The website lists this tea as “I can’t believe it’s not Scotch.” Intriguing to some one who’s been drinking Scotch for nearly 40 years. I had to try it.
First things first: it doesn’t smell like Scotch. More like a Yunnan, though there is quite a bit of smoke in the aroma. (OK, the tea is Fujian, and I’m not expert enough to tell them apart) Also, perhaps a bit of cocoa and spice. It is complex, but not as subtle as a good Scotch.
As to the taste, it is good, with wood smoke and a bit of loamy flavor. Not my favorite style, but quite well done. Fairly big and chewy. Long finish with less wood but no bitterness.
Overall a nice solid tea. I enjoyed it, and might be tempted to re-order. But forget the Scotch business; it isn’t even close.
Thanks to Yezi tea for the Sample.
This re-steeped nicely. The second steep lost some of the earthiness and power, but retained the smoke and complexity. The third steep was rather simple and lost most of the aroma, but tasted OK.
