I find Wegmans black teas to be on the mellow side, but have superior aromatic qualities. This was a really enjoyable tea that is among the strongest of their black teas. Classic Assam character.

Dry leaf is not terribly aromatic, and smells like a typical black tea.

The brewed cup has a much more pleasing aroma. Richly fruity, and somewhat malty. Complex malt aroma evolves in the finish, leaving a bready quality. Faint hints of wintergreen. Faintly suggestive of some Yunnan teas, but without the peppery finish.

Very little bitterness, but considerable astringency. I would strongly prefer more bitterness and less astringency, but the tea is still somewhat smooth. Leaves a bit of a dry sensation on the palate.

I preferred brewing for 6 minutes even though it does make it more astringent. Brewing for 3 minutes, even when I used more leaf, produced a less astringent cup, but it seemed to me to be more boring and typical. In either case, this tea does not work well with resteeping, so I recommend just making one long infusion.

This was quite good. If you want something strong, like Irish Breakfast, I recommend buying this and not the tea named "Irish Breakfast", as I found that one was a bit weaker. Is this tea worth $36 a pound to buy in quantity? No. Not to me. However, like all of Wegmans loose-leaf offerings, the price doesn't increase with small quantities, so if you're buying only an ounce, the price of $2.25 (enough for more than 10 cups) is an outright steal.

Add your own review

Login or Sign Up to comment on this review.