Interestingly, the leaves have an earthy smell to them that reminds me of ripe Puer tea. After the first infusion, the leaves smell a lot like grapes or wine. The first infusion has a soft, velvety mouthfeel, with a creamy kind of mild sweetness that fades into an earthy taste and hints of cinnamon.
The second infusion is mellower and has more of a classic black tea taste, earthy, woody, dark. The third is more of the same and a touch more tanniny. The first infusion of this tea was really the most complex so far. If it produces any more that are really interesting I’ll update the review, but for now I am going to finish it here so I can relax and enjoy the tea.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Creamy, Earth, Grapes, Wood
I am checking out Norbu now. Any suggestions other than this tea?
Yes – I also liked the Huang guan yin oolong, the Feng quing gold tips and the Jin xuan xiao zhong (both black teas). I have several I bought which I haven’t tried yet. :)
Thank you. You know I respect your taste….
I didn’t notice it at first, but yes, it does have a very Darjeeling like quality about it. Thanks for sharing!