Warmed leaf smells like Grand Marnier. So many alcohol references from me lately.
I wanted a nice full session of this, so I put the whole damn 10g in my pot that normally takes 7g. I figure half is pomelo peel, so… caution to the wind!
Aroma is orange liqueur almost exclusively… which has its own set of implications, of course: overripe and fermented fruit, vaporous and funky. Marmalade. Triaminic orange cough syrup, for a non-boozy reference… god, I loved that stuff as a kid. Liquid is quite transparent and progresses from straw- to caramel-colored.
Taste is the delicate, filmy version of all this — a “marnier and water,” if that were a thing. The real kick is in the smells here, but the scent is not separated and floating above the flavor (as so often happens with flavored teas) — they are well-integrated and become a singular experience. The black tea base doesn’t really announce itself, which lets the pomelo shine. There is some bitterness from the pith that shows up, but it’s not distracting and balances the almost-cloying sweetness. Provides some tongue tingling in later steeps. Eventually the bitter keeps on steeping, the nice things fade… and here we take our leave.
For the record, 10g was not too much material at all. Long steeps didn’t become astringent or too pungent. Seems like this would be great iced in summer.
Flavors: Alcohol, Bitter, Brandy, Citrus Fruits, Honey, Orange, Orange Zest, Stewed Fruits, Sweet
