I looked up steeping directions before doing this one and tried to follow them for a change – at least more closely than I normally do. :) At 15 seconds, this smells nice but doesn’t have much flavor at all. After another 15 seconds a light hay flavor develops. At 45 seconds, the hay is deeper and becomes mildly malty. It smells sweet. This is also moderately dusty. After the 45 second steep, it became slightly sour and dry. So I guess I get the bittersweet. :)
They say in the description that it is comparable to a Kung Fu black. I don’t know if Shang’s Bai Lin Kung Fu is the same thing as a Kung Fu, but I will say that I prefer Shang’s if that is the case – it is smoother. This is a good tea but it wouldn’t be my personal preference to turn to.
