I rather like this tea; it is potent and strong. It reminds me somewhat of Chun Mee yet while being a bit more refined and complex.

Dry leaf, slightly curved and with a dark green color, has a mild aroma, suggestive of sweetness, but upon brewing, the tea is much more bitter, in a pleasant, cooling way.

Brews a rich cup, clear but relatively dark for a green tea.

Aroma is pungent: strongly vegetal and herbaceous. There's a slight smokiness. I also find the aroma floral, much in the same way that some of the higher-quality chun mee's also are floral. Flavor is slightly bitter but otherwise subdued: there is little sourness and sweetness. Finish is slightly metallic, but leaving a clean, crisp sensation on the palate...only a slight astringency lingers at the back of my mouth.

I liked this tea very much; I don't think it's the sort of tea a lot of people would like though; it's strongly vegetal and more bitter than sweet. I recommend it to people who like Chun Mee and other bolder types of Chinese green tea, but want something just a bit more refined.

Price is very, very cheap...this is not the highest grade of green tea, but it's outright extraordinary quality for a tea at this price (under $10 a pound!) There are nuances in this tea that I generally don't detect in teas this cheap. I think this even offers better value than the Starway brands, which were previously my favorite value buy in green teas...this tea is cheaper, and I think perhaps a bit better too.

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