Coming back to this tea after not touching it for about nine months. I’ve learned a bit about brewing in that time, so I’m ready to go off script and brew this by not following the brewing advice at all. This actually worked out well, because this tea is lovely. I brewed gongfu this time, about 7g in a 100ml gaiwan, water at a full boil. The brew is sweet, with a wonderful taste and aroma of cocoa and dried fruit, figs or prunes (I don’t know, I’m terrible at identifying specific flavors sometimes) but the slightly malty finish is what gives this away as being a black and not a roasted oolong. I hate nearly all the black teas I drink, but this one is an exception.