This is a real “brick” tea. I was afraid I was going to break the blade of my Swiss army knife trying to chip off a few pieces. I wound up with some of the tea as a fine powder: the blade grinds into the tough surface as much as it cuts.
After grinding away at that dark, tough brick, I was surprised at how light and refreshing the first pot was. The nose and taste started out with a strong stone fruit character, but became more woody and somewhat bitter as the 1st cup cooled. Tobacco appeared in the second steep, which was harsh. Later steeps show the nice fruit and became less harsh but were still too raw for me to really enjoy.
In theory, I should put this aside for a few years, but it was so solid that I’m afraid it might take decades for enough air to penetrate the brick. I broke up part of the brick to speed up the process.
I tried this tea again about 3 weeks later and found it much less bitter. I really am enjoying this now. The only difference I can think of is that I used a single chunk from my last break-up, so didn’t have any fine powder.
I have several bricks of this and will never need to buy another laxative.
Cwyn – Don’t tell Dr. Oz or it will be on the national TV.
Sounds like you went through a pretty tough break-up ;-)