Today's tea: Bitter melon Tie Guan Yin Anxi oolong

 

5g/100ml @ 200F, 20 seconds, +20 seconds each additional steep.

The name "bitter melon" had me a little concerned, but this turned out to be delicious. Jade said it could be brewed with or without the pieces of melon, but I left it in and took the plunge. This thing may be bitter as a raw fruit - it's from the same family as gourds, cucumbers and other melons - but after roasting with the tea, there was no bitterness. I got a rich, almost velvety walnut aroma and flavor in each steep. 

Lu Yu, writing in the 8th century, decried the addition of fruit to tea as making it no better than "the swill of the gutter," but he'd be wrong about this. It's quite good and definitely what I needed after an afternoon of watching domestic terrorists rioting at the Capitol on the news. 

Masaru-chan is smiling. He knows how to quell demons. A useful quality to have on a rough day.

Yunnan Sourcing has it, only $7.50/50g. https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/oolong-tea/products/bittermelon-stuffed-with-roasted-tie-guan-yin-oolong-tea-1