Thanks to the Little Red Tea Company for sending out some samples! I got excited to try them yesterday when they came because they looked and smelled like some beautiful teas!
The dryleaf looks dark, chocolate-like and rich. It is in smaller pieces as keemun usually is, but bigger than some keemuns I’ve seen. It smells faintly like wood charcoal.
I’m usually disappointed by keemuns in general because they often will leave me with a really dry mouth and a bitter aftertaste, but I have not had this problem with this tea. It is full-bodied, rich, and smooth- no astringency!
The flavor of the liquor starts out with dark roasted green beans, but soon morphs into a wine-like flavor that reminds me of Merlot. There are slightly earthy undertones that sometimes taste of mushroom and sometimes of grass or dandelions. The aftertaste has a lovely warmth, which reminds me a little of golden brown bread. It does a nice job contrasting the main fruity flavors, which could have been too dark and one-note.
Overall this is a lovely, dark, and roasty tea that I would enjoy having again in the mornings to get me going.
