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Thanks, Nicole, for the sample of this you brought to the NYC meetup at the beginning of August. I brewed this a bit light (2.10 cupweight acc. to Upton tea scale, 14 oz boiling water) for three minutes and got a tea that was light but flavorful. I have rarely enjoyed drinking a strong black tea without milk as much as I’m enjoying this cup. Fragrant, almost Earl Greyish/smoky quality seems to be the Indian side; earthy, minerally depth from the Chinese side. Interesting conversation between the two; somehow it reminds me of the sweetness you can sense in hay and wood.

When I serve several Kusmi teas at my annual borscht party, this one is always the favorite. Some guests sweeten it with a bit of Earl Grey jelly.

Iced, this is the first thing I ingest on a summer morning. The lightly grassy flavor interests my palate without overwhelming it. An invitation to enjoy life.

Couldn’t find this on their eBay store, 4/23/12.

Jenier doesn’t seem to carry this tea any more.

Sometimes you can’t escape it — you’re in a Darjeeling mood. “I’d like a cup of black tea, but not too heavy, and I don’t want milk, and I’d like the flavor to be subtle but wonderful.” This tea does all of that, with a surprising extra flair that won me over as soon as I inhaled the brewed liquor vapors. It had a faint flavor — not lingering on the palate — almost like jasmine tea if you could take all the ponderous cloying qualities of jasmine away. Nothing too fancy, but of the very highest quality. Very smooth, soft drinking.

I brewed one cupweight (thanks to my new digital tea scale from Upton) in 6 oz water just off the boil for 3’30". I tasted it without milk, and it seemed interesting, but a bit raw-edged from the tannin. A little bit of milk really helped and made this into a very satisfying cup of tea: it was flavorful but not heavy at all, with an interesting note of something that reminded me of chocolate, and a very smooth finish. Really a nice way to start the day, as though someone you like has chucked you gently on the cheek with the nappy grain side of a tan leather glove. On the pricey side, though.