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I love the scent of this tea, both the looseleaf and the liquor. I’ve noticed that after steeping it, the lid to my infuser mug carries a slight scent of bourbon. As far as the drinking experience goes, it delivers exactly the flavor I expect: minty, smooth cacao. It is full bodied while in the mouth, but has a quick, light, minty finish. It makes a great after-dinner tea. I don’t sweeten mine at all, and it still seems dessert-like. I use only 1 teaspoon of tea to 6 ounces of water, and steep for about 1 – 1.5 minutes. It is a pleasant experience, worth trying.

This Pu-Erh was fascinating. I liked it. I want to give it another, more thorough tasting. I’m not sure how many grams I loaded into my steeper, but the first steeping had a very smoky flavor. It was full bodied, and delivered exactly what I anticipated. The second steeping was close to the first, only a little fainter. The third steeping disappointed me, a little, as it seemed to “fall off.” Still, I rated it highly, because of the first two steepings. They held the sort of earthy, smoky flavor I expected. I think that if I procure a gaiwan, load up a little more tea, and brew it in the “gong fu” style, then it may deliver the sort of Pu-Erh experience for which I’m looking. I’ll try that, then update my notes.

This was my first experience with Big Red Robe. I’d heard a lot of hype about it, and was skeptical as to whether it could deliver, notwithstanding. It did. Furthermore, this tea has salvaged my interest in oolongs. I recently experienced a few that were underwhelming. This one changed that. I’m usually not given to fanciful descriptions, but this tea seems to warrant it. The scent is earthy and soulful; reminiscent of the smell of hot iron and rain on the horizon (if you can imagine those two). I’ve enjoyed three cups, thus far, and it has held up swimmingly. This is another tea that I’ll be repurchasing. It is absolutely worth trying.

This is my first experience with a Shu. I thought I’d ease into it, by trying a blend. I picked this one because of the recommendation another Steepster gave it. It is dandy! The interplay of spearmint with the cinnamon and fennel works very well. Though, without having any knowledge of other Shus, I don’t know what to say about this one. Still, I like it. I’ll be repurchasing this one sometime soon.