Joseph Wesley Black Tea

Something fascinating and wonderful...a Keemun of top-quality produced outside the traditional area, yet in an area with a tradition of artisanal black tea production. Seems to combine the best qualities of Keemun with qualities of Fujian gong fu / congou black teas. I saved this tea review for last, from the recent ...

This was an exceptional tea, and I think its name does not do it justice. It didn't taste classic, it tasted extraordinary!

The dry leaf is black, with very wiry, crinkly leaf that is quite long. The leaf is pleasantly aromatic, and the aroma complex and toasty, suggesting fruit, nuts, wood, caramel, and malt.

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Dry leaf has beautiful, intact wiry leaf with golden tips, and a mild aroma of rye malt and fruit.

The brewed cup is very dark, but not as aromatic as I'd like. The aroma is mostly fruity, and also suggests rye malt, but the aroma is weak, and the flavor is also somewhat weak. Although this tea is smooth, I think ...

I gave this tea a poor review back in November of 2014, but my brother picked up some more for me, in Detroit, and I gave it another try. It still was my least favorite of the Joseph Wesley teas.

My old review:

The first tea from Joseph Wesley to truly disappoint. The disparity in quality from the other teas is...

Excellent.

This is the traditional Chinese Lapsang Souchong, subtle, not the British-style stuff with the overwhelming smell of campfire smoke. I love it. I've only ever tried one other Lapsang Souchong on par with this, the Lapsang Souchong Superior Grade from Life In Teacup. This tea was equally exquisite, yet ...