Happy Hootyween! Let’s drink some weird stuff!
I got some interesting Korean herbal teas while at the 2017 World Tea Expo. When I got them home, I had to get a friend to tell them apart for me (thanks Nish!).
While at Jade:Lee’s booth, he used a gaiwan to infuse all his teas, including the herbals. I honestly don’t know what the hoot I am doing to steep it, so… gongfu style it is?
Pumpkin Tea
This tisane looks like kibble and has a weird smell that I cannot describe.
I used boiling water and 1 gram of pumpkin to 17ml of vessel size. I just pulled these numbers out of my owl butt. Steeped up, the pumpkin smells really flipping good. It reminds me of a Chinese bakery as the tea smells just like those coconut buns with that sweet yellow pastry.
First Infusion: The Pumpkin tea has a strange frosted look with a gold hue.
The flavor is strong, sweet, fresh pumpkin. Legit pumpkin flavor too, not the canned stuff. It has a smooth sip with a sticky aftertaste texture. The pumpkin is really nice and clean, despite the frosted colour.
Second and Third Infusion: Oh my, it is even better! The flavor is stronger, crisp, marshmallow, eggy bread, and sweet pumpkin that the taste lasts in your mouth after each sip. This pumpkin tisane has the perfect level of sweetness. I don’t need pumpkin spice things, this is legit fall right here. I am getting hungry just drinking this tea. Usually, when I drink desserty teas, that fills the void for wanting sweets. However, this pumpkin tea does not work. I WANT ALL THE PASTRIES. Egg tarts, Coconut buns, Taro buns – give them all to me!
Sadly, I tried to get a fourth infusion but failed as the tea it lost all flavor.
By the way, I ate the bits. Early infusions tasted like pumpkin and cooked carrots. After I finished steeping all the infusions it had no flavor.
I will be drinking down all this Pumpkin tea. I see if having awesome blending potential too.
Wormwood Tea
Now, this is Hootyween as this dry leaf looks like a horror show. The herbal has a weird grey-green colour with a spidery lumpy fuzz that sticks together.
I leafed 1 gram to 40ml of vessel size as this stuff was light and fluffy. I wish I had a cast iron gaiwan, as this wormwood tea would match better looking like it is in a cauldron as the steep is so dark and murky.
First Infusion: The colour is crazy as it is gold with a black tinge on the edges.
Unfortunately, the first infusion is a pour out. I screwed up and used way too much leaf. I think 1 gram to 60ml would have been better. I overfilled the gaiwan and steeped it faster for the second round. I need to salvage this as I recall I paid quite a bit for this wormwood tea.
Second Infusion: I recall drinking this tea at World Tea Expo and it being delightfully creamy and sweet. My brewing gave me notes of dandelion puffs, weeds, with a background of cream and sweet. It is very interesting and weird tasting. It isn’t offensively strong like it was on the first infusion.
In silver, it tastes a lot more how I remembered it. The silver cut the weedy notes and brought out the sweeter ones.
I recall Cwyn saying she found this tea good on the stomach, but I automatically feel a head crush in my sinuses. I also started sneezing badly and the roof of my mouth started itching… so I think my allergies got set off by this tea.
I decided to google wormwood tea after the second infusion… which I should have done before I started drinking as I confirmed online I used too much leaf. I know wormwood is in Absinthe, which I’ve had before as it is legal in Canada. I learned you should not drink wormwood if you have ragweed allergies, hence why I started itching. Likely I shot myself in the foot as I used way too much wormwood gongfu style combined with having grass allergies.
With this tea session, the Pumpkin Tea was the treat whereas Wormwood tea was the trick. I have no idea how you can get your hands on these teas since I purchased them from the World Tea Expo. A quick google I found some at Kmall24. Here is Jade:Lee’s site if you can follow Korean. If anyone knows other sources, leave a comment below.
