A fascinating tea, resembling caraway and rye crackers, but complex and smooth. This tea got my attention in an unusual way: most of the high-end Yunnan black teas are gold or pure gold variants, mostly or all tip. This tea had an all-dark leaf.

The dry leaf is very aromatic, with a peculiar aroma resembling caraway seeds, carob, and dried fruit.

Upon brewing, all of these aromas are present but the fruity tones seem much stronger, and there's also a hint of a wintergreen note, which I love. The wintergreen is fleeting, however, weaker than in some Ceylon or Indian teas.

Flavor is smooth and somewhat muted. Limited bitterness, not much sourness or sweetness either. Medium-bodied with a muted astringency, always present but never overwhelming. Finish is reminiscent of a dry rye cracker with caraway seeds.

The second cup brings out tones of caramel, dark chocolate-marzipan, and a hint of smoke. Flavor is bold, both more bitter and now significantly more sweet--drinks a lot like a cup of hot chocolate.

I'm amazed by how much this tea changed through three steepings. The third cup has a dusty aroma, suggestive of aged Pu-erh, with a fleeting, ethereal sweet almond fragrance. I overall found this cup to be thin and boring though.

I liked this tea best when used for two steepings, as this allowed me to get the most out of the fragrance while avoiding the thinness of the third cup.

This tea was top-notch. Able to be brewed very strongly without ever becoming too bitter. I don't think I'd choose to buy it though, over TeaVivre's more moderately-priced red teas (Chinese black teas) though...at about $32 for 100g, or $144 for just over a pound, it's pretty pricey. Good for a special treat, especially in winter as I found it to have a nice warming quality.

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