Black Tea (Delight)

Here’s another one from Togo :)

Gone western. 5g, 8oz, 212F, 3 steeps at 5/5/8m.

Dry leaf is roughly processed and voluminous with a mix of whole and broken leaf, stems and a few silvery buds. Range in color from various greens to browns with a lot of reddish-purple oxidation.

Wet leaf after the first steep smelled like orange, raspberry, herbaceous with a touch of florals. The liquor had an odd aroma of squash blossom and chlorine. The taste was undefined with an herbaceous quality and floral undertones. It was sour after the sip and medium- to full-bodied. It had a kind of tingly superficial astringency.

In the second steep, the tea came to life (yay!) with an aroma of orange blossom, almond, dry warm wood and unplaced herbs. The tastes fell in line with what I was expecting of this tea: almond, walnut, orange marmalade, apricot and orange blossom with a persistent mango-apricot aftertaste. The liquor thinned a bit and some bitterness came in with a little stronger astringency.

The third steep was surprisingly similar though with a little less depth, some added warming black pepper, the bitterness moving to the back and turning into sweetness, lots of salivation and a stronger astringency. Two steeps was plenty.

I’d play around with the temperature and steep times to see if that could bring out the desired aromas and flavors in the first brew. I’m also curious about the changes in the tea as it oxidizes more. For the price that Togo said he paid, I think this is a great tea for daily drinking.

This is a somewhat subtle, medium bodied tea. Not too complex, but quite satisfying to drink. It seems to oxidize quite quickly too. I have had it for 3 months now and I can see big changes in all aspects.

Wet leaf smell has a strong fenugreek note to it with a hint of chlorine in the background. The taste is mostly herbaceous and sour with vegetal and floral undertones and sweet aftertaste. There is a little bit of astringency, bitterness only comes in the second infusion. The mouthfeel is buttery, but neither thick nor coating.

The tea only lasts for 2 infusions, but given the price I got it for (something like 3.50 USD for 100g), I cannot really complain.