I am hesitant to give this tea bag a low rating, and here is why:
I like Chinese Blacks when I want a mild cup of tea straight. I smelled this tea and liked the calm but smoky scent. When I say smoky, I’m not talking about extremes like Lapsang Suchong. For me, the most noticeable characteristic of Chinese Blacks (Keemun, for example) is the slight smoky flavor in the otherwise round cup.
I liked the tea for the first couple sips, but later on there was a strange astringency that I did not expect from this tea. It was not from oversteeping, so I am wondering if I should use more water; I used a bit less than the standard, reading other people’s review that it was too mild. I am not sure what went wrong, but it was an unpleasant experience. However, I try again in a day or two and write another tasting note.
