Received the samples yesterday—a big thanks to Tea at Sea for their generosity! First up was the Mountain Organic Indonesian Black Tea. Back when I was a coffee expert, I really enjoyed Indonesian coffees, so I was curious to try a tea from Indonesia (I think Assam, Darjeeling, and Kenyan were the only kinds of black teas I had tried before, and the Kenyan tea only in a blend). Opening the package, the tea smelled good. Very good. I scooped it out, and it came to just about two teaspoons full. The leaves were nicely rolled, and included some twigs, as well. It’s at times like this, when I come across a tea that might not measure the same as others, that I wish I had a scale, but I decided to just go by amount instead of weight, as I usually do. Boiled water and steeped for a little over four minutes.
The smell of the tea itself was earthy, with perhaps a hint of smokiness. The taste itself was intriguing—very different from other black teas I had tasted. In fact, its slight vegetative flavor reminded me somewhat of a green (but it was definitely still black, retaining that oxidized flavor). Mellow and delicate like a Darjeeling, but still with a bit of a nice kick. Low astringency, very little bitterness, and a pleasant aftertaste. If I weren’t poor, I would definitely buy a tin of this tea (and this will probably be one of the teas I ask for once Christmas comes around again, or if anyone decides to give me a random tea present). Excellent tea!
