Continuing on with my British Sampler, and we come to this one.
There is a very faint hint of berry flavor, but then in the next sip you taste the Keemun cocoa flavor. The good thing about this blend is that it is so well balanced that none of the constituent teas takes precedence. Contrast this with the Baker Street Blend where you definitely taste the Lapsang Souchong in it. This is the kind of tea you drink continuously while working on a writing project — fill up the Zojirushi and re-steep each batch in the tea maker three or four times. It’s a satisfying cup that doesn’t distract you with “hey look at me” notes but is still deep enough to not be boring after two cups.
No astringency in first half of cup, and only slightly after that. I put in my standard 2 tsp of rock sugar but I think it needs a 1/2 tsp more. (Oh, I might want to mention that I typically drink a large mug full, 12 to 15 ounces, so the 2 tsp is not out of line. Anything less than 12 ounces is for wimps, unless you’re drinking $60 / ounce pu-erh.)
