First SIPDOWN of the day, at 9 in the morning! Woot! I got this as a free sample at my local tea shop. A few weeks ago I made 2/3 of the pack stovetop with milk and didn’t log it, it was quite good but very strong, I probably could have had more milk than water or something, and a bit more honey. Today, I just steeped the remainder Western style for 2 minutes. Oh, the dry smell is so yummy, spicy and peppery with a hint of sweet. The black tea in this is little tiny black pellets, I believe this is a CTC tea, and my first one at that! This makes for a super dark liquor with a lot of strength.
I tried the first sip without any additives, and it was spicy and dark and strong, tasty, but quite a lot for a first cup of the day. So I added in a generous amount of honey, and that tones it quite a bit. Hmm, I like the taste of this, even with the bitter aftertaste. Weird! I’m not the best at picking out spice flavors as I don’t have them outside of tea much and they just meld so good in tea, but I think cardamom and cinnamon are the predominant notes, and the cloves, but I could be wrong haha. I still think I prefer this one as stovetop lol, as it’s just more cozy that way. But it definitely can hold its own being brewed Western with just water! I might pick up some more of this in the future, as I see this being one I crave in the winter for its boldness and warmth. I am surprised I enjoy this so much, as it has so much body, I thought it’d be too much lol. Thank you Acquired Taste Tea for the lovely sample!
