I loved this tea; it was one of the best Ceylons I've ever sampled. Robust, warming, and surprisingly multifaceted.

Dry leaf has a very pleasant smell, suggestive of dried fruit.

Brews a lighter reddish-brown color; rich and complex aroma, suggesting wood, spice, dried fruit, and malt. I find the commercial description spot-on. It's ever-so-slightly smoky, and it does have a slight burnt quality to it, almost like burnt honey. Flavor is strongly savory/umami (unusually so for a black tea) and only moderately bitter and sour...the bitterness comes in the finish, rather than as an up-front bite.

I steeped 3 minutes, and then 5 minutes. The second cup was as flavorful and rich as the first, and had tones of clove and burnt toast.

The dry leaf still smelled quite strong, and I suspect I may have been able to brew a third cup (quite unusual for a black tea), but this tea was strong enough that I felt satisfied and did not.

Pricey for a Ceylon, but definitely well worth every penny, especially given how many cups you can brew with the leaf.

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