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after seeing a posting from a fellow Steepster, I decided to revisit this to remind myself how it profiled.
First I suppose is the question of its pedigree, as is the case with all blends. As my fellow tea lover Angrboda noted, there appears to be a distinct flavor break, so I thought going back to the leaf was the first step.
Dry Aroma: bright and soft on the nose, complex dark fruit, notes of blueberry, spice, tannic aroma reminiscent of Ceylon tea with a soft floral mulberry hint.
Wet Aroma: dark berry, peach, steamed fresh green beans, hints of citrus
Appearance: this is where the sleuthing comes in. From the color and the levels of oxidation, look of the leaves and the presence of stem, leave, and a few buds, my guessing and palate seem to point at a couple of components – Ceylon FTGFOP1, light mix of Darjeeling TGFOP, bud tips seem to resemble Ceylon silver needle or perhaps some other bud tip Indian white tea, and a Chinese ‘Congou’ style black tea. I don’t think there is an Assam, mostly because the tea has a more Darjeeling spicy profile and less the rich, malt-pepper that the Assam tea exhibit. The white tea buds that are few, lack the heavy ‘hair’ that I usually expect to see from Chinese white teas so I think maybe it comes from that.
Cup: the liquor is a beautiful deep reddish-orange, very common for Ceylon, Chinese Congou, and Assam. There is a hint of smoky subtly that is very like bohea congou and adds to the complexity and depth. Tannins and fruit, slight hints of muscatel and citrus, clean finish and accented aftertaste of smokiness and brisk spice. I great cup for a brisk day and a contemplative mood.