I finished the last of this tea a couple days ago and honestly had to take a little time to process my impressions of it. I do not have a ton of experience with Vietnamese black teas. The few I have had have been really hit or miss for me. On that note, this tea was another miss, but I do think it has a couple of redeeming qualities and can understand why some people may like it. With that in mind, I graded this one a little leniently, but I still would not recommend it to people looking for a unique and memorable tea.
In the glass, the liquor showed a dark golden amber. Delicate aromas of roasted nuts, nutmeg, toast, and malt were just barely detectable on the nose. In the mouth, faint notes of nutmeg, roasted nuts (hazelnut, chestnut), toast, and malt mingled with a subtle astringency and what I can only describe as a trace of brininess. The finish was not particularly long, offering fleeting impressions of toast, malt, and nutmeg.
Honestly, I really found this to be a bland, boring tea. I kind of doubt I will remember much about it within a couple of months. I didn’t find it bad, just dull. There wasn’t much going on with it. It was very smooth though. I could see it taking cream and sugar fairly well. I could also see it maybe working in a blend. On its own, however, this tea doesn’t offer much of note.
Flavors: Malt, Nutmeg, Roast Nuts, Toast
