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Well, I’ve done it. I finished the entire box of this, my now-favorite black tea. I’m glad Samovar has a coupon code right now so I can order more. I can’t bear the thought of the cold fall and winter days ahead without this in my tea cupboard. I don’t know what is in this, but it’s addictive.

This was so good! Roasted oolongs are hit or miss with me. Some I love, others just don’t seem to taste all that great, or the smoky flavor overpowers the oolong taste.

This tea smelled wonderful in the pouch — a bit charcoal-y. It brewed to a medium yellow liquor. When I took my first sip, it started off with a strong roasted flavor, but the finish was sweet and clean, not astringent or bitter at all. This was a surprise, the way the flavors morphed as I drank it. There was no aftertaste.

Such an interesting flavor profile, and yet smooth and easy to drink. I’m looking forward to repeat infusions.

I pretty much have to drink this at least once a week. I actually crave it. Reluctantly, I admit it’s become one of my favorite teas — it would be in my top five, no question. That’s how well the flavors blend together. It is my “no-brainer,” easy, good-tasting tea. Wonderful iced, but just as good hot, and also tasty even if it’s been sitting around at room temperature for a while. I can rebrew the leaves at least three times, so I feel like I almost get my money’s worth.

(see previous tasting note for my full review)

This is a good “everyday,” non-fussy white tea. It produces a medium yellow liquor with woodsy, nutty, yet slightly floral, notes. Very smooth and easy to drink. Something about it reminds me of hay or straw, although that’s not to say it tastes like straw. It doesn’t have the delicate sweetness of some higher grades of white tea, but sometimes, that’s not what you’re after. This one is easy to brew, forgiving of oversteeping, and tastes great iced as well, or mixed with other teas.

I’ve now repurchased this tea twice, so it seems it is going to be a staple in my cupboard. It’s the perfect accompaniment to waffles, pancakes, toast, English muffins…or anything toasted, because it has that wonderful, distinct “toasty” note. This morning I had it with waffles, maple syrup and blueberries. It’s a “warm” black tea, comforting, bold and strong. I could drink this every day.

You know how I know I really love a tea? When it’s my first choice, several times a week. That’s how it’s been for me with Ancient Gold. When I first tried it, it struck me as a very good black tea, but nothing outrageously great. Well, my perception is evolving, because whenever I’m in the mood for black tea, this is what I reach for. Even though there is a little voice in my head saying, “You just drank this yesterday. Don’t you think you should be trying X tea from the sampler you got from X company, or using up some Y tea from Z company?”, I stifle the the voice and drink Ancient Gold anyway.

I seem to be craving its rich, dark, smooth flavor. It goes well with everything. The color, the smell, the taste — they all really hit the spot. So I’m upping my rating.

I can’t believe I haven’t already reviewed this. I love this tea. It’s one of my favorite strong, robust black teas which is not bitter. The fact that it’s shaped into balls just adds to the fun — and I love that the tea isn’t all black; there is quite a bit of gold.

It is easy to measure. I use 6-8 balls for every 8 oz. of water. This brews a nice, strong cup. The liquor is dark. The taste is powerful, strong, and full of cocoa and malty notes. In fact, when I brew this as a tea latte (16 oz mug filled with 8 oz steamed milk, 8 oz. double-strength brewed tea, one packet of Truvia), it is so chocolately that I could almost swear I am drinking hot chocolate.

As much as I love this, it isn’t a tea for sipping when you want something that has subtle, sophisticated flavors. This is serious black tea. It will wake you up and start your day on the right note. If you like Keemuns or Assams, I feel confident saying you will probably like Black Dragon Pearls.

(As a side note, I visited Teavana today and saw they had a Black Dragon Pearls candle! I almost bought it, but like most Teavana products, it was a bit overpriced. It smelled lovely, although it didn’t capture the rich chocolate-y-ness of this tea.)

This has become my go-to black tea when I feel like I need something strong to start the day, but I can’t decide which tea I want to drink. It has that wonderful toastiness — almost chewiness — and that biscuit-y quality that is exactly what I like in a tea to drink with breakfast. It helped jolt me out of my sluggish, sleep deprived stupor this morning, and it tasted so good, I think I’ll drink it again tomorrow.

This is a smooth, delicious, flavorful black tea. It differs from some other Yunnans I’ve tried in that it lacks astringency and the flavor is not as “raw” and harsh as some. I’m not getting any spicy or peppery notes. It’s almost too easygoing to be a Yunnan.

There’s some kind of dark fruitiness in here that I can’t quite make out — perhaps that’s the “raisin” note others have mentioned. I do not find this malty, bread-y or biscuit-y. I’m not getting any vanilla, chocolate or pastry notes, either, or anything roasty or smoky. It’s just an excellent cup of smooth, silky black tea.

I like flavored black teas when they are done right. Unfortunately, I’ve tasted many inferior flavored teas that have an artificial twang to them, or which have so much flavoring the taste of the black tea is obscured.

I’m happy to report that Vanilla Bean Cream is an example of a flavored black done right. I brewed this for four minutes, and the flavors all came out beautifully. I can taste the tea and the vanilla — the cream note seems to add another layer of richness to the tea drinking experience. This is a rich, flavorful vanilla black. It would make for a delicious ice cream. It’s not overly sweet, though. It’s bold and strong without being harsh or bitter.

I’ll be interested to see how well the flavors hold up through a second steeping, but for now, I am impressed.