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I have been looking forward to trying this tea since I first read about it some time ago. I was reading a novel and Rare Tea Company was mentioned which sent me down the rabbit trail of finding out if they were the actual company mentioned in the work of fiction and they responded with a link about this tea. Their customer service is top notch and I wasn’t even a real customer yet.

I have had a few other teas from the Satemwa estate, all I believe purchased by Superanna from What-Cha. They were all stellar teas.

Opening the tin, I was surprised to see that this is so finely chopped. Leaf color is deepest, darkest brown, like rich dark cocoa. Dry leaf aroma has some heady high nites as well as a deep smokiness. I am not getting chocolate from it.

I am glad I checked the instructions because they recommend that you use 185F water and 1-2 minutes if you will not be adding milk. They also mention that the second steep is best, which is common among oolongs but perhaps less common with black tea to me.

Since it is my first time trying it, I left room to experience and experiment. A bit of the first steep was poured into a cup. I tasted it and was very surprised. It was not at all what I expected. I definitely wasn’t what I think of as a breakfast tea. There was something so familiar teasing at the edge of my brain but it took me a while to get it. Brothy? Almost but not quite there. Something reminding me of purple tea…yes…DARJEELING. Yes, it has much in common with Darjeeling!

The second steep was made and poured in a different cup. Wow. Just wow. They are not kidding that the second steep is better. I immediately combined the steeps and discovered that I love the two steeps blended almost as much as the second steep by itself.

The dry leaf and the steeped tea both transport me to the exciting smell of the A Southern Season flagship store, where the rich scent of tea enveloped you with excitement about what you might find and what you would be taking home with you. It was a pure tea smell, a classic tea smell.

They say to drink this within three months of opening the tin. That won’t be a problem. Now that I have had this at breakfast, I also see on their site that it is considered an afternoon tea, and I can see that. Fortunately I also bought their Emperor’s Breakfast!

I will be sticking my head in the tin for the next three months for mini-aromatherapy sessions.