Very unique tea. I have had other smokey teas, notably Lapsang Souchong, which I didn’t like due to the strength. This one had me worried, because the dry leaf smelled like ridiculously intense campfire. Crazy level stuff. I did Western style with 4g in a 300mL Kyusu and 195 degree water. Steeps of 2m and 2.5m.
It certainly was smokey, but I didn’t find it to be particularly distasteful. It was a very sweet smokiness. In fact, this tea tasted like some sweet bbq sauce to me – like Sweet Baby Ray’s lol. When I think about that flavor in a tea, it sounds revolting, but it worked at least well enough for me here. Not sure I would have been a fan of it all by itself, but a good enough complement with the cheese/fruit platter I was enjoying – Gouda, 2-year aged cheddar, and Balsamic Bella Vitoni with strawberries and Golden Berries. Not complex in flavor, just got that sweet smoky bbq flavor for the most part.
Flavors: Campfire, Smoke, Sweet
It was quite the pleasant dinner :) Like I said, I’m not sure i would’ve enjoyed this one as much by itself. Just not the biggest fan of smoky flavors most of the time. Good with the meal though and fun to try teas like this.