I adore this tea. Not only for the name, and its origin of Africa, but the taste as well. Honestly? I’ve never had anything like it before. I need to review this again, or rather sit down with it and take careful notes. There was a lot going on.
And I assume it was a green, but I left my postcard at work so need to verify. I could be wrong, it may be oolong. The profile was too sweet for oolong, IMO, and it had a roasted element like hojicha, along with a similar sweetness to hojicha, which leads me to think green. Still, I could be mistaken.
Anyhow, there was also a drying sensation much like I’ve seen in Darjeeling or green puerh. If you ever got clay in your mouth as a kid, you know what I mean. It is a taste I remember even after many years.
I’ve never seen this combo of sweet roastiness vs clay before. It was fascinating and seriously scratched my “good tea” itch!
Oh and very smooth, even though I accidentally let the second infusion steep for ten minutes. And then had no problem getting two more infusions after that!! Barely a hint of astringency.
In the fourth infusion, I noticed a slight menthol sensation, but it slipped my mind to note down more about that as I was distracted by my meeting.

And now I need sleep.

ScottTeaMan

Another scrumptious tea no doubt. :D

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ScottTeaMan

Another scrumptious tea no doubt. :D

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Let’s see… I’m a tea and workout fanatic, I work in HR, and most of my friends consider me to be an egg. White on the outside, Asian on the inside :)
-from philosophy to food, I love it all
Otherwise, what you see is what you get! I can be very straightforward and yet shy.

Also, I’ve started taking tea sommelier classes and it is an absolute blast! Well, so far I’ve only finished the first out of eight courses, but I am really looking forward to the next one.

Anyhow, if your curious as to how I rate things, this is how I work…

0-25
Like eating dirt, or some other unsanitary indelicacy that mentioning in my profile here would likely get me banned.
I don’t think I’ve found cause to banish a tea to the wasteland yet though so who knows what it’d inspire ;P

25-50
You know that expression “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”? I imagine drinking that water would be terrible enough to warrant this rating!
I’d never make my enemy drink this, but perhaps I’d throw it at them. Good thing I don’t have any enemies!

50-70
This is “tea”?? I tried finishing the cup… but my body rejected it. There may be others who enjoy this tea, but it’s beyond me!

70-80
I tried liking it, and I can almost get there! I certainly don’t hate it, but something is holding me back. Allergies? Men in white suits? who knows… certainly not me!

80-90
Lovely tea! Not my all time fave but close. I likely wouldn’t repurchase, but may decide to based on many factors: price, accessibility, whether it fills a “tea gap”, medicinal applications, and how often I crave it.
Every once in awhile I find the sweet spot that bumps these up to 90+. Those are the days I need to buy a lotto ticket!

90-95
Sweet Camellia! this is realllly good tea! Don’t talk to me until I’ve finished my cup…

95-100
Tea of the gods. I would do anything to get my hands on more of this liquid gold!

Location

Toronto (Mississauga, but I work in TO)

Website

http://hrslinger.wordpress.com/

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