I’ve taken a break from this tea, which I previously adored, and it’s set there for a few years in its mylar bag in my tea cabinet. Tealyra does not track lot numbers or production dates for this tea (or most others), but it does bear a “best by” date of June 2022. So it’s safe to say I’ve had it for 3-4 years.
And I STILL adore this tea! It is the standard-bearer of the “assamica flavor and aroma”, despite being grown in Taiwan [It’s actually a bit unclear whether it is the hybrid TTES #18 as suggested by the Tealyra description, or the assamic varietal from Jaipur, TTES #8 as implied by its name. For details on these designations, see https://teapedia.org/en/Cultivar#Taiwan ] Note that Tealyra also sells a “Brandy Oolong Ruby 18” which is equally delicious and almost indistinguishable from Black Beauty, depending upon the lot number.
I steeped 3-4 g in 8oz boiling alpine spring water for 4 min. but the deep rich brown color had fully developed in 2 min. and the huge leaves had fully relaxed. The aroma brings a smile to my face, a unique combination of brown sugar, malt and raisin. The flavor was devoid of astringency even when oversteeped, very smooth, sweet, and initially with a minty cooling sensation despite being piping hot. There is a hint of honey, too. As I sipped along on it, the minty quality dissipated, but the other elements remained and I noted and enjoyed the extended finish (aftertaste) as I wrote these notes. By the time it had cooled down to tepidness, the aroma and finish dominated, suggesting that it might be splendid as an iced beverage. Note that I never add milk to tea, though others seem to think assams benefit from it. I could see it would be nice if sweetened, but didn’t feel the need to do so. I still rate it as a perfect 100.
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cooling, Honey, Malt, Raisins, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sweet, Tea
