I got a sample of this tea from Kasumi no Chajin, thanks so much for sending it along!
I’m not going to lie, I requested a sample of this tea first because each tea has a cute bird assigned to it. This one is the Red and Yellow Barbet (they even list them on their website!). Secondly, it was a Kenyan tea and I have almost no experience with African teas. Despite the fact that I was IN Kenya last summer, but it’s one of those situations where the tea you get served is CTC teabags, and it takes a unique tea company to export really high grade stuff. Third, the description of this tea sounded delicious!
The steeped tea smells really tasty, with definite notes of molasses, chocolate, and raisins. I have to say, even though I knocked off a minute off their suggested steeping parameters, this tea is still a touch too “robust” for my taste. I should have expected it… East Africans like their tea very robust. It edges on bitterness, which I think could be avoided by steeping it at a slightly lower temp or for a shorter time. Otherwise, though, the flavor is very good. It reminds me of a Fujian tea, almost, which is awesome. There are hints of grain and a good helping of honey notes. I wish I could brew this one again at a lower temp, but I do like it enough that if I fall in love with any of the other Majani teas, I would consider putting some of this on the order.
