A pure unflavored tea! I wonder how long it’s been limited edition for, because I know it’s been on the site for a year. Reading that it was just a Laoshan Black, and I’ve been craving Laoshan black, I picked some up a few orders ago with the iced tea blends to give it a chance for $33 and 6 oz of loose leaf. A gamble, I know, but it turned out to be a solid one.
It’s really good and heavy on raw cocoa and toasted chestnut in profile, with some smoke and bitterness that’s actually pleasant. It’s got a creamy viscousness that contrasts with the nutty and bitter elements hitting me with some tannin in he right places. Mug style western is malted with a little bit of honey/cherry, but gong fu draws it out. It works a little better gong fu, though the malt is better western. It works in my Eclipse tumbler, sitting there semi grandpa, so it’s a good quality tea. I sometimes wonder if it’s an older tea because it’s not as oily as a fresh Laoshan black and a little bit drying in some areas despite having a lovely profile.
So far, I’ve mixed it quite a bit with my other magic hour teas and it beefs up softer blends with cocoa, smoke, and toastiness in the bodies. It blends really well with Bohemian Breakfast and Aquarius, as well as my Michigan Yunnan Style black.
I’ve come back to this one quite a bit. I like it more than some of the blacks I have on hand, but I go back to my blends instead every once in a while. The occasional dryness is the only thing that keeps me from going back to it more.
Flavors: Chestnut, Cocoa, Creamy, Dark Bittersweet, Drying, Nutty, Orange Zest, Roast Nuts, Roasty, Toasted
