For me, the flavor of this tea was the least interesting thing about it. It's complex, herbal, a bit cinnamon-spicy, less basil-like than I would have expected. Some bitterness, and it was annoyingly hard to stop little fragments of leaf from leaking into the brew, which is a pet peeve of mine. It disrupts the texture while drinking, and I hate picking things out of my teeth.

Far, far more remarkable was the smell. It was powerful, pungent, almost nose-clearingly fragrant. The words that came to mind were 'heady', 'intoxicating' and 'luscious'. Lots of anise and subtler notes of Chinese five-spice. But wow. I just wanted to keep smelling it.

Also remarkable was its physical effect. As other reviewers have noted, it is a noticeably calming, warming tea. It just straddles the border between 'calming herb' and 'slightly psychoactive substance' - after a large cup, I felt like I had been meditating.

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