One of the strangest teas I have had in some time!

The dry leaf, with lots of of yellowish-gray tips, turns quite dark when brewed. Aroma of the dry leaf is Darjeeling-like, and reminiscent of other Nepal teas, with hints of grape yet an almost smoky, dusty, edgy quality to it. The dry leaf's aroma suggests a more bitter tea.

The brewed cup is also Darjeeling-like, and exceedingly interesting. It is dark in color but tastes clear, light, and very smooth. There is a burnt quality in the aroma, suggestive of candle wax.

I found Upton's brewing recommendations did not work well for me...they say 3 minutes with boiling water. When brewing that way or longer, this tea becomes unpleasant to drink for me...the candle-wax quality dominates the aroma, the tea tastes burnt, and there is a very strong but muted bitterness that leaves a strange taste in my mouth.

When brewing for only 1 minute, however, this tea really came alive, and bizarre nuances of aroma come out: peppermint, vanilla, and chocolate. These were on top of the Darjeeling-like muscatel quality. The tea, in this brewing, almost reminded me of Rishi Tea's Vanilla Mint Pu-erh, which is so strange as this is a pure tea that contains no Pu-erh, and that is a flavored tea with many ingredients.

I'm still experimenting with this tea, it's a bit tricky to brew. I did not enjoy it the first time I brewed it, but the brief infusion was very enjoyable, and completely unlike anything I've tried. If you want to try something truly novel, I'd recommend picking up at least a sample of this one.

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