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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.

The dry aroma is lovely. Sweetness of honey, and light plum with sweet woody notes. The leaf is a dusty dark chocolate color with hints of golden buds; beautifully twisted. A hint of chocolate lingers in the bag. The liquor color is so beautiful. A nice amber coloring. The taste is full of different woody notes. Desert wood, old house wood, some varnish (you’ll experience this all in higher amounts as you steep it longer). The wet leaf aroma is a bit bready with hints of raisins.

I find it a little odd to have the whole box on here when one will just go and review each individual tea but then again here I am leaving a review. My palate has had the pleasure of trying out 2 of the 4 thus far. This is a perfect box to show people the depth of the oolong category. From the lighter oxidization of tie guan yin up to the da hong pao. This is quite enjoyable. I will update when I have had numbers 3 and 4. Oh, and I should also mention I love the style of the box. It is a sophisticated appearance that is eco-friendly.

Once again… I have things piled on my plate that I need to do. I was about to just go downstairs and play Synth Riders but a cup of tea called my name. I was originally under the impression that this would be a darker roasted tieguan yin. But no worries. I love both. And this smells really good. The initial aroma reminds me of a summer floral. Kind of dandelion but not quite as pungent. I’ll remember the name in the middle of the night. The initial flavor is somewhat mineral with light floral notes. I just want to say it is the flavor of tieguanyin. Onto the second session, the tieguan yin is strong with this one. the floral notes are a mix of tropical and summer. Uh, fifth session? With a renewed sense of vigor, I went back to work while sipping this and watching anime. The flavors are a bit sweeter now. They linger.

Lychee! The moment I opened the bag the aroma hit me in the face. Oh is that delectable! Fruity, a bit of minerality, and some woody tones. The dry leaf is nicely roasted, a dark chocolate color; with long twisted form. My mouth is watering. While steeping I scent more pomelo and mango. A bit of passion fruit and some lychee. The first sip reveals some roasty notes. I feel my sense of taste is a bit off because of this dang canker sore so I will have to update when it’s gone to see if anything changes. But I am also getting lychee and some charcoal. The charcoal becomes heavier with time. This is truly a dark-roasted oolong. OH! Whoa. So a minute past the last bit slipping down my throat my palate was hit with a lychee flavor. Ooo. Lychee after taste. Me likey! The wet leaf aroma has some sweet fruity notes.

After an amazing tour of the Hidee Gold Mine we drove to Boulder to seek out this famous teahouse that my mom in law recommended. She was supposed to join but suffered from altitude sickness. I must say that while the teahouse is gorgeous and definitely worth a visit I was a bit disappointed with a few things. One being this chai. I wish I had seen that the second ingredient is sugar. I would never have purchased it. It is way too sweet and honestly I think it really degrades the taste of the chai overall. Even adding chai spices to it doesn’t help.

A bit disappointed with this one thus far. I’ve steeped it two or three times with my favorite mug the same way I do for my other blacks and they have not yielded any desirable notes. So I am trying gong fu instead right now. I wonder about the dry leaf. Maybe it has sat for a bit. There really isn’t any aroma. As a person who enjoys the aroma as much as I love drinking tea, this is very disappointing to me. And for the price paid, I do not think the flavor matches. It is slightly woody, a bit astringent, and nothing to write home about. A disappointing tea for a disappointing day of grave searching. _

After doing about two hours of experimenting and blending my palate decided it was time to drink something. Ah. The dry aroma of this one is lovely. Reminds me of so much at once. Cream soda. Lavender cookies. A sweet spritzer. I’m not picking up the same notes from the wet leaf besides a bit of lavender. The mouthfeel is soft with an aftertaste of lavender and sweet cookies. Mmm not quite sugar cookies but a slightly more savory version of the same. The main flavor is lavender coated with honey. Also a bit of cream soda.