is still thick and makes the fragrance almost tangibly hang in the air

5 min, had to re-preheat the pot because I filled it with cold water to measure volume between steepings one & two

color is lighter but not dramatically so — it makes the photo from the initial steeping look a bit more reddish by comparison but clearly in the same family

much milder flavor but still good (i would not expect to get a 3rd steeping out of this). I drank both both black but younger sister but milk in her first after we got thru the initial tasting discussion and didn’t feel the need for her second. Traces of floral sweetness in the aftertaste here, which surprised me bc I hadn’t gotten any in the initial cup

this is a very light color for a black tea! We’re very firmly in ‘amber’ here rather than red

nothing terribly surprising in the taste in comparison to how the steeped leaves had smelled — red wine still felt appropriate as a main flavor note.

We spent a bit of time discussing where the sweetness in the leaves had gone during steeping, since an oolong I’d just finished had very clear notes of honey (esp in the finish) when I steeped it but not when younger sister did. Speculated that it could be worth experimenting with steeping temp, which was the main difference between sister and my’s technique.

mouthfeel is…normal? idk not something i have a ton of opinions about

This is a rolled tea — by 4 min its mostly unfurled but you can still see some traces of shaping in the basket

rolled teas tend to be pricier but they help keep the leaves intact & can also lend themselves towards better / more interesting resteepings

strongest note on the dried leaves for me is dried fruit? more like the note one would call “raisiny” in sherry than raisins themselves. Younger sister (who was half asleep eating cereal) described it as “like black tea” and “warm and bright”

Steeped leaves loose the sweet smell from the raisins but keep the fruit, which combined with the much more prominent tannin smells ends up something closer to red wine

got these blended and into the freezer riiight before midnight

a fitting end to Halloween, in its harvest festival form

still thinking about these absurdly chonky croci (shoe included for scale)

toad i saw outside the laundry room

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I’ve already been sent this inquirer article three times since it was posted: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-ranked-rudest-city-20220901.html

#cats

Peonies were bountiful this year 💖

Today's offering from the archive:

Tulip magnolias making a second attempt after a freeze killed the first in the bud

And the redbud trees are looking adorable as always

#florespondence

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magnolia stellata #florespondence

Signs of spring!

#florespondence

#cats

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