My third tea from the TTC Taiwanese black sampler. Dry leaf had an intriguing aroma of raisin and black licorice. Wet leaf though smelled slightly off putting. I’d describe it as a pungent earthy-malt aroma mixed with that of a bug bitten oolong. Thankfully it didn’t taste like how it smelled. This one reminded me of golden fleece with it’s mellow baked sweet potato/pumpkin flavor. There’s also some malt and faint hints of cocoa here and there. The pumpkin peaks early and the tea become sweeter and smooth in the next cups.
While this was a nice tea, it’s not something I will rush to re-order when there are other comparable Chinese teas that offer similar flavors. My impression of Taiwanese blacks so far is they don’t really stand out from the crowd. It could be that I haven’t had found the right one yet, but Yunnan and Fujian blacks seem more robust and flavorful to me.
Flavors: Cocoa, Malt, Pumpkin, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes
