I wanted something bold and thick and strong this morning.
I brewed up a cup of this. Not sure how it managed to stay in a sealed packaged in my cupboard for so long.
The taste is smooth and thick, bold but not astringent. There is a silky quality to the liquor. I am getting hints of roast, maybe a touch of smoke but certainly not overpowering – like a roasted barley, and some kind of dark fruit, like purple plums maybe. There is a very slight sweetness to the tea but it is very natural tasting. I am getting hints of dark cocoa as well. Maybe a hint of sweet tobacco. My dad used to smoke grape cigarillos, a good black tea always reminds me of sitting on the deck in the evening beside my dad as he had a smoke at the end of the day (then my mom made him quit because my little sister starting pretending to smoke the left over cigarette butts – now the smell is just a distant but pleasant memory) :)
Thanks Verdant for the awesome taste-memory association today!
Edit: I did a second steep for 2 minutes. It tastes pretty much the same, not as thick. There are more mineral notes and a bit more sweetness in this steep.
