Brewed in my glass pitcher.
The pearls are beautiful to watch unfurling. The dry leaf smells sweet and hazelnutty while the wet leaf smells surprisingly woody and vegetal in comparison.
The most positive thing I have to say about this tea is that, even for a black, it lacks any tanniny leatheriness. It’s nearly impossible to overbrew and remains light and smooth even with a good deal of brewers abuse. First steeping is relatively sweet with a soft maltiness and subtle damp hay aroma and flavor. Pleasant but subtle cocoa notes, very juicy tasting on the palate. Second steep has lost most of the sweetness and remains smooth and malty with dark cocoa tones becoming more prominent.
Overall, this is a pretty underwhelming but otherwise pleasant black tea. I would not recommend it with milk as its subtle flavors would be completely drowned out.
Edit: gave a sip to my bf, who is not a tea fanatic. I agree with his note: “It is a huge improvement from bagged black but not great for a loose tea.”
Flavors: Cocoa, Hay, Honey, Malt, Smooth
