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Dry aroma: Barely there but if it were fresh I am sure it would be stronger with woody notes.
Liquor aroma: Malty. Slightly woody.
Flavor: I would not call this robust. But to be fair my parents don’t drink tea much and I don’t drink tea bags much. Also don’t know how long this tea has been in their cupboard let alone been around. Granted the packaging looks fresh. Still…. I think this could be stronger. It’s not terrible but the slightly woody, slight varnish, slight malt… it’s too much slight for an English Breakfast.

Art is subjective when it comes to color, matcha is not. While someone could argue that matcha color doesn’t matter. I disagree. It can be the first sign of whether matcha is still good, how long it was shaded, if it was stored properly, etc. The color of this matcha leaves much to be desired. Is that a pun? Wa ha. It is between a green olive and moss green. Which in matcha is not something really desirable unless you are cooking with it. The mouthfeel is silky with a bit of silt. The flavor is better than culinary but doesn’t have the complexity of a ceremonial grade in my opinion. There is a slight creaminess mixed in with vegetal notes. I would rate this in the middle, better for lattes but still fine for a stand-alone session. On that note, mixed with creamy oat milk it is quite delicious.

While some teas a very straightforward in their flavor and aroma this one is probably one of the most complex that I have consumed. The dry leaf is tightly twisted with a dusty slightly yellowish dark brown. Ever so slightly. This changes to brown with dark olive greens. in the wet leaf. Some longer leaves but also a lot of broken leaf. The wet leaf aroma is somewhat bready with hints of malt, The liquor color is a brownish amber. The flavor is all over. Compost, wet leaves, malt, rye bread, resin, and wet wood. This rates really well on the website. But to be honest it doesn’t really float my boat.

A tightly twisted leaf with a dusty dark chocolate appearance. The aroma is slightly smoky with dry woody notes. The initial aroma instantly reminds me of sweet potatoes. Just mashed, no butter added. This is a well-made black tea. The flavor pops in your mouth and there is so much to experience. Sweet potatoes, slight campfire smoke, a tad bit of charcoal, a bit of fruit, woody tones, some compost, mossy earth… The mouthfeel is so smooth.

Classic Dahongpao aroma. Yum, yum, yum. A slightly drying sensation filled in with fruit and mineral notes. A touch of tropical florals as well. The leaf is a dark chocolate color, lightly twisted, and slightly dusty looking. On the initial bit of water hitting the leaves an aroma of lychee came first and then charcoal. Now roasty/toasty notes. The first infusion leans more toward the roast notes. And no I’m not talking about chicken or beef. The flavor continues to remain dominantly on the charcoal side. Which I find somewhat surprising because of the amount of other notes in the dry aroma, however, it’s still quite enjoyable.

A good hobbit requires a second breakfast and a cloud-covered morning requires a second cup of tea. This beautifully twisted leaf has an aroma of dry desert wood. The golden fuzzy hairs are gorgeous, easily the ones twisted in the dark chocolate-colored leaves. The initial aroma is a bit bready but reminds me a bit more of bread pudding. The taste is delicate at first but then really punches you with some unique notes. They are mellow and refined wheat and rye bread notes with desert dry wood notes. Slight driftwood paired with If you steep longer you’ll also find hints of varnish which is fine but steeping for less than 2 minutes seems to reveal the best notes in my opinion. Heck, I’d say it’s probably better to stick under a minute. The notes stay pretty consistent and mellow with each steeping. The dry woody notes remain.

My first thought was of some type of paste with a floral back tone. The leaves are a dusty, dark chocolate. The initial aroma coming off the leaves was fruity now it’s a bit more charcoal. The liquor is a beautiful amber color. Liquor aroma is choral, mineral, and slightly floral. The flavor is a smattering of charcoal notes, a bit of baked bread, and floral notes. The floral notes are a bit tropical with hints of jasmine but strong in gardenia. The minerality plays well with the charcoal. An interesting balancing act on the palate.