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This is first rate! 1 tsp w/195 water for ~3 minutes. Brewed to a medium green/brown swampwater..ok really, thats what it reminded me of. The flavor is light and very complex. Hints of Green Tea, slightly sour (acidic) and tannic. Has a flavor that stick with you for awhile. It would be a good tea for when you want something lightweight but flavorful. Could be mistaken for a whole leaf green tea.

Trying this again. A little bit goes a long way with this tea. Easy to oversteep as I found out. Having learned that lesson, I’m giving it another go.
I’m not getting Earl Grey from this tea, despite the smell of the dry tea. Its coming across as harsh and bitter, as in a citrus bitter. The flavor mellows a bit and becomes less bitter as it cools, but its still not quite right…and still no “Earl Grey”. Given that there are so many other Earl Grey’s out there that I like a lot better, I’ll not waste my time on this one again in the near future.

This is certainly “whole leaf”…no small broken bits and no fines in my cup. I think it is a bit stronger than I’m used to thinking of English Breakfast as being. Perhaps a little strong on the Assam. You can taste the Darjeeling a bit at first, then the Assam buries it. Astringent in the mouth and later. A good morning tea for something bold.

Good Morning Joy! Its really cold here the last couple of days (since when is Texas colder than portions of Antartica?) and the tea is flowing. The cup is very hot, its chilly in the house and all I can get through the shock of the two is that green tea burst and the astringent taste afterwards. Maybe it’ll be enough to thaw my brain.

Backlog from yesterday…. This is a very classic, robust Irish Breakfast Tea. Brews dark and has a heavy, intense flavor (or I oversteeped it :-) Will post on it some more next time it comes around the rotation.

Interesting…The dry tea smells like dry leaves, ironic isn’t it. It reminds me of raking dry leaves in the fall and jumping into the pile. Luckily, the taste is anything but dry. Think green tea’s freshness with a finish more like a dajeeling. Just a hint of tannin’s to let you know that something was there for a long finish. I believe one other reviewer called the taste “complex” and I second that opinion! There is a lot going on here and you want to just hold a mouthful to savor the differnt flavors.

On the resteep from this morning…2 balls in a 12oz mug for 4 minutes…and the leaves don’t have anything left for the resteep, even after a good 5 minutes of steeping.

I’ve decided the adjective for this tea is “Bold”. It doesn’t have a tannic “tea” taste…it is actually very smooth. I reported in my first tasting note that it had an edge of “burnt”…I used only 2 balls this time and that “burnt” is not exactly gone, but not so in your face. I think its what makes me think “Bold”. The tea is well oxidized and about as far away from green tea as I think you can get, other than smoked lapshoung (probably spelled that wrong). This may be the source of the boldness and almost burnt.
Despite all that, this is a good morning tea…

Nice thing about this “commercial” brew….its good even after it has cooled off to room temp (although I’d swear that was “ICED tea” around the office today.