I easily enjoy the spectrum of leaf teas from white through to oolong. When it comes to black teas, though, I find myself hesitating because steeping for the recommended length of time has the boldness and richness of the black tea overwhelming any other flavour. So, beginning with this Eikokuya Grape Black Tea, I’ve been ignoring recommended steeping times and temperatures.
The tea consisted of tea bagged looseleaf broken leaf black tea scented with grape.
Steeping 1 tea bag with 3 g of looseleaf in 200 mL of water at 85°C for 3 minutes, the infusion was a red-brown colour with an intense and fragrant sweet aroma of red grapes. These notes are fresh and juicy and came through in the head without the slightest acidity and complemented by the natural sweetness of the black tea. The richer and bolder black tea notes appear briefly towards the end of the body, before returning as a refreshing sweetness with the grapes in the finish to linger very long in the aftertaste. Steeping at a lower temperature brought out the sweet, rich and bold flavours of black tea while leaving enough room for the flavoured component to shine.
This Eikokuya Grape Black Tea contained 6 tea bags. The tea originated in Sri Lanka and was purchased in Tōkyō, Japan in 2014.