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I received this as a free sample with my Butiki order…. the sample was a bit scant (just 3/4 teaspoon but the website wouldn’t let me enter a fraction.), and sadly, I don’t think I got to taste this tea with the vigor that it is intended to bring. It has a balanced malty flavor that I prefer in tea, and now that I look at the description, it is explained….it’s a kenyan tea. I am a low-astringency gal that likes her tea strong, but I was surprised that a 3 minute steep (to hopefully make up for the weensie sample) didn’t bring out a ton of astringency. I might like this tea very much if I had more to try!

Since I’ve been trying teas other than Assams, I was almost afraid to go to this blend. I am finding that what rules what I “want” each day in a cup is ruled by the astringency in the tea. Some days I find it easier to tolerate the dryness it creates in my mouth. But as I made a pot of East Frisian that was WAY too strong yesterday, I decided to power through my chicken-ness and have a cup of this….. As usual, there was no need to be chicken. This isn’t a high astringency blend of assams. It is a malty cup of goodness, especially on a chilly drizzly day….with milk and sugar as usual. Nom. I’m hoping it makes me feel more literary, as I have to go work on a writing class assignment now….

I beginning to come to the conclusion that this tea ALWAYS tastes good. It is a RARE chilly rainy weekend morning in the San Diego area, and we get very few of these, so I always choose my tea carefully. This morning I chose this… and I’m glad I did. The tea is a “mouthful” without a lot of astringency, which has a tendency to give me a bit of a tummy ache. It matches the weather today beautifully AND it is exactly what my mouth wanted. Not fancy, but who needs fancy when you have rain in southern california? :)

Ok, I think I brewed this right this time. I used a bit of honey and some milk, took a sip. This is not earthy….this is EARTHY!!! Like I just face planted with my tongue out in an unplowed field. I liet it sit for about 3 minutes (while I wiped the imagined dirt from my face) and tried again….ok, much more reasonable. Now it reminds me of a freshly planted garden on a cool damp day. Strange how it can change like that! This is my first foray into Keemuns, so I can’t rate it to others, but it’s not unpleasant. I may even like it in the future, once my palate grows. For now, I still favor Malachi McCormick from Harney, as it has a lovely assam/keemun blend that my tongue seems to relate to better…. for now.

Was sooooooooo excited to dip into this tea this morning….used my Teaze Tea Infuser for this, which is also new. Well, I was just asking for something to not be “right” using a new tea and a new infuser…my cup came out weaker that I would have liked. Disappointing, as I am limited to one cup of caffeinated tea a day. BUT (yes, that was a big but), I must say, it wasn’t so bad that I felt a need to toss the cup down the drain. It was my first ever (knowing) straight Keemun. It was certainly different from the Malachi McCormick that I had yesterday (which is blended with Assam)….just earth flavor in this one….earth on a rainy day, watered down by bad measuring…. I’ll revisit this one again tomorrow….

Since I can never resist free shipping from Harney, and I am trying to expand my black tea tastes beyond Kenyan, Assam and Ceylon, I ordered this tea. It is a blend of Assam and Keemun, so I figured it was the perfect way to ease myself into China black teas. I am extraordinarily happy that I chose this tea! The lack of astringency make such a difference in flavor and to my tummy, and for the first time I think I can detect something that others on this board call a chocolate note! That must be the Keemun. There is a teeny tiny bit of smoky flavor in this tea…. Not like the bonfire of a Russian Caravan tea…. More like the smell of a peat fire laying gently on a spring breeze for just a second before moving on. It adds a depth to the earthiness, without being obvious . ( I live in an area where we have wildfires quite often, so believe me when I say I despise smokiness in tea. Anything that smells like smoke raises the alarm in my brain, as opposed to relaxing me.) This is certainly a tea that I will Be drinking throughout my Tea adventure. Now I just need a scone!

Sitting in a training, listening to the drone of those with expertise, but who have forgotten how to speak in regular people language… Glad I brought my .48l zojirushi filled with this tea. I’ve reviewed this before, but I’ve been having trouble with teas feeling like they are coating my tongue lately…. Maybe it has to do with the tea, maybe it has to do with my health, who knows. But today, from this thermos, comes bliss. The zojirushi is brilliant. I filled it at 6 am, and the tea is still “blow on it” hot. And it’s gooooooood! It’s full, earthy flavor makes it easy to disappear from boredom for a few minutes…. Priceless.

There is some thing in this tea that I’m not supposed to like…..I am a solid breakfast blend drinker. I went to teavana yesterday to try a few “properly brewed” white, herbals and oolongs….. They tasted like water out of a flower vase to me. I need earthy, malty strength to stand up to rock sugar and milk. But yet, here I am, staring at the puny little package that I bought from Butiki, KNOWING I will be ordering again.

First sip, I was a bit panicked. Something greenish and floral this way came. Eeeyyyeeew. I think perhaps it was the Darjeeling, which I don’t drink… But interestingly, instead of dumping the cup, I kept sipping. Watching Olympic hockey… The mug kept distracting me…. Really? From HOCKEY? The tea began to take on an almost beer-like maltiness and the offending green became more tempered… I don’t drink, but I imagine that this is the process that makes wine connoisseurs so avid. This tea was a wee journey for my mouth…. not a road I’d usually travel, but a road all the same . I’m glad I bought rock sugar yesterday, because I would have used honey, and it would have changed the subtlety I experienced.
As someone else posted, this wouldn’t be my choice for my early morning. My mouth isn’t awake enough to appreciate what this tea has to offer. It is more like a midmorning cup, when you don’t know how you’re going to get through the rest of the day work, and it’s only 10:30 in the morning. That’s when this cup of tea will be a nice change of scenery

Excited to try a new decaf, so I pulled this from the cabinet tonight. Made a cup…..so weak I had to try again. Used twice the recommended tea and got a light cup that had a taste of green tea (?) to it….since I only really drink black blends with milk and honey, this fell short of what my mouth was looking for. For those who drink other types of teas ( Darjeeling, etc) this might be a lovely cup, but I won’t be finishing the packet.

This tea will pull your socks up for you in the morning…. Stout, whole and flavorful with cream and honey…… I have no doubt I will be buying this again. More review after a second cup…..