I forgot what type of tea this was and was thoroughly confused because the name made me think green but the smell makes me think black. It wasn’t until I went to look at this tea’s info on steepster that I found out it was a yellow tea that I have tried before.
So, this sample is really old. However, it was sealed and stayed fresh. It smells incredible! Super fragrant! It reminds of flowering current and daisies with that dark wood and chocolatey cocoa smell of a Laoshan black tea. It brewed up a bit weak, but I also didn’t rinse it and I steeped it in a paper teabag, so it’s probably my fault. It couldn’t move around as well as it should have been allowed to.
The fragrance is quite light in the actual brew. It is a faint amber colour with a bit of a clay/mineral smell (might have been the teabag material). It dries my mouth out, but I do like it. I wish it tasted as intensely as it smelled. I get hints of dry wood and cocoa/dark chocolate but also some honey notes (despite no sweetness). This might be what I thought could be honeysuckle. It’s not intense enough to be enjoyed like a Laoshan black made into a latte, but it isn’t watery, either.
I get some cool floral notes that really remind me of spring. One of the first flowers to bloom in my garden in March is the pink flowering current I have along the walkway. It smells so good you can smell it from the driveway. It’s by far one of my favourite plants and it supports native pollinators, too. I’ve always wondered what it would taste like as a tea.
Previous rating: 62/100
I’m bumping it up to 80 because I really liked the unique floral notes combined with the cocoa and toasty notes.
Depth of flavour and potency 6/10
Mouthfeel 7/10
Fragrance 10/10
Sweetness 2/10 (dark bittersweet)
Overall rating Interesting to try. Smells great but taste is less impressive. Interesting floral and cocoa notes.
Flavors: Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Floral, Honey, Wildflowers, Woody
