I almost exclusively drink grandpa style; proceed with caution. TL;DR, great tea that could benefit with age, though a bit difficult to enjoy with the price point.
I usually don’t like smoked teas, but am a huge White2Tea fan and wanted to see what they could do with it. I am enjoying this tea very much. Even without age, the smoke is blended fairly well with the body of the actual tea which, as advertised, is clearly high-quality – the leaves are uniform and intact, and discoloration is minimal. One of the more interesting things about this tea is that the smoke flavor develops and changes with each steep, as a separate but related process to the tea’s flavor development that I am more used to. At first, the smoke-flavor is very burly, thick, and almost carcinogenic, but by the third and fourth refills the smoke gives way to a much more young woodsy, very piney flavor. Of course, the tea develops in a very reliable raw manner: very astringent at first, which gives way to much subtler notes as the session develops. Huigan is above average with this one, which serves as a great benefit to the experience of drinking a smoked tea.
At the price point, sadly, I do want something a bit more interesting and craveable – right now, I just feel like I am drinking this because I bought it, and not that I bought it because I want to drink it. I am sure that will change with age and this tea becomes a more interesting experience. Overall, glad to enjoy this as a once-in-a-long-while different tea to luxuriate in.
Flavors: Astringent, Earth, Pine, Raspberry, Smoke, Sweet, Warm Grass
