I was really thrilled when I got this tea as a gift! The idea of drinking a 1991 aged tea thrilled me, I think it’s a pretty special thing to do. To think this tea was picked when I was 5 years of age seems crazy when I take the time to think about it! So I wanted to treat this tea with as much respect as I possibly could, make sure to take the time to appreciate the different layers every sip offers. Sadly, as much as I appreciate the fact it is very special and different, I’m not sure about the flavour of the charcoal… it’s not too bad. If I concentrate, I can picture the coffee… maybe a bit of dark chocolate. I sadly didn’t get the sweet and fruity aftertaste they mention at all though. I was actually very much looking forward to the charcoal taste combined with that of the actual tea, but sadly, I don’t get much oolong at all, to me this is mostly charcoal. It does get better as I re-steep and the leaves uncurl more (they never uncurl much though, even after 5 steeps, they seem pretty stuck from all the charcoal coating), but never enough to make me go “yum!”.
I still thought trying this tea was a great experience, the taste is interesting, and every sip is a sort of link to the past… I think that’s pretty cool! But I won’t go buying more of it, especially given the crazy price.
