I was very hesitant when I brewed this for the first time, this morning. In the bag, the smoky smell is so intense, I felt like I might find some ashes at the bottom of the bag. It did remind me of the old woodstove we had when I was young, but somehow, the idea of drinking something that reminds me of a woodstove wasn’t that appealing.
Brewed, the smell of the liquor is almost as strong as the dry leaves, and I was still suspecting the leaves might have been coated with ash (hey, you never know!). But drinking it is a totally different experience. The smokiness is definitely there, but it is not overwhelming at all (as it was when smelling). The balance between the taste of the black tea and the taste of smoke is perfect for my taste, just like good smoked salmon has a smoked taste without masking any of the salmon (it actually compliments it in a great way). It remains quite an unusual tea flavour and is definitely hard to compare with other kinds – flavour-wise, it just stands on its own.
