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Man I hate having a student budget because I would buy more of this right now.

I did two rinses and have been brewing at boiling, this tea has lasted me quite a few steeping and I’m certain I can get more out of it. It started with an almost hidden sweetness and slowly has let more and more of its toasty roasted notes out. It makes me really nostalgic for my mom’s chai and breakfast for some reason and certainly is a tea that makes me want to slow down and really savor each brew.

I’m fairly new to tea, coming from a daily espresso and maybe a pour over, so my reference points are limited. But if I were to try and compare it to something it reminds me a lot of the scent and mouth drying nature of a rock oolong I had at Hugo Tea in Chicago. But with a more pronounced sear to it and the gentle sweetness that keeps popping in and out. Clearly I have a lot more to experience in the tea game because this was really fun and unique.

two rinses, 4 steeps, I think this one needs a LOT more ageing before I’d consider touching it again. It was a tad overwhelming and I got caffeinated so fast I got nauseous.

a light sweetness and a strange numbing sensation on the tip of my tongue, probably the most inoffensive and easy drinking teas for literally anyone. The sweetness hangs out for a while and even at higher brew temps or longer brew times I didn’t get any weird notes to come at me. I need to sit down with this one again to see if it’s got any other hidden surprises.

A rich, chocolatey, earthy tea, great for this first week of fall, reminds me of the scent of those rubber mulch wood chips that schools use for their playgrounds. I wasn’t wow’d by this tea but I certainly could see it being an easy daily drinker during the winter.

A free sample that wandered its way into my order, Steeped at boiling after 2 washes, I almost didn’t smell anything in the Gaiwan after my two washes but in the cup a mild floral note was quite prevalent. The sweetness just wouldn’t give up, I was so impressed with how long it hung out. A slight hay? note or something that reminds me of a field came out starting on the second infusion. Astringency began to creep in during later infusions but wasn’t too off-putting. Although some sort of floral scent and the honey like sweetness were 90% of the notes I was getting, I was still pretty excited by this tea.