Very dark brown leaf, rather broken up, smells mainly of roast when dry.

Produces a surprisingly clear, almost-greenish infusion.

Aroma complex, but only when I pay attention to it deliberately; it's not attention-getting. This tea seemed forgettable if I drank it casually, but had a lot going on when I focused on it.

Aroma was mostly woody, not much roast in the actual brewed cup. Smooth flavor; very little bitterness or astringency. There's a honey-like sweetness as the cup cools. Oddly, I find the complexity comes out more when this tea is luke warm or even cold: I notice the woody tones more, there seems to be an interplay between suggestions of wood smoke, resin, twigs, and honey. The overall feel of this tea is very earthy, like the smells in a twiggy thicket in early autumn.

I strongly prefer brewing this tea for a longer period of time. When brewing more strongly, there are some more interesting tones that come out, including a hint of wintergreen, one of my favorite qualities in tea.

Bottom line, the price on this seemed high. I wasn't terribly impressed with this as a high-quality oolong. The leaf was more broken than the picture on the Arbor Teas website suggests.

The one thing I do credit Arbor Teas with, I think their description of this tea's flavor and the experience drinking it is spot on. They say, quote: "The taste is smooth and sweet, with a subtle dryness reminding of pear skin, followed by a lightly baked aftertaste." Yes! I definitely get that. Spot-on description. It doesn't quite do it for me though.

Add your own review

Login or Sign Up to comment on this review.