Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1448 teas reviewed
✓ 496 of Black Tea
✓ 949 of Pure Tea (Camellia sinensis)
✓ 18 of Frontier
✓ 381 from China
Review of China Black (Orange Pekoe) Organic
November 29th, 2015
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 4 of 10 | 2 of 5 | 1 of 5 | 37 of 100 |
| Mediocre | Mediocre | Not Worth Paying For |
I brewed this tea multiple times and it consistently disappointed me.
The dry leaf of this tea, which is quite broken, had a weak aroma that reminded me of a fresh loaf of rye bread at a mediocre deli.
When water hit the leaves, the aroma developed into an array of light smokiness, deep vegetal notes, and fruitiness, with a hint of dust or stone. There are a few "off" aromas in the brewed cup though. Like the leaves, the brewed cup doesn't smell terribly fresh either.
I don't know if I had a bad batch that maybe got broken during handling, or was stored too long or improperly, or if this just wasn't a very good tea, but it was quite disappointing. I've had similar-looking lower grades of Chinese black teas that were stored for a very long time and still tasted fresher than this, so I suspect it just wasn't the best tea.
Not the most expensive tea sold by Frontier, but I've had FAR better black teas for cheaper, including organic ones. I'd prefer any black tea sold by Frontier to this one.
