The last of four rather old samples that were given to me as a gift by a friend. This one seemed to have lost a bit more of its aroma than the others did.

The dry leaf is beautiful, although slightly more broken than the others (the picture shows this quite accurately) and with a slightly lower portion of golden tip, which had turned a dark orange color. It has little aroma, only a faint aroma suggestive of rye malt. I suspect the brokenness of the leaf may explain how the aroma was lost.

The brewed cup is actually very good, not intensely aromatic, but as good as or better than most mainstream Irish Breakfast blends. Very potent, strong, full-bodied, but smooth and with relatively low bitterness.

Like the others, I would have loved to try this tea at its prime, but it's still very enjoyable to drink even if it's lost much of its complexity. It will be a pleasure to drink up the remaining cups.

Add your own review

Login or Sign Up to comment on this review.