Gongfu!
The smoke notes are very gentle, and the strongest element of the session is actually the overall nuttiness. Like a mix of roasted or grilled peanuts and salted cashews that are peppered with complimenting notes of charcoal, carob, lilac, and even a little bit of coconut cream. Not particularly sweet overall, though there are elements of sweetness to some of the tasting notes I’m getting. Overall it’s smooth, medium bodied and quite agreeable for a darker, stormy afternoon.
As an aside, I thought the black grapes might pair nicely with the smokiness but definitely not a great combo. The smoke note isn’t intense enough and the grapes are so juicy and sweet that they through the balance of the tea all out of wack – so, I’ll finish them up AFTER my session. Oh well, you can’t get every tea pairing right and you never reaaalllyyyy know until you try them out. Live and learn.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C80BKPzOQGY/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz2JKgBxs6o