Reviewer: Amanda
✓ 338 teas reviewed
✓ 16 of Dark Tea
✓ 182 of Pure Tea (Camellia sinensis)
✓ 26 of What-Cha
✓ 3 from Malawi
Review of Malawi 2014 Leafy Dark Tea
February 25th, 2015
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 10 of 10 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 97 of 100 |
| Outstanding | Excellent | Good Value |
The aroma of this tea actually, no lies, made me cry a little, ok I like Sheng I really do, but my heart will always belong to Shou, and the reason why is because it smells like a forest floor after a summer rain, it has the smell of wet wood, mushrooms, loam, that delightful steamy aroma that a forest gets on a hot day after rain. It smells like the heavily piney forest that I spent A LOT of my time in as a teenager. That forest has been turned into an apartment complex now and I am getting maudlin, but the smell of a good clean Shou (not one that smells like a Chinese market) takes me home, and this tea is no exception. It has a weightiness to it, like I am sinking into loam and pine needles. This tea is heavenly, I want to hug it.
The first steep starts out pretty subtle and slightly creamy in texture, and by the time it hids the midtaste there is an explosion of rich loam, pine forest and cocoa! It is so good, it manages to be rich while not being overpowering, and that cocoa note goes really well with the natural pinesap sweetness. The aftertaste is sweet cocoa and loam, and it lingers for a while.
