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Decent black (red) tea that has been pressed into 100g cakes. I like the size and design, and at about $6 after shipping, they’re a good value as a gift for the tea drinkers in your life.

The tea does not have the strong malty/chocolaty taste that many Yunnans have. Instead it has a taste I would call ‘matured spring’. While I certainly wouldn’t say it tastes like any particular fruit, it gives me the impression of late-spring black raspberries.

I definitely feel a relaxing ‘Cha qi’ that is supposedly from where this tea gets it’s name. I noticed that the wife was a bit more snuggly after her cup as well (and she thought it was very good, ‘very tasty’ – and went after another cup later on in the evening)

A 100 gram cake might not last as long as 100grams of loose tea might. Depends on how careful one is to use exact amounts when breaking it up.

Another strong malty tea. This one benefited from me leaving it open for a couple days to breathe – initially it had a strong hay/dried-grass smell, but as that dissipated I was left with a very malty, somewhat chocolaty brew.

I use half as many leaves with this tea as I do normal blacks – a little goes a long way.

Strong malty tea. One in a mug is enough for a day brewed grandpa-style.

Basically just a cone-shaped version of a premium black pearl. Tea unfolds as you brew. It’s tied internally so the leaves hold together, which makes clean-up a breeze.

Looks more like a deranged spider than a flower, but your imagination may vary.

Strong strong strong! malty flavor. A few leaves go a long way. (I use half as much tea as I would for others)

The bag opens up with a strong distinct fruit smell – like walking in an apricot grove.

Tea is smooth, and goes down quickly and easily. A great summer tea.

Loose-leaf tea with a tremendously boozy odor. I say this with sincerity that alcoholics may want to avoid.

Brewed tea looses the strong odor and has good blackcurrant flavor. This tea has lately become a favored morning brew.

Overpoweringly fruity tea with nearly imperceptible oolong flavor. By itself it’s lacking, but blending with a smooth black tea gives it much needed body and depth.

As this tea is only harvested in Yunnan Province in the Spring (late march/April), the tea I purchased at Teavana was likely 2015 harvest, and therefore about a year old.

This tea is a strong yet very smooth tea that takes some time to brew as it is rolled into little balls. Eastern-style brew methods should splash (or perform a rinse) with a bit of hot water and allow the balls a minute or two before first steep. Western-style brewing will take 3-5 minutes. This tea worked very well ‘grandma-brewed’ – leaves left to sit in tea pot all evening/night – the next day the tea was still smooth and tasty.

Teavana claims 30 leaves to a ball. As these balls are the size of large peas, I doubt that.

It may be true in other brands of Black Pearl, where the balls are much larger (quarter-sized, one ball per cup) and the leaves are rolled and tied.

This version of black pearl is just ok on it’s own. It is definitely not the best black pearl I’ve had.